Traineeships in the European Commission

Deadline: 30 August 2013 at noon
Open to: university graduates from all over the world
Remuneration: monthly grant of some €1,000 and reimbursement of travel expenses

Description

You can now apply for a paid traineeship of 5 months with the European Commission (or some executive bodies and agencies of the European Institutions like, for instance, the European External Action Service or Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation), starting on 1 March 2014.

If you are one of the selected candidates you get hands-on experience in the international and multicultural environment. This can be an important enrichment for your further career.

What’s the work like?

Trainees work all over the European Commission. The content of the job largely depends on the service you are assigned to. You may work in the field of competition law, human resources, environmental policy, etc. Your daily work will mainly consist of attending and organising meetings, working groups, forums, public hearings, researching and compiling documentation, reports, consultations; answering queries, running projects.

What does the traineeship offer?

  • EU knowledge – insight into the processes and policies of the European Institutions,
  • practical experience – an opportunity to play a part in the Commission’s day-to-day business,
  • opportunity to put academic theory into practice.

What do they expect from you?

  • openness to European matters,
  • willingness to learn about the Commission’s working methods,
  • contribution to their everyday work with a fresh point of view,
  • proactive attitude.

A traineeship at the European Commission is much more than just a professional experience. Each batch of trainees organises a huge range of social activities, from football to wine-tasting and much in between – in true bureaucratic fashion, each with its own organising committee! There are usually 40-50 of such activities to choose from.

The main social committee is the Stage Committee, which organises parties and social events in Brussels and Luxembourg. Among the most popular events are the Job Fair, to help you work out your next step, and the prestigious Euroball.

More information is available on the Traineeship Rules page HERE and the Frequently Asked Questions page HERE.

Remuneration

You will receive a monthly grant of some €1,000 and reimbursement of travel expenses. Accident and health insurance can also be provided. Every year, there are about 1300 places available.

Eligibility

The traineeship program is open to university graduates from all over the world who have a:

  • degree of at least 3 years of study (minimum a bachelor),
  • very good knowledge of English or French or German.
  • very good knowledge of a second EU official language (required for nationals of EU countries).

People who have previously done more than 6 weeks of in-service training or work (paid or unpaid) for any of the European institutions or bodies are excluded.

Application

For the traineeship starting March 2014, the application form will close at noon on 30 August 2013. Pre-selection takes place from mid-September to October, and final selection is completed by December 2013. There are only 2 steps in the application process:

1. REGISTER online HERE: Under My Account use the LOGIN button, this will take you to the European Commission Authentication Service (ECAS). Make sure that you identify yourself by selecting the External domain before you introduce your username and password. If you are a new user, click on the Not registered yet link, and fill in the Sign Up form. Once you click on the Submit button, you will receive an email. In the email, click on the link to create your password, and then on Proceed to go to the Application form. If you log in for a second or consecutive time, you simply write your existing username and password.

2. FILL IN & SUBMIT THE APPLICATION FORM: Log in and complete each section of the application form following the instructions provided on-screen. You do not have to fill in the entire form in a single session. You can save your entries and log in later to complete the form. You can also preview your application form in printer-friendly PDF version at any time.

Important note: The European Commission does not require you to submit any paper documents at this stage.

Afterwards, only preselected candidates for the Virtual Blue Book will be invited to provide supporting documents, such as:

  • copy of ID card/passport
  • copy of university qualifications
  • proof of declared language skills (studies, stay abroad or other)
  • proof of work experience (if applicable)

Send your questions to the European Commission using the online form HERE. For more information, please see the official website HERE.

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