r/CERN

I currently work at CERN, and while I’m proud of that, I have to be honest, it’s not always what I expected. I wanted to write this post to talk about things that really bother me and that I think deserve more attention. There are so many posts out there saying it’s the best experience of their lives, and that if it isn’t yours, you just “got unlucky.” I don’t really buy that. From what I see and live through on a daily basis, a lot of what I’m about to describe isn’t rare at all. So I’m sharing this for anyone going through similar things and feeling like they’re the only one. Here’s what I observe:

Nepotism: This is probably the biggest problem. It creates these clusters of teams built around shared universities, shared nationalities. Diversity should matter a lot at a place like CERN, which is funded by so many different countries. And it’s not just about hiring. Promotions too. I watch people move up while others, who clearly work harder and contribute more to meaningful projects, get left behind because they are not friend with the right person. Every year we’re asked to recruit more people from certain nationalities, but no one is ever held to it and when it does happen, those people usually end up in the most temporary, low-stakes positions, like student roles.

Permanent staff who does not work: Honestly, it’s kind of predictable. When you’re essentially impossible to fire, there’s not much pressure to stay engaged. That’s what I see around me every day.

Student projects that just die: This one genuinely frustrates me. Money and time go into a student working on something with real potential, and then they leave and nobody picks it up. I get that students are under time pressure and can’t always finish, but why does the work just get buried? Why doesn’t anyone continue it?

No documentation: Barely anything is written down. “Documentation” usually means one person who’s been working on a something forever and has everything stored in their head. The moment they’re not around, you’re stuck.

Supervisors who supervise nothing: The title exists mostly on paper. As a supervisor, there’s genuinely no incentive to do the job properly other than just being a decent person. Letting a student figure things out on their own has zero consequences for you, so why bother? It’s just extra work with nothing in return. And yet those same supervisors still end up credited on every piece of work the student produces.

Homophobia and sexism: I’m not personally targeted, but I see it in my own team and hear plenty from others. Sexist and homophobic jokes are just normal. The kind of thing where struggling with a task becomes an excuse to call someone gay. Women have their work constantly questioned, downplayed, or taken credit for by their supervisors. Friends from other teams have told me directly that they’re experiencing what I’d call sexual harassment, that they’ve reported it to HR, and that nothing comes of it, no consequences, no changes. At an organization of this level, that’s not just disappointing, it’s unacceptable. I hope what I’m seeing is the exception but I’m not convinced it is.

I know some people will not like this post because they love their time at CERN or have a completely different experience. That’s fine. But what I’m describing is real, it happens more than people admit, and CERN doesn’t seem particularly interested in fixing it.

Hello everyone,

I’m writing this partly to vent and also because I’d love to hear your opinions or experiences.

I recently found out that I was selected to work at CERN, and every time I think about it, it still feels surreal. I only applied once, and somehow I managed to pass every interview stage on my first try. My life until now was basically working in my hometown, and suddenly I’m about to move abroad and work at one of the most prestigious laboratories in the world.

My studies are not completely related to the position I got, so it’s hard not to feel a bit of imposter syndrome sometimes. I also get overwhelmed thinking about the fact that neither French nor English are my native languages, and I’m not fully confident with my English because I’m not used to speaking it constantly.

But at the same time, I also get these bursts of excitement and a huge desire to learn, and deep down I feel like everything will probably turn out okay.

Has anyone else gone through something similar? How did you experience it? I’d really love to hear your stories and how things turned out for you, and how you managed to overcome those feelings.

Hi

I'll be joining for a short term internship from June until october this year. Does anyone know a place where an e-bike could be rented on a monthly/weekly basis? I'll be living in Thoiry and commuting by bike.

Hi guys. Not 100% sure how this works and while I have read this guide https://admin-eguide.web.cern.ch/en/procedure/swiss-cards, I do have a question on top of mind that I am hoping someone will be able to address. Can I use my Swiss card to apply for a working permit in Switzerland, or is my Swiss Card only bound to CERN related purposes? Am I right in saying that if I apply to a local shop, they wouldn't be able to accept me because I do not hold a standard work permit?

TIA!

Question from the title. Do you guys get an email from your team lead informing you you're their first pick before official offer? Does every lead do that?

I'm reading some comments here saying they got notified already, so I'm a little worried.

Has anyone received an interview call or any update for the CERN Technical Studentship 2026-2 yet? Just trying to get an idea of the timeline.

