CERN Reviews
Updated 18 Jan 2021
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Recommend to a Friend
Approve of CEO
Fabiola Gianotti
182 Ratings
Pros
"An international environment that promotes collaboration" (in 54 reviews)
"Great collaborative working environment" (in 51 reviews)
Cons
"Also would likre to mention Geneva is a bit boring location if you don't like mountains" (in 42 reviews)
"once per lifetime contracts, small chances for a permanent position" (in 24 reviews)
Pros & Cons are excerpts from user reviews. They are not authored by Glassdoor.
Pros
Great place for flexible research where one can drive their own career
Cons
Short fixed term contracts. Difficult to get long term ones
Thank you for your review and to read that you feel you can drive your own career. The objective of the CERN Fellowship programme is exactly that: to act as a springboard to one's career, providing the work environment and working and learning opportunities to help one thrive and grow with a view to having a great addition to one's CV for their future career. All the best!
Pros
CERN is a great place to be at. I participated in many interesting talks. All of my colleagues were very open and friendly, it was very easy to meet people. CERN clubs are a great way to develop a hobby.
Cons
Work can feel a bit disorganised. Depending on the team you get to, you may need to work with really old technology.
"Good Overall"
- Work/Life Balance★★★★★
- Culture & Values★★★★★
- Career Opportunities★★★★★
- Compensation and Benefits★★★★★
- Senior Management★★★★★
I have been working at CERN part-time for less than a year
Pros
Smooth application process Interview method via Sonru is okay
Cons
Length of time for feedback could be shorter
CERN Response
October 8, 2020 – Head of recruitment
Thank you for your review and feedback which we will take into account. All the best, CERN Talent Acquisition team
Pros
Best place to carry out particle physics research in the world
Cons
Isolated environment. Old buildings with no AC
"Excellent Environment to Work in"
- Work/Life Balance★★★★★
- Culture & Values★★★★★
- Career Opportunities★★★★★
RecommendsPositive OutlookApproves of CEOI have been working at CERN full-time for more than 3 years
Pros
Relaxed Environment to work in Unique Technical Facility The surrounding area is beautiful
Cons
Some may not like the management style
- Helpful (1)
"Awesome"
- Work/Life Balance★★★★★
- Culture & Values★★★★★
- Career Opportunities★★★★★
- Compensation and Benefits★★★★★
- Senior Management★★★★★
RecommendsNeutral OutlookApproves of CEOI worked at CERN full-time for less than a year
Pros
Good Work Life Balance, Really great international workforce
Cons
Can be quite disorganised and have ways of doing things that aren't very standard.
Continue readingCERN Response
November 18, 2019 – Head of recruitment
Thanks for your positive review! We're very happy to read you had such a good experience. All the best!
Pros
Wonderful Atmosphere for research in Europe
Cons
Large environment can be confusing
- Helpful (5)
Pros
Relaxed and friendly environment, conference opportunities
Cons
A bit too much internal team politics
"Summer Student Programme"
- Work/Life Balance★★★★★
- Culture & Values★★★★★
- Career Opportunities★★★★★
- Compensation and Benefits★★★★★
- Senior Management★★★★★
RecommendsPositive OutlookI worked at CERN full-time
Pros
This is THE place to be for physics! As a summer student you get to not only work with amazing physics at one of the world's most amazing experiments, you also get to share this experience with others who are as passionate about their subjects as you are.
Cons
I don't really think there were any downsides to the Summer student programme, perhaps that it is only available for a limited time.
Continue readingCERN Response
November 14, 2016 –
Thank you for your review. We are really pleased to learn that you enjoyed being part of the summer student programme. We wish you the best for the future!
- Helpful (3)
"Software Engineering at CERN"
- Work/Life Balance★★★★★
- Culture & Values★★★★★
- Career Opportunities★★★★★
- Compensation and Benefits★★★★★
- Senior Management★★★★★
RecommendsPositive OutlookApproves of CEOI worked at CERN full-time for more than a year
Pros
* CERN is a melting pot for great passionate people you can learn from * I had many opportunities to go to conferences to listen to and give talks which was supported by management * People are open to new ideas and even on a short term contract I had a lot of influence on technical decisions made * The hierarchy within my group was no barrier, I could easily talk to my boss and his boss if I had a problem
Cons
* Some of the systems have a lot of history and therefore a lot of technical weight (legacy code) * The system of contract types and the opportunities to change between them is too rigid. For example there is no natural transition from a Fellow contract to a staff contract.
CERN Response
April 12, 2017 – Head of recruitment
Thank you for your review and for the positive feedback! we are pleased you got so much out of your fellowship at CERN. For what concerns there being no natural 'transition' between contracts, CERN is publicly funded by its 22 Member States and the spirit is one of education and training, whereby people come to CERN to be trained and then transfer the knowledge on. There has to be healthy competition for the different programmes and posts to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants.
Join the CERN team
CERN Response
June 15, 2020 – Head of recruitment