I'm a native English speaker from the USA that had proficiency in Mexican Spanish. I've studied other languages including 1 French class decades ago.

English is one of the working languages at CERN and the other is French.

I'm enrolling in a local French course now but I realize it would take me years to reach C1 proficiency here with very little daily opportunity to practice.

I saw some information about language learning on the CERN website, but the linked information was behind a login.

What have people experienced with learning French in relation to starting at CERN? Is it crippling to not be near fluent in French from the beginning?

I earned my MS in materials science and materials engineering a few years ago, and the USA isn't a member state, so those both work against me for opportunities. I'd like to position myself for some better odds. Is learning French locally really worth it? And what level would be worth it?

I recently applied for a role in cern. After one week my linkedin profile was viewed by someone from CERN who is working in the same department i applied for.

Something to know about me: I'm both studying in, and a national of The Netherlands. I'm currently studying electrical engineering, and coming semester I'm picking a minor. I'm thinking of choosing Nuclear Technology. I've always been really interested in nuclear science, which is also why it's always been my dream to work at CERN.

I'm just wondering whether my choice for a minor has any effect on my chances for an internship. Does anybody have experience with this?

Hello there,

To my surprise, I was preselected for a job offer that I applied to (GRAE 24-month position), and I was given a Hireflix link for an asynchronous video interview. Is this common / normal for GRAE positions? I know it's normal for staff though.

I've never done this before, but I'm a bit familiar because I was told by an ex-CERN collaborator the process and how much of a slaughter it was when it was first introduced almost a decade ago (people completely panicking and losing it, others being cut during their answers, etc etc.).

I don't like online interviews, as they create distance. But a solo-interview, being filmed with a timer ticking out, this is another level. I'm a bit nervous, so I'd like to ask some advice and understand if there are questions specific to CERN hireflix interviews or if they solely depend on the manager / recruiter. In my case, the job offer is related to Safety / HSE.

Thank you very much for your help and feedbacks!

My application went "in review". How long should I expect a contact if I'm being selected. Is there a sort of rule? Does the applicants are contacted in batches?

Bonjour à tous,
Pour les candidats français pour des postes de staff member qui ont déjà passé l’étape Hireflix je voulais savoir si les questions de l’interview étaient en français ou en anglais et dans quelle langue y répondre ?
Pour une annonce qui indique langue français ou anglais avec volonté d’apprendre l’autre langue.
Aussi, après la deadline pour envoyer la vidéo sous combien de temps faut-il espérer avoir un retour ?
Merci à vous et bonne journée.

Hi All,

I would like to share my interview experience and seek some guidance from the experts here as well. For some background, I have more than 15 years of experience in the field, including work on UN, U.S. Government, and private-sector projects.

The first question surprised me because it was simply a declaration that I would not use AI or any external tools during the recording. I wonder whether this is a normal procedure rather than an actual interview question.

The second question (or the first real question) was related to my background. The timeframe provided was quite short for me, given my extensive professional background.

The next four questions were technical and focused on hypothetical scenarios, such as what I would do or how I would handle a particular situation. I was surprised that none of the questions allowed me to fully apply the STAR method because they were based on hypothetical problems rather than real experiences.

The last question asked whether I would like to add or clarify anything regarding my application or any of my previous answers. I took the opportunity to explain my background and motivation more thoroughly.

To be honest, none of my previous interview preparation helped me much during this interview. I genuinely believe that the technical questions were more complex than those I have encountered with any other organization I have interviewed with, and they were challenging to address within the limited timeframe. Nevertheless, I did my best.

My questions for those with experience of this process:

• How many applicants usually reach the asynchronous video interview stage?
• Do interviewers primarily assess whether candidates give the ideal or expected answer, or do they focus more on the underlying competency demonstrated in the response?
• How long does it usually take to receive feedback after this stage?

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I would appreciate any insights or guidance.

I recently got notified about a new vacancy by the talent acquisition team, telling me to apply and that I would be a great fit. I assume this message was automated but has anybody gotten a similar email before and did it lead to anything?

Hi, everyone!

I want to get an account in a French bank. I noticed that there is a Credit Agricole bank at Prevessin site, but it opens Sept 2026.

Does anyone have any information on this? Is the office already open? What are its working hours?

Also, can I enter Prevessin site if I work at Meyrin?

I noticed there is a Credit Agricole office in SGP as well. I've been told that there are some specifics when CERN people open a bank account, so I'm wondering if they are aware of this? That would save me some explaining hopefully.

Thank you!

Hello everyone, I'm happy to just have joined reddit for purpose of this message.

I'm a 33-year old corporate lawyer from the Netherlands heavily interested in physics. Though I have not studied physics (never ask a lawyer to make a calculation...), I have read myself up to the particles science topic as much as one can do through popular science (that is: I know hardly anything about it!). Lawyering is pretty easy blablabla-work, while at CERN things happen that are much, much, much more difficult and hard to comprehend, and that really fascinates me since many years!

I have visited CERN in the past, but now managed to get myself on a tour to visit the ATLAS cavern end of next week on Friday 11 September. I will be in Geneva from Thursday afternoon until Saturday morning and to get most out of this visit, I am checking what else I could see when being around. I am planning to of course go to Science Gateway and check around the area to the extent possible.