Hey everyone!

I had an interview with a team, and they confirmed I am their final choice and asked me to join. I agreed and my future boss submitted that information along to her supervisor.

Now we're waiting for the administrative/bureaucratic/HR procedure, before getting a contract to sign on June 4th.

What's the chance some problem crops up in this procedure before getting the final contract? Is it possible HR/committee rejects them from getting a technical student in general, or me in specific?

How certain can I be I actually have a firm offer? A month is a long time to wait if you have other standing offers.

Thanks in advance!

I'm an NMS and I still didn't get any email or response yet eventhough now we are in may, Anyone else got the same problem ? And did it happen before? What should I expect

Hi all, I've been a technical student at CERN for a bit over 3 months now and it's been a great time. I am loving working there and am happy living in Geneva. However with all of this I know that as a technical student I am effectively on borrowed time, how realistic is it to stay on after student contract ends either by jumping to a PhD and hopefully being able to get a doctoral student contract or jumping to a fellow contract. I get the impression that the chances are pretty dim.

I want to ask the following question to all the scientists at CERN: Here it is: If the world ended in 2012, as conspiracy theories claim, the real question is how did it end? And how did they manage to take people to a supposed simulation?

And the big question is, what was the purpose, what was the goal, and how did they do it? And why couldn't the others be saved or migrate to the simulation? And how did they manage to make consciousness jump from universe to universe? 🤔 I hope you can answer this question for me because: I've seen several conspiracy theories, and I love science.

And I really don't believe in them; I find those conspiracy theories silly and absurd. But I still have this question. And by the way, how can I join CERN? And how much do they pay to work there, and can I participate and learn with you?

Is there still a chance for applicants to receive interview calls for the CERN Technical Studentship 2026-2 between May 10 and May 20, or have most interviews already been completed by now?

I just received my rejection email rn. I can't say I am sad or disappointed or any of that; I already was expecting it after that long wait.

But I need to reapply until I get there! I am currently doing my master's in Nuclear Material Engineering in my home country (NMS), and I applied for material science, of course.

I just want to gather advice from people in material science and all other fields that apply to any CERN programme, and get to know their pov on what really matters for your acceptance, is it the motivation letter? Your publications? Your transcript?Or what exactly?

Do I have to do research about that particular field in CERN and get to know what professors work in it and what their research interests are, and ongoing and upcoming projects are?

Would love to read your insights on that.

Hi. From NMS summertime internship.

I'm thinking of getting an appointment for a visa at my country’s swiss embassy. Did u guys apply for a visa appointment already? When could the invitation letter be sent? Any estimation date? And If i dont get any appointment booking that what will be the solution for that case, cause rn im seeing all booked out.

This is what I found on the CERN website

https://preview.redd.it/msj5ktbpkxzg1.png?width=1482&format=png&auto=webp&s=b46ac17ed5b079039415a6d28ba112f6a3acf07d

My question is about the "experience since graduation" part. Does this mean only the years of work experience after graduating from the Master's degree or does this include all your years of experience, even the time before your Master's degree, that is the work experience after your Bachelor's degree for example?

Let's say I have 5.5 years of experience in total, out of which 2.5 years was before my Master's degree and 3 years was after my Master's degree, which bracket would I qualify for?

In the last few days I've seen people sharing being rejected and other being accepted. Haven't heard anything yet and I think the last selection cycle is all over now. I know there's some reserved sits always put as a backup. But it's already may.

I was thinking about applying to 2026-3 batch. I want to optimize my profile for cern,so I had a few doubts.

1. What does the typical timeline look like for the 2026-3 batch, specifically regarding application deadlines, when interviews commence, and the final notification date?

2. How many students are generally selected in a single intake?

3. For mechanical engineering studentship, what does the average selected candidate profile look like? Specifically, does CERN prioritize practical engineering skills and CAD/FEA proficiency, or are high-impact research publications a requirement?

4. What specific technical skills, project experiences, or certifications should be highlighted in a CV to maximize the chances of being shortlisted for a technical studentship? How do I basically optimize my CV? Are there some soft unspoken rules like no white space,etc?

5. What other non-controllable factors determine the selection

6. Is it better as a mechanical engineering student to apply to this, or wait for student summer internship?

I hope the solutions under this post helps me and acts like a guide for everyone else applying this time or in the future.... I couldn't find a lot of information about mechE, only some scattered around.