How to become the next Trainee at the European Parliament
source: Leonie Klüver
by Leonie Klüver, 5,5 minutes
Do you want to experience how legislation is debated, how EU laws are passed, how the most democratic EU body works daily, and how internal committees operate? Then a traineeship at the European Parliament is very likely an interesting option to kick start your career in the EU. There are two different types of traineeships at the European Parliament. The first one is at the Secretariat which is called the Schuman Traineeship. The other possibility is to conduct a Traineeship with a Member of the European Parliament. As application processes and the task differ fundamentally both traineeships are compared in more detail below.
The Schuman Traineeship takes place in one of the Directorates-General (DG) of the European Parliament at one of the official working places – those being Brussels, Luxembourg, and Strasbourg. The application process is standardized and processed through one platform irrespective of the committee you decide to apply for. You may apply twice a year as there are two traineeship periods. To conduct a Traineeship from March to July, you must apply between 1st and 30th November the year before. Regarding the Traineeship from October to February, you should apply from the 1st to the 30th June the same year. Ultimately, the requirements for the Schuman Traineeship are the same:
You must:
· be 18 or older,
· Hold citizenship of a Member State of the European Union or accession candidate;
· Have a University degree;
· Have thorough knowledge of one of the official working EU languages (those are German, English, and French) and very good knowledge of a second one;
· 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;
Now you might wonder what steps there are to the application process. Once you go to the application website of the Schuman traineeship you can select up to three DG that you are interested in. Then, you upload your CV in Europass format, and lastly a one-page motivation letter for each position. In case of being pre-selected, you are invited for an interview. This is the last step before being accepted. Here, establishing a connection with the team that conducts the interview is crucial. You should expect that there are around ten other pre-selected candidates which also apply for usually 1-3 available spots. Thus, while your academic background might be important in the pre-selection, during the interview you should focus on expressing your motivation and highlight your communication skills!
And how is the Schuman traineeship once you are selected?
As a Schuman Trainee, you can expect to help organize public hearings. That is contacting potential speakers, organizing the event, etc. Further, depending on the DG, you can expect to help with formulating amendments to proposals that are relevant for your DG. You could also be asked to help with the voting procedures by creating the voting lists. Moreover, you might write reports and publications that are published on the website. Lastly, you can go to the European Parliament and attend its meetings. As a Schuman trainee, you have access to an office that is reserved for all Schuman Trainees. Thus, you can expect to meet fellow Schuman Trainees. In addition to social and networking opportunities between Schuman Trainees, you can meet other EU employees on Thursdays evenings in the square in front of the European Parliament. This time and place are widely known as the networking evening within the Brussels bubble where you can meet EU employees and grab a drink with them.
source: Leonie Klüver
The other possibility to gain insights into the European Parliament is working at an office of a member of the European Parliament (MEP). The application process differs from that of the Schuman traineeship as you apply at an office of an MEP directly. Hence, required documents and the interview process can differ. Generally, you should navigate the MEPs’ website to find out information about required documents for an internship. Here, it is advisable to call the office to create the first connection and to gain insights on requirements. Based on the interviews conducted with former interns at an MEP office, it is highly advised to have a previous connection to the MEP. You could try to meet the MEP at an event to introduce yourself and show your excitement about a trainee position. Further, you might want to consider the party that the MEP is associated with as this could have an impact on future career opportunities.
Additionally, the task of an MEP trainee differs from that of Schuman Trainees as they evolve around supporting the daily work of a politician. You can expect to conduct research on the MEP’s main responsibilities to provide topical information for meetings. Further, you might be asked to translate between the native language of MEP and English. You can expect to have to respond to citizens’ enquiries and support the social media accounts of the MEP either with subjects and/or design. Oftentimes you are allowed to accompany the MEP to their visits to their constituency.
In regards to the social aspect of your traineeship, you should note that as a trainee at an MEP office you are surrounded by MEPs from the same nationality and party. Thus, during the day you might work with trainees of other MEP’s occasionally but you will not meet Schuman Trainees. However, several networking opportunities still prevail outside the office!
A few tips at the end:
· thoroughly check the Schuman Traineeship requirements;
· apply within the deadline! No initiative applications are considered;
· do not expect to be offered a job after your traineeship!
· given the high competition for limited available spots, a strong CV is of advantage-note that it is “quality over quantity” in that sense that the more tailored you are for a position the higher chances to get pre-selected;
· write a very detailed motivation letter;
· during the interview, do not solely focus on your academic background and experiences but strongly emphasize your personality, communication skills and try to build a connection;
· for a traineeship at an MEP office try to network and lobby for yourself as much as possible to enhance your chances to get a traineeship;
· socialize and network within the EU bubble to enhance your chances of getting a job in Brussels!
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