European Commission headquarters in Brussels

A less than three percent chance of getting the job. Months of studying, learning hundreds of acronyms and obscure politicians' names to be able to answer tricky quiz questions in seconds. Would you go for it?

Every year, tens of thousands of Europeans do, entering the European Union's public service job marathon. The prize is a 21st-century rarity: a highly paid job for life.

"Preparing for the competition is a big adventure, it invades all your time, your life," said a woman who took part in the competitions. "It's like a sport ... you need to train every day."

In the past five years, more than 290,000 hopefuls have applied for EU jobs. A mere 7,049 were eventually recruited by the 27-nation bloc's institutions, mostly based in Brussels, but also in Luxembourg and a few other EU states.

They got in at the end of a grueling process which takes at least a year, sometimes three to four, starting with a multiple choice quiz on the EU's history, financing and politics, as well as verbal and numerical reasoning tests.

"You have to be the type for exams, you can't just be good for the job," said Jasmine Seiffert, a 39-year-old German who tried to get a job as an EU proof-reader. 

(Agencies)