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Are you the next trainee at the European Commission?

Last updated on Friday, 23/02/2024

Twice a year, the European Commission offers university graduates from the EU the chance to be selected for paid administrative or translation internships for a period of five months, starting on 1 March or 1 October.

Who can apply

Eligible applicants must:

  • be EU citizens (a limited number of places are also allocated to non-EU nationals.)
  • have completed the first cycle of a higher education course (university education) and obtained a full degree or its equivalent by the closing date for applications
  • not have completed a traineeship in another European Union institution or body or have worked for more than 6 weeks, or 42 calendar days (weekends included), in any European institution, EU Body, EU Executive Agency, EU delegations or for Members of Parliament (MEPs);
  • have a very good knowledge (C1/2 level as per the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) of two EU official languages, one of which must be a procedural language: English or French or German. For non-EU nationals, only one procedural language is required.
  • for the Translation traineeship in the Directorate-General for Translation (DGT) you must be able to translate into your main/target language (normally your mother tongue), from two other official EU languages. 

Where?

Trainees can work in any European Commission services and agencies, which are mostly based in Brussels, but also in Luxembourg and elsewhere across the European Union.

What does a trainee's daily work consist of?

The nature of a trainee's work depends on the service you are assigned to. You may, for example, work in the field of education, culture, sport, science or competition law, human resources, environmental policy. The area of work is very broad so you will have to select your area of preference when filling in your application form.
Once selected you have the chance to contribute to the Commission’s day-to-day work.
You will be able for example to attend and organise meetings, working groups, and public hearings; do research, draft and edit documentation, answer enquiries, support your colleagues in daily tasks and much more.

How to apply

It is very simple, when applications open, create an account on EU Login, and then complete and submit the application form. Be careful, do not wait until the very last few days before submitting your application. You can also take the eligibility test to find out how likely you are to be selected for a traineeship in the European Commission.

Virtual Blue Book (VBB)

Once the application period has closed, you and the other applicants will be evaluated on the basis of academic profile, language skills and additional qualities. Around 3,000 candidates with the highest scores will be pre-selected and be part of the Virtual Blue Book (VBB) which is a database containing the CVs of all candidates who successfully passed both phases of the pre-selection: the initial assessment and the eligibility check.
The Blue Book is open to be consulted by all Commission services and agencies to find the best candidates based on their specific needs and criteria.

Grant

Selected trainees receive a monthly allowance to cover their living expenses. 

Application