Working for the CGRS

Jobs in the spotlight

  • The protection officer is the key figure in fulfilling the basic mission of the CGRS. He has a university degree, is passionate about human rights and international current affairs and has excellent editorial skills.

    The protection officer develops a thorough knowledge of the countries of origin relating to applicants and regularly completes training in order to keep the expertise and the competencies required for his job up-to-date.

    The protection officer hears the applicant's case with respect to all elements in the application file: he checks the credibility and checks whether the essence of the application fulfils the criteria that could lead to protected status. The protection officer then draws up a decision proposal, with reasoning.

    Vital qualities for the protection officer are neutrality, respect and empathy.

  • The administrative assistant plays an important role within the CGRS. He ensures that the application procedure runs smoothly from an administrative point of view. He has a wide range of tasks.

    Within the geographical sections, the administrative assistant ensures that an application file is passed to the protection officer as quickly as possible. He contacts the applicant and invites him to attend a hearing, organises the planning for the hearings and divides them among the protection officers. The administrative assistant also checks whether the applicant wishes to use an interpreter.

    In the Helpdesk recognised refugees and stateless persons, the administrative assistant draws up the documents for recognised refugees and stateless persons.

    In other supporting services, the administrative assistant plays an important role in the processing of application files.

  • The CGRS makes use of the services of around 200 translators-interpreters. They speak around 100 different languages or dialects.

    The translator-interpreter facilitates communication between the applicant and the protection officer during the hearing at the CGRS. The translator-interpreter provides an accurate interpretation of the applicant's story in Dutch, French or English.  Furthermore the interpreter translates the protection officer's questions to the native language of the applicant.

    The translator-interpreter will regularly be requested to translate documents belonging to the applicant from his native language to Dutch, French or English.

    It is important that the translator-interpreter is neutral and does not intervene in the evaluation of an application. The translator-interpreter must also adhere to a deontological code.

    The translator/interpreter works for the CGRS on a freelance basis and is paid per accomplishment.

    Do you wish to work as an interpreter-translator for the CGRS? Please go to VACANCIES.

     

Vacancies

  • Translator-Interpreter

     

    The CGRS is looking for translator-interpreters for the following languages:

    • Translator-interpreter from Twi (Ghana) into Dutch or English and vice versa.
    • Translator-interpreter from Oromo (Ethiopia) into Dutch or English and vice versa.
    • Translator-interpreter from Burmese (Myanmar) into Dutch or English and vice versa.
    • Translator-interpreter from Patois or Krio (Jamaica) into English and vice versa.
    • Translator-interpreter from Tagalog  (Philippines) into English and vice versa.
    • Translator-interpreter from Thai  (Thailand) into English and vice versa.
    • Translator-interpreter from Somali (Somalia) into English and vice versa.
    • Translator-interpreter from Bamum (Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal) into French or English and vice versa.
    • Translator-interpreter from Bamileke/Yemba (Cameroon) into French or English and vice versa.
    • Translator-interpreter from Esan (Nigeria) into Dutch or French or English and vice versa.
    • Translator-interpreter from Maninka/Malinke (Senegal) into French or English and vice versa.
    • Translator-interpreter from Maninka/Malinke (Gambia) into French or English and vice versa.
    • Translator-interpreter from Kpelle/Guerzé (Guinea) into French or English and vice versa.
    • Translator-interpreter from Djerma/Zarma (Niger) into French or English and vice versa.
    • Translator-interpreter from Baoulé (Ivory Coast) into French or English and vice versa.
    • Translator-interpreter from Mahou/Mahouka (Ivory Coast) into French or English and vice versa.
    • Translator-interpreter from Hausa (West Africa) into French or English and vice versa.

    Read more about the job’s content, the profile, the status of the translator-interpreter and the selection procedure:

    Job content

    As a Belgian federal asylum authority, the Immigration Office (IO) and the Office of the Commissioner general for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) uses interpreters and translators on a daily basis to enable communication between the foreigner and the competent authority.

    As an interpreter

    you are responsible for the complete, faithful and neutral conversion of what the foreigner says and the official concerned asks from your mother tongue (and any other source languages you master) into English, Dutch or French (and vice versa).

    In order to enable communication between the foreigner and the official and allow them to follow and conduct the conversation in their own language.

    Common duties

    • Before the interpretating assignment
      • you manage your agenda properly;
      • you prepare yourself physically, mentally and emotionally;
      • you inform the IO or the CGRS in case of delay, illness, etc.;
    • During the interpretating assignment
    • After the interpretation assignment
      • you may ask for feedback;
      • you put any advice obtained into practice;
      • you draw up terminology lists;
      • you assess your own functioning (critically);
      • you keep your own knowledge and skills up-to-date.

    As a translator

    you are responsible for the complete, faithful and neutral conversion of various handwritten or printed texts in the asylum or migration context from your mother tongue (and any other source languages you master) into English, Dutch or French

    In order ot place those texts at the disposal of the IO or the CGRS in one of the aforementioned target languages.

