Joining France’s Civil Service: Competitive Exams

Research Support Personnel

INED’s research support staff work in a wide range of fields, including statistics, IT, communications, publishing, management, and human resources.

Support staff join the French civil service through competitive exams, open to candidates with the required qualifications for each civil-service corps (ingénieur, assistant, technicien).  The exam process and dates are officially announced by INED.

Each corps has its own grades and pay levels. Staff are evaluated annually, and career progression is possible through internal promotion or examination.

We also host support personnel on secondment from other institutions. 

Researchers

INED recruits permanent researchers through state competitive exams (concours). 
Candidates must have a PhD or equivalent.

Candidates join as researchers (chargés de recherche) or research directors (directeurs de recherche). Careers comprise several grades and pay levels, with biennial reviews. After several years, researchers can take further exams to become research directors, leading to more senior scientific roles.

Our research is increasingly part of international projects. Internal and international mobility are encouraged, as they open up opportunities for career development, project coordination, teaching, guidance, and supervision.