The political lifecycle of local councillors can be divided into three phases: recruitment, incumbency and departure. However, areas related to incumbency and departure from politics remain under-researched. This chapter explores three aspects of the careers of European local councillors: their engagement in various political and civic organisations, their seniority in office and their plans to continue or discontinue their political career after their current mandate. The findings show that European local councillors tend to be inward-looking, primarily focused on local political and civic structures, with stable careers and generally low voluntary turnover—particularly in countries where national parties have a strong local presence. However, there are significant cross-country differences, with some showing signs of more professionally oriented councillors, higher voluntary turnover and greater dissatisfaction with remuneration levels.