    Common duties

    • Before the translation assignment;
      • you manage your agenda properly;
      • you inform the IO or the CGRS if you cannot deliver the translation on time;
    • During the translation assignment
    • After the translation assignment
      • you put any advice obtained into practice;
      • you draw up terminology lists;
      • you assess your own functioning (critically);
      • you keep your own knowledge and skills up-to-date.

    Apart from the tasks mentioned above, you will not intervene in any other way in the assessment of files handled by the IO and/or the CGRS.

    Skills

    Generic

    You are

    • reachable (by phone and/or by mail);
    • organized;
    • punctual and accurate;
    • immune to stress;
    • flexible (adaptability);
    • discrete.

    You have good communication skills (listening and speaking skills (interpreter) / reading and writing skills (translator)).

    You can handle feedback and are willing to develop yourself.

    Technical

    You have

    You are familiar with (or are willing to familiarize yourself with)

    • processing and reproducing spoken (interpreter) and/or written (translator) messages;
    • the asylum and migration context (e.g. the terminology and procedures specific to the assessment of an application for international protection);
    • the code of conduct for translators and interpreters;
    • the general (political, religious, economic, social, military, cultural…) situation in the country/countries of origin of which you command the language(s).
    Social status

    As a translator-interpreter at the Immigration Office (IO) and/or the Office of the Commissioner general for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS), you work on a self-employed basis (main or secondary occupation). This means that before or shortly after your first translation or interpretation performance on behalf of the IO or the CGRS, you

    • are registered with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE)
    • have
      • a professional card (if applicable)
      • a VAT number (in which case you may or may not fall under the regime for exempted small enterprises)
    • are registered with
      • a social security fund
      • a health insurance fund

    Interpreting and translating for the IO and/or the CGRS does not guarantee sufficient work or a stable income. The (asylum) authority concerned pays you per translation and/or interpretation performance. The workload is unpredictable and depends on the number of files the IO or the CGRS has to process.

    In this non-exhaustive and not yet updated brochure, you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions about the social status of translators-interpreters working for the IO and the CGRS.

    Payment

    The rates for interpretation and translation performances on behalf of the Immigration Office (IO) and the Office of the Commissioner general for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) are established by Ministerial Decree of 9 May 2003 and are indexed annually:

    • interpretation rate: 44,74 € per hour
    • translation rate: 33.19 € per translated, typed page of 30 lines containing 75 characters
    • travel expenses: 0.63€ per km (up to a maximum of 100 km h/t or 63 €)

    All the aforementioned fees are gross amounts (excluding VAT).

    For your information and to help you with your invoicing, the IO and the CGRS provide you each new month with an individual overview of your interpretation and/or translation services of the previous month.

    The IO and the CGRS normally pays you within the month of submitting your invoice.

    Requirements for recruitment

    To interpret and/or translate for the Immigration Office (IO) and the Office of the Commissioner general for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS):

    • you are preferably over 21 and at least 18 years old;
    • you are a national of a member state of the European Union or reside there legally;
    • you do not have a procedure for international protection pending;
    • you do or did not engage in any activities that could harm the neutrality and independence of the CGRS;
    • you perform your interpretation and/or translation activities on a self-employed basis (as a freelancer); that means that you already perform a self-employed activity (whether or not as a translator and/or interpreter) or you are willing to take the necessary steps to do so (see Social status);
    • you agree to and comply with the code of conduct for translators and interpreters;
    • you are able to submit a blank criminal record not more than six months old (convictions under traffic law may be disregarded).
    • you are willing to undergo a security check by the National Security Authority in accordance with the laws of 11 December 1998 regarding security clearances and their implementing acts (this will involve not only examining certain basic police and judicial data but also checking whether or not you are known to the Belgian intelligence and security services.)
    • you are familiar with (or willing to familiarize yourself with) the asylum and migration context (e.g. the terminology and procedures specific to the assessment of an application for international protection) and the general (political, religious, economic, social, military, cultural…) situation in the country/countries of origin of which you master the language(s);
    • you are able to prove that you
      • actually command your mother tongue and possibly other source languages at least at C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) by means of
      • preferably a diploma/certificate/…
      • any other legal means, to demonstrate during a conversation with the interpreting service of the CGRS (see How to apply?)
    • actually command English, Dutch and/or French (= target languages) at least at B2 level (CEFR) by means of
      • a Belgian (or equivalent foreign) diploma;
      • an official document of a university, college or any other institution which proves, whether or not after a language test[1], that you command English, Dutch or Frech at B2 (CEFR), C1 (CEFR) or C2 level (CEFR);
      • a proven professional experience as a translator and/or interpreter with at least 841,500 words translated or to be translated and/or 2,142 hours of interpretation within the three years preceding the first assignment on behalf of the IO or the CGRS.

    If you cannot demonstrate your language skills by one of the above mentioned means (which are preferred), you can also demonstrate this knowledge during a conversation with the interpreting service of the CGRS (see How to apply?).

