Traineeships in the EU institutions, bodies and agencies

The Traineeship Programme is mainly targeted to young university graduates, without excluding those who, in the framework of lifelong learning, have recently obtained a university degree and are at the beginning of a new professional career.

Who can apply:

• Nationals of a Member State of the European Union who are 18 years of age or older.
• Applicants must have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma (awarded in EU Member States or that are subject to the equivalence certificates issued by Member States’ Authorities), when the normal period of university education is three years or more.
• Applicants must not have already benefited or benefit from any kind of traineeship within a European Union institution or body or Have had or have any kind of employment within a European Union institution or body.

Duration: 6 months

Paid: Yes. 600€ (Monthly Grant) and 350€ (Accommodation Allowance).

Starting Dates: 1st September or 1st March.

Spring Session: 16 February to 15 July - Application period: 1 July to 30 September (noon/12:00, Brussels time) of the previous year
Autumn Session: 16 September to 15 February - Application period: 3 January to 3 April (noon/12:00, Brussels time) of the same year

As a CoR trainee, you will be witnessing first-hand the dynamics of a multilingual and multinational institution. Within a small group of trainees, you will not only be able to work across a wide range of EU policy aspects, but you will also have the unique possibility to create an event by yourself!

Thanks to the unique YFactor scheme, trainees are invited to carry out project work addressing issues that are relevant for European regions and cities. Whether you decide to work on a conference, a podcast, or an eBook – as a CoR trainee your creativity will be challenged and encouraged!

Who can apply: EU citizens.

Citizens from third countries (including the UK) can also apply, and may be selected in exceptional cases, notably if their candidature is of particular interest to the CoR and if they comply with the requirements under national immigration law for residing and working legally in Belgium.

University graduates who have obtained a full undergraduate academic degree, or have completed at least the third year of higher education (university or equivalent), by the closing date for applications.

Candidates with excellent knowledge of one of the EU's official languages and satisfactory knowledge of French or English.

Duration: 5 months

Paid: Yes. Around 1,400 € per month

Starting Dates: 16 February and 16 September

Students looking to finalise their work project, or who are curious about how local and regional authorities contribute to EU legislation in fields such as Citizenship, Cohesion, Climate Change, Public Procurement and Security are welcome to apply for a short-term study visit. Study visits are an excellent opportunity to discover the geographical dimension of EU policies. Moreover, they provide the occasion to reinforce academic preparation with first-hand experience with the work of an EU consultative body.

Study visits are traineeships not remunerated by the CoR. In order to be accepted for a study visit, applicants must either:

• provide proof of funding from another body, such as a university, a public / private body or NGO, in the form of a scholarship, grant, etc.
• or provide proof that the study visit is an integral part of their education (for example, if the study visit is required as part of thesis research or to complete the course of studies).

Who can apply: EU citizens.

Citizens from third countries (including the UK) may apply and may be selected in exceptional cases, notably if their candidature is of particular interest to the CoR and if they comply with requirements under national immigration law for residing and working legally in Belgium.

The applicant has to hold at least a Bachelor's degree (or have completed half of a Bachelor's degree deemed relevant to the CoR's work).

Candidates with excellent knowledge of one of the EU's official languages and satisfactory knowledge of French or English.

Duration: 1 to 4 months (it may be extended to 6 months depending on the resources available)

Starting Dates: at any time, upon agreement

The scheme is open to staff or trainees from a national, regional or local public authority of an EU Member State and may give both the CoR and the official's employing institution the opportunity to enhance collaboration and networking opportunities. Moreover, officials participating in this type of exchange scheme may have the opportunity to gain insights into the work of the CoR while at the same time developing their skills, competencies and knowledge.

Who can apply: Staff from a national, regional or local public authority of an EU member state.

Citizens from third countries (including the UK) may apply and may be selected in exceptional cases, notably if their candidature is of particular interest to the CoR and if they comply with requirements under national immigration law for residing and working legally in Belgium.

The applicant has to hold at least a Bachelor's degree (or have completed half the cycle of a Bachelor's degree deemed relevant to the CoR's work) and work in a position at a level and with content corresponding to the duties performed by EU staff within the CoR.

Excellent knowledge of French or English.

Duration: 2 to 6 months (can be extended to 12 months)

Paid: Remuneration is provided by the sending institution.

Starting Dates: at any time, upon agreement

The CBE JU operates a traineeship programme. The programme gives trainees an understanding of the CBE JU and its role within the activities of the European Union, enables them to acquire practical knowledge of the CBE JU and obtain professional experience in the course of their work.
The CBE JU wishes to host two trainees to support the Programme Unit and one trainee to support the Communications team. 

Who can apply? 

•  Nationals of a Member State of the European Union 
•  Applicants must have a university degree or its equivalent by the closing date for applications (attested by a diploma/other relevant certificate) 
•  Applicants must not have already benefited or benefit from any kind of in-service training within a European institution or body, nor have had or have any kind of employment within a European institution or body.
   

