Traineeships in the EU institutions, bodies and agencies

This traineeship programme is intended to provide young professionals with practical experience of the European Union in general and the EUIPO in particular as well as to enable them to put into practice knowledge acquired during their studies and first professional experiences, and in particular in their specific areas of competence.

Who can apply: Nationals of EU Member States and from non EU countries, who have completed at least the first cycle of a higher education course certified by an official document from the University and have a working knowledge of one of Office's five working languages (English, French, German, Italian and Spanish).

Duration: 12 months and 2 weeks.

Paid: Yes.

Starting Dates: Between 1 September and 15 October.

Frontex welcomes applications from highly motivated candidates from a range of educational and professional backgrounds to contribute to the work of the agency in line with their expertise and interests. Frontex's traineeship programme provides an opportunity to gain practical working experience of cooperation in the field of external borders of the European Union, to acquire knowledge of the European Union, its institutions and activities and to put into practice knowledge acquired during studies or at work.

Who can apply: Nationals of the Member States of the European Union or of the Schengen Associated Countries, who have completed the first cycle and obtained a full degree or its equivalent (degree of at least 3 years of study - minimum a Bachelor or its equivalent) of a higher education course (university education, studies equivalent to university or law enforcement studies) relevant for the tasks of Frontex.

Duration: 3-12 months.

Paid: Yes. Around €720 per month.

Starting Dates: Ongoing

The EUIPO offers grant-assisted traineeships to junior staff from national and international industrial property offices. These placements offer technical training in specific areas of IP administration, with particular regard to trade marks and designs. They offer the opportunity to learn about the EUIPO's e-registration services, observe management techniques and strategies and understand EUIPO's databases and technical knowledge. Trainees also work in other specific areas of expertise such as human resources, communications or information technology.

Who can apply: Nationals of EU Member States and from non EU countries, who have completed at least the first cycle of a higher education course certified by an official document from the University and have a working knowledge of one of Office's five working languages (English, French, German, Italian and Spanish).

Duration: 5 months

Paid: Yes.

Starting Dates: Ongoing

Cedefop's traineeship aims to provide university graduates and PhD students with a unique and first-hand experience of the workings of Cedefop, in particular, and of the EU institutions in general. In addition, it aims to provide an understanding of the objectives and goals of the EU integration processes and policies;

Who can apply: Nationals of the Member States of the European Union and of candidate countries, who have completed the first cycle of a higher education course (university education) and obtained a full degree or its equivalent.

Duration: 9 months

Paid: Yes. €919.4 per month for trainees from abroad, as well as trainees residing in Greece who need to move to Thessaloniki for the duration of the traineeship and €689.5 per month for trainees already residing in Thessaloniki.

Starting Dates: 1 October

The objectives of the internships are to provide trainees with work experience in the administration of co-operation in the field of education and training, to gain an insight of the ETF' objectives and activities and to allow them to put their learning into practice.

Who can apply: Citizens of both the EU Member States and the ETF' partner countries.

Duration: 6 months

Paid: Yes

Starting Dates: Ongoing

Interpreting traineeships are primarily aimed at newly qualified conference interpreters whose language combination is of interest to the Interpretation Directorate. The aim is to enable newly qualified interpreters to be supervised as they perfect their interpreting skills, particularly in legal interpreting, which involves the preparation of case-files, terminological research and practical exercises in a ‘silent booth'.

Who can apply: Newly qualified conference interpreters with a diploma in conference interpreting and the ability to read French

Duration: 10-12 weeks

Every year, the Court of Justice of the European Union offers a limited number of paid traineeships in the chambers of Members of the Court of Justice and the General Court of the European Union and in the administrative departments of the Court.

Traineeships in the chambers of Members of the Court of Justice and the General Court of the European Union last for between three and five months. They begin on the first or sixteenth day of the month during the two periods referred to below. Traineeships in the administrative departments of the Court last for five months and start on the first day of the first month of each of the two periods referred to below.

Traineeships in the Court's administrative departments are generally undertaken in the Directorate for Legal Translation, the Research and Documentation Directorate, the Communication Directorate, the Protocol and Visits Directorate, the office of the Legal Adviser on Administrative Matters, the Registry of the General Court or the Interpretation Directorate (for detailed rules regarding traineeships in the Interpretation Directorate, see below).

Who can apply: Graduates in law, political sciences (majority content, law) economics or an associated field or, for traineeships in the Interpretation Directorate, a diploma in conference interpreting.

Applicants must have a thorough knowledge of one official language of the European Union and a good knowledge of another official language. In view of the nature of the working environment, a good knowledge of French is desirable.

Duration: between 3 and 5 months

Paid: Yes. Around 1468  € per month

Starting Dates:

• 1 March to 31 July (applications to be made between 1 July and 15 September of each year)
• 16 September to the end of February for the traineeships in the Members' chambers and 1 October to the end of February for the traineeships in the administrative departments (applications to be made between 1 February and 15 April of each year)

The European Court of Auditors organises two traineeship sessions per year in areas of interest to its work.

Who can apply: EU nationals who either hold a recognised university-level diploma or who have completed at least four semesters of university study in an area of interest to the Court (Audit, Budget, Accounting, Administration, Human Resources, Translation, Communication, International Relations, Legal).

Duration: between 3 and 6 months.

Paid:  1 600 euros/month.

Starting Dates: 1 April and 1 October, every year.

The EUDA traineeship programmes aims to:

• give young university graduates the opportunity of experiencing the general objectives and process of European integration;
• provide trainees with practical knowledge of the workings of a European agency;
• enable trainees to acquire practical experience and knowledge of the day-to-day work of the EUDA and its units;
• provide trainees with the opportunity to work in a diverse and multilingual environment, contributing to the development of mutual understanding, trust and tolerance;
• enable trainees to put into practice the knowledge they have acquired during their studies or professional careers.

Who can apply: University graduates who are citizens of EU Member States, Norway and Turkey

Duration: 3-8 months

Paid: Depending on budget

Starting Dates: Ongoing

Read more details on the Traineeship policy.

The EU has a long tradition of offering traineeship opportunities in EU Delegations around the world. Traineeships are essentially established for the benefit of students and young graduates. It is an educational project that does not foresee any contractual or employment relationship with the Delegation.

Who can apply: Depending on a specific pillar, traineeships in EU Delegations are open to EU citizens, citizens from candidate countries that have concluded EU accession negotiations and nationals of the host country. For paid traineeships, applicants must have graduated from a university or equivalent higher-education establishment with at least a Bachelor's level; for unpaid compulsory traineeships, applicants shall be 3^rd , 4^th or 5^th year students of a University or another higher-education establishment. Candidates must have the capacity to speak in the working language of the EU Delegation, knowledge of the official language of the host country would be an asset.

Duration: Maximum 6 months

Paid: for young graduates with less than one year of professional experience.

Unpaid compulsory traineeship: for students already residing and studying in the host country.