Deadline: 7 June 2013
Open to: Roma youth 25 years and younger who are nationals of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Spain
Remuneration: 1,300 Euro per month (6,500 Euro total) for accommodations, subsistence, and health and accident insurance, plus office space and computer access
Description
The Roma Initiatives Office is offering five, five-month internships with the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, for young Roma university graduates from selected European countries. The internships, which begin on October 1, 2013, involve work experience in one of the Commission’s Directorates-General. Following their training period in Brussels, interns are expected to complete 40 hours of voluntary work with civil society organizations working on Roma issues in their home countries.
The basic aims of the internship program are to:
- Provide young Roma graduates with general knowledge about the objectives and problems of European integration;
- Provide them with practical knowledge about the work of the Commission’s Directorates-General;
- Enable them to acquire personal experience and establish contacts in the course of their everyday work;
- Enable them to enrich and put into practice the knowledge they have acquired during their studies or professional careers.
Financial assistance for the internship is provided by the Open Society Foundations. The five-month internship grant covers travel to and from Brussels, accommodations, subsistence, and health and accident insurance. Travel expenses to and from Brussels will be organized by the Roma Initiatives Office.
Each intern will receive a grant for accommodations, subsistence, and health and accident insurance in the amount of 6,500 Euro (1,300 Euro/month). Health and accident insurance is compulsory and must be obtained by the intern before the start of the internship. The relevant set-up (office space, computer, etc.) will be provided by the European Commission, and each intern will be assigned a supervisor.
Eligibility
Candidates should be nationals of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Spain who are of Roma origin and who wish to acquire practical experience and knowledge of the activities of the European Commission.
Other requirements:
- A bachelor’s degree or the equivalent, earned by the application deadline.
- Very good knowledge of English and the ability to draft reports in English. Knowledge of other languages is considered an asset.
- Basic computer literacy.
- The maximum age for interns is 25. The Selection Committee, however, may make exceptions to this age limit.
- Women are especially encouraged to apply.
- Applications from candidates with proven civil society experience are especially welcome.
The internship program is open to candidates who have not yet benefited from in-service training in another European institution or body.
Application
The completed application, including all documents listed below, should be sent to ec.internship@opensocietyfoundations.org by June 7, 2013 at the latest.
Required application documents:
- Completed application form AVAILABLE HERE in English
- Copies of all university degrees/diplomas obtained and declared in the application (For candidates who have completed their degree course but who have not yet received an official degree certificate, a formal official statement from the university confirming the degree result is sufficient.)
- Europass CV. You can download the Europass CV template HERE
- Certificates and/or declarations for all work experience declared in your application and CV
- Reference letter(s) about the work experience in Roma civil society declared in your application and CV
- Motivation letter
- Personal essay
You may review the checklist HERE to ensure you’ve included the full application when you submit it. For more information, please carefully read the call for applications HERE and the official website HERE.
