Grades and steps are two different things. A step advancement occurs automatically every 2 years, while you need a promotion to advance your grade. Rates guiding average career speed differ according to current grade/function group (AD, AST, AST/SC).
Hope it helps ;)

Hello,

Welkyx already explained – grade and step are not the same.

To give you an example: If you pass an AD5 competition and you have a Master’s degree, you may be hired as AD5.2: AD – Administrator is your function group, 5 is your grade, 2 is your step.

If you stayed 2 years in the same grade, you are eligible for promotion. This does not mean that you would automatically receive a promotion, as this depends on your performance, availability of places for promotion in your Directorate-General and/or your Directorate, other staff performance, and various other factors. Average promotion speed varies depending on function groups as well as grades. It can be 3-5 years.

After 2 years (and if you did not receive a promotion), you climb up one step, e.g. AD5.3.

When you get promoted, you increase in your function group and are automatically at step 1 again.

So, if you were hired as AD5.2, you would be AD5.3 after 2 years (and without promotion). If you were to receive a promotion after your third year, you’d be AD6.1.

Hope that helps.

You can be promoted from grade AD5 to AD6 in 2-3 years. The average is 2.7 years. Same for AD6 -> AD7. As you go higher the AVERAGE needed time increases... though some people always find a way to make it faster.

Steps changes are automatically granted after 2 years within the same grade.

Charly.