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Promotion
Career development
Probation
New members of staff have to pass a probationary period before their employment is confirmed. Both the EPO and the employee are free to terminate the contract during this period.
The probationary period for administrators and patent examiners is generally twelve months. Once this has been successfully completed, the employee assumes full responsibility for his or her work.
The probationary period for staff in administrative positions lasts six months.
Training
The EPO offers comprehensive training programmes for all its new employees. This is particularly valuable for new examiners, many of whom have had limited contact with the world of patents and intellectual property before joining the EPO.
New examiners take part in a two-year training programme which covers all aspects of patent examination. It includes both classroom courses and on-the-job tuition from a personal coach. Additional seminars and courses are geared to individual requirements.
All employees benefit from personalised job-related training. Various courses are available in the following areas: languages, professional knowledge, IT, communications, human relations and management.