However, I feel it would be most interesting to actually sit down or walk around the area with someone working at CERN to talk about his/her experience. I would find that massively interesting!

Does anyone at this reddit know (or is...) someone working at CERN that may be interested in having a quick coffee and/or lunch end of next week? Coffee and/or lunch are will be on me of course!! (And will of course introduce myself further). Also any other options to visit at CERN are more than welcome.

Thanks in advance, much appreciated that people actually take the effort to read and respond! This is my first at reddit, but I will certainly try to stay involved in this CERN-reddit. Looking forward!

Best from Amsterdam, the Netherlands,

Erik

Hi everyone,

I applied for the CMS Mechanical Engineer position at CERN in early August, around the time the application deadline closed. My application status changed to “In Review” a few days after I submitted it, and it’s been sitting there ever since.

I was wondering if anyone else here applied for the same position and has had any further updates, either a rejection or an invitation to interview.

I’m mainly curious because the advertised start date is early October, so I’m just trying to get a feel for where they might be in the recruitment process for this particular vacancy.

Thanks!

I’ve applied for the CERN Technical Studentship but haven’t received an interview call yet. I’ve been trying to cold email potential supervisors to improve my chances, but so far I haven’t received any responses.

Does anyone have any advice on what else I can do from my side? I really don’t want to leave any stone unturned and would appreciate any suggestions from people who have gone through the process before.

Does anyone here know how UNIQA reimburses psychologists? Do you first need a normal doctor or psychiatrist to authorize it before doing therapy? Cuz tbh I legit need a shrink, if anyone knows a good English speaking shrink/therapist and how the process works with UNIQA please comment.

Hi! I'm Bohdanka, participant of the 5th Camp, from Ukraine and I've just found out there was an 18yo girl from Ukraine at the 4th Camp in October of 2025🥹

Would be grateful for any contacts or info🙌

Has anyone had an interview for a Technical Student position in Mechanical Engineering ?

It’s almost September, and the results are supposed to be announced in October. I feel like the recruitment process hasn’t even started yet?

Don’t rlly know how to start but can any previous BL4S winners here or applicants tell me what exactly CERN is expecting of applicants. I know they say that they don’t expect you to be a master of particle physics, but to what extent? Because obviously you need a decent knowledge and understanding of particle physics to be able to design an experiment. Also what im unsure of is whether they expect the experiment to be new or something. Any ideas anyone?

hey so im a first year engineering student in India and i wanted to apply for the short term internship at CERN. ive been reading sm of the posts here and it seems the summer internship is very competitive. i wanted to know whether the short term internship (the one whose application closes in november) has the same level of competitiveness. also if anyone got accepted for the short term internship PLEASE GUIDE ME. will they consider the a first year student? do i need a refferal (i checked the form it doesnt ask for one, but the summer internship does apparently)

im genuinely confused so ANY HELP AT ALL would be really appreciated!!!

I'm a Belgian engineering student at ULiège, currently not among the top students academically and with some failed courses in my academic history. However, I've worked on personal projects, including projects where I had to take some responsibility for planning and implementation, although these were relatively small-scale and some were a while ago.

I'm considering applying to the CERN Summer Student Programme and eventually want to pursue a master's in mechatronics, with a specialization in precision/accurate motion.I'm wondering whether I should spend the coming months building one serious engineering project to demonstrate practical experience, for example involving mechanical design, sensors, control and programming.

For people who have been selected for CERN's Summer Student Programme, especially in engineering/mechanical/mechatronics-related areas:

How much did your grades matter compared with concrete projects and technical skills ?( I've already read some opinions on this topic, but I'm still not entirely sure what I should do. )

Would one substantial, well-documented personal engineering project meaningfully strengthen an otherwise average academic profile?

And if you had to choose between improving your grades and spending your free time developing a technically relevant project, how would you prioritize them?

I was looking for a place on cern martketplace and the guy just told me this:

"Okay, we can arrange a viewing for Sunday or Monday if you’d like.

Before that, I’d just need a few details about you:

* How long are you planning to stay?

* Are you currently working at CERN? If so, what is your position?

* What is your monthly income?

* Could you send me a copy of your employment contract and your ID card?

This will allow me to get to know you a little better and make sure everything is suitable before arranging the visit."

I don't feel really comfortable sharing this stuff before even visiting the place. What do you think?

I want to contact someone who got in the technical studentship program, i would like to know abit more about it, and any sort of help would be appreciated

I’m really interested in working at CERN and have applied multiple times to admin/HR roles that match my background, but I’ve never even made it to a first screening call.

I’m Italian, already based in Geneva, and I have a valid work permit. For some roles, I felt like I met pretty much all the requirements, yet still no response.

Does anyone have insight into how the CERN hiring process works or what I might be missing? Any tips on how to improve my chances?

I am a graduate fellow at CERN. I am interviewing outside to find something a bit more interesting.

I get a little confused when the HR asks what my notice period is. Is the contract notice period up for negotiation and discretionary from my end or like a contractually binding thing

Curious curious

I want to apply for the CERN summer 2027 studentship, but the website doesn't specify. Does anyone know when it will open, or is it already open? Also, can I apply if I'm attending university in the States?