    • you agree to successfully complete (a) basic training course(s) organized by the IO or the CGRS.
     

    [1] Here you will find some examples of language tests:

    Dutch

    Interuniversitaire taaltest Nederlands voor Anderstaligen, ITNA (payable).

    Certificaat Nederlands als Vreemde Taal, CNaVT (payable).

    Werkenvoor.be: article 7 (free), 2C level (= B2 (CEFR)), werkenvoor.be/nl.

     

    French

    DALF-Alliance-français-Bruxelles-Europe (payable), www.alliancefr.be/fr/.

    Travailler pour.be: article 7 (free), 2C level (= B2 (CEFR)), 1A level (= C1 (CEFR)), travaillerpour.be/fr.

    English

    TOEFL (payable), https://www.ets.org/.

    IELTS (payable), https://www.iets.org/.

    Interuniversity Test of Academic English, ITACE (payable), 
    https://itace.be/.

     

    How to apply?

    Are you interested in translating and/or interpreting for the Immigration Office (IO) and/or the Office of the Commissioner general for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS)? Please send a recent CV and the attached intake form fully completed and accompanied by the necessary supporting documents to:

    or by sending it by post to the following address

    • CGRS Interpretating Service, Rue Ernest Blerot 39, 1070 Brussels.

    On the basis of the intake form, your application will or will not be considered. This will be done by the interpreting service of the CGRS, who will also follow up your application.

    If your candidature is taken into account but your mother tongue (or possibly other source languages you command) is not a language the IO and/or the CGRS are looking for on the short term, your candidature will be added to a file of potential translators-interpreters in order to, if necessary, invite you in the future for an interview with the CGRS interpreting service.

    If your candidature is taken into account and your native language (or possibly other source languages) is a language that the IO and/or the CGRS are looking for on the short term, you will be invited for an interview with the CGRS interpreting service.

    During that interview, the aforementioned intake form, skills and recruitment conditions will be thoroughly discussed and assessed. Thereby your source and target language knowledge can be assessed on the basis of a test, during which you will have to translate and/or interpreter a text and/or an audio clip from your mother tongue (and possibly other source languages) into English, Dutch or French, even if you presented a proof of knowledge of one or more of these languages (see recruitment conditions).

    If your candidature is still taken into account after the interview, you will be included in the list of translators-interpreters of the IO or the one of the CGRS. To remain included in this list of translators-interpreters of the IO or the one of the CGRS, you must:

    • keep yourself at the disposal of the IO and/or the CGRS for possible interpretation and/or translation assignments;
    • keep your knowledge of your source and target language(s) up-to-date;
    • observe the code of conduct for translators and interpreters and the practical arrangements made with the IO and/or the CGRS;
    • participate in training courses provided and/or organized by the IO and/or the CGRS in the asylum and migration field as well as in the interpretation and/or translation field;
    • provide quality interpretation and/or translation services.
    Privacy

    The Immigration Office (IO) as well as the Office of the Commissioner general for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) attaches great importance to respecting privacy and protecting your personal data while pursuing its legal missions.

    The personal data you mentioned in the intake form, will only be processed for internal management, in particular to recruit asylum translators and interpreters and to create a list of asylum translators and interpreters in order to manage the interpretation and translation assignments necessary for the processing of files in the asylum and migration context by the IO and/or the CGRS. Your personal data will not be transmitted to third parties without your prior and explicit consent.

    Your personal data included in the intake form will not be kept longer than necessary for the purposes for which they are processed. Usually, they will be processed as long as necessary for the needs of the service. As soon as they are no longer of need, your personal data will be removed.

    • If your candidature is taken into account but is added to a file of potential translators-interpreters with a view to possible future cooperation, your personal data will be kept in that file for five years.
    • If your candidature is not accepted, whether or not after an interview with the CGRS interpreting service, your intake form will be destroyed. You application itself will be kept for three years.
    • If your candidature is accepted and, after an interview with the CGRS interpreting service, you are added to the list of translators-interpreters of the IO or the one of the CGRS, your intake form is part of your personal file at the IO and/or the CGRS.

    You have the right to control your personal data. You have the right to access, correct and complete your own personal data or have them removed. If you wish to assert your rights, you can always contact the Data Protection Officer (DPO) of the IO or the CGRS (https://ibz.be/nl/hoe-kunt-u-uw-rechten-uitoefenen).

    If you think that the IO or the CGRS does not process your personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation, you can also file a complaint with the Data Protection Authority, rue de la Presse 35, 1000 Brussels (https://www.dataprotectionauthority.be).

    Contact

    CGRS Interpretating Service

    Rue Ernest Blerot 39

    1070 BRUSSELS

    +32 2 205 53 04

    e-mail: cgra-cgvs.interpretations@ibz.fgov.be

    IO Interpreting Service

    Boulevard Pacheco 44

    1000 BRUSSELS

    +32 2 488 80 00

    e-mail: tolk@ibz.fgov.be