Traineeship periods

Programme Unit: from March to August 2025 and from September 2025 to February 2026 

Communications team: from February to July 2025 
 

Paid: Yes. The CBE JU pays a monthly grant of EUR 1.418,19 net per month and will pay a travel allowance to compensate the expenses incurred at the beginning and at the end of the traineeship from the place of residence. 

The JRC offers a stimulating, multicultural and multi-disciplinary research environment for trainees. 

Who can apply: Nationals of the Member States of the EU or of the countries associated to the Research Framework Programmes. 

Duration: 5 months.

Paid: Yes. Amount depending on place of recruitment.

Starting Dates: October and March (2 arrival session on a yearly basis).

The European Union Agency for Asylum offers a traineeship contract of 6 months, renewable for a maximum of another 6 months.

Who can apply?
        Citizens of an EU Member State or of a Schengen associated country (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland
        Recent university graduates and university students enrolled in a higher education course and having completed at least three years of studies before starting the traineeship. 
        Candidates should have a minimum level B2 of the (Common European Framework for Languages) in English.

What is the start date of the traineeship?
       A traineeship can start on the 1st or the 16th of any month, first intake begins in March 2025.

What is the duration of the EUAA traineeship?
      The initial traineeship contract is up to six months and may be renewed for a maximum of another six months. The maximum duration of a traineeship is 12 months.

How to Apply
      You can apply through EUAA online application tool.

Remuneration
       € 1376.89 traineeship grant, along with travel support for joining and leaving the Agency.

Location(s): Malta or other EUAA offices in Belgium, Italy, Greece, Spain, Cyprus

ECHA is looking for newly qualified graduates who are willing to contribute to the everyday work of the Agency.

There are up to 20 graduate traineeship opportunities per year in scientific fields such as chemistry, toxicology, biology, environmental science, and technologies, as well as in administrative fields such as law, communications, finance, human resources, and ICT. The traineeships usually start in the beginning of March or September.

The trainee scheme is designed for:

• Recent university graduates and holders of a technical or professional qualification of an equivalent level in fields relevant to applicable chemicals legislation or other fields relevant to the administration tasks of an EU institution
• Public or private sector employees engaged in graduate-level work in fields relevant to applicable chemicals legislation.

Duration

Traineeships last six months and may not be extended beyond this period.

Grants

The graduate trainee scheme offers a grant of approximately €1632.

Trainees who continue to receive remuneration from their employer, or any other grant or allowance will only be entitled to a grant from ECHA if the amount they receive is less than the one indicated above. In this case, trainees will receive an amount equal to the difference between their income and the level of ECHA's grant.

Trainees in employment must provide a declaration of remuneration, expenses and allowances signed by their employer.

Eligibility Criteria

To apply for a graduate traineeship, you must:

• Be a national of a Member State of the EU or a national of the European Economic Area (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein). Nationals of candidate countries benefiting from a pre-accession strategy can also be accepted according to the availability of budgetary resources and the ECHAs capacity to host them. A limited number of nationals of non-Member States may also be accepted.
• Be able to communicate in English as this is the working language of ECHA.
• Have obtained a university degree or equivalent or you are engaged in graduate-level work in fields relevant ECHA.

You will be invited for a telephone interview if you are selected.

Trainees do not benefit from sickness insurance. Before the start of your traineeship, you must prove you are covered by a sickness and accident insurance valid in Finland.

Traineeships are not offered to applicants who have already been a trainee in a European institution or body, employed by a European institution or body, or worked for ECHA as an interim staff member, researcher or in house expert for more than eight weeks.

The EBA offers paid traineeships for recent graduates with the aim to provide them with a unique and first-hand experience of the workings of the EBA, an understanding of the objectives including goals of financial regulation and oversight generally, and specifically of the objectives of the EBA. The selected trainees will have the opportunity to develop expertise in the areas of Executive Office, Prudential Regulation and Supervision, Innovation, Conduct and Consumers, Economic and Risk Analysis, Data Analysis, Reporting and Transparency,  Operations, Governance and External Affairs and Legal and Compliance. They will contribute to the everyday work of the Authority and learn about the EU Agencies’ working environment while enjoying an exciting life in Paris.

Who can apply: Nationals of an EU or EEA member state who have completed the first cycle (bachelor’s degree) of a higher education course (university education) and obtained a full degree or its equivalent prior the submission of the traineeship application (note that the last education diploma has to have been obtained no longer than three years prior to the submission of the application).

Duration: initial period of 6 (six) months and can be extended for a further period of up to 12 (twelve) months, not exceeding a total duration of 18 (eighteen) months.

Paid: Traineeship grant (30% of the basic salary for grade AD5 step 1, multiplied by the weighting factor for Paris, France).

Starting Dates: Various

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