Traineeships in the European Parliament

Deadline: June or November for the traineeships in the Secretariat; no specific deadline for the Traineeships with Members of the European Parliament
Open to: eligilibity requirements can be found below
Benefits: Monthly grant and allowances for the period of traineeship

Description

The European Parliament offers two types of traineeships: Traineeships in the Secretariat (Schuman traineeships) and Traineeships with Members of the European Parliament.

The Schuman traineeships are paid and can be undertaken at one of the European Parliament’s official places of work – Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg – or in its Liaison Offices in the Member States. A Schuman traineeship will enhance your education and your vocational training. It will provide you with an insight into the work of the EU institutions and the European Parliament, a crucial forum for decision-making and political debate at EU level. The Schuman traineeships may be undertaken in a wide variety of fields, such as EU internal and external policies, finance, law, multilingualism, administration, infrastructure and logistics, communication or IT.

Members of the European Parliament may offer paid traineeships at their offices in the premises of the European Parliament in Brussels (or Strasbourg) based on an agreement with the European Parliament. A traineeship will enhance your education and your vocational training. It will allow you to better understand the working methods of the Members of the European Parliament. The MEPs’ traineeships may be undertaken in a wide variety of fields. The Member of Parliament who awards the traineeship will assign specific tasks to be completed during the traineeship.

Eligibility

Applicants for Schuman traineeships must:
  • be aged 18 or over;
  • be nationals of a Member State of the European Union or an accession/candidate country (a very limited number of traineeships to nationals of other countries can also be offered);
  • hold a university level diploma;
  • have a thorough knowledge of one of the official EU languages and a very good knowledge of a second (citizens of non-Member States must have a very good knowledge of either English, French or German);
  • provide an eligible criminal record;
  • not have worked, or have benefitted from any other type of traineeship, for more than two consecutive months in an EU institution, body or agency;
  • not have carried out a study visit at the Secretariat of the European Parliament six months prior to the beginning of the traineeship.
Applicants for traineeships with Members of the European Parliament have to:

  • be aged 18 or over (derogations from this age limit can be granted in response to a duly substantiated request);
  • be nationals of a Member State of the European Union or an accession/candidate country. Nevertheless, Members may offer a traineeship to nationals of third countries, provided they comply with visa requirements;
  • have obtained a secondary-school leaving certificate corresponding to the level required for entry to university, or have followed a higher or technical course of study to an equivalent level, or have obtained a university diploma;
  • have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union;
  • not be party to an employment contract or any working contractual relationship during their traineeship;
  • not have carried out a previous traineeship with a Member, nor have previously worked as a parliamentary assistant to a Member, whether local or accredited.

Benefits

Monthly grants and allowances for the period of traineeship may differ depending on the country. You can find more information on the official website.

How to apply?

Please visit the official website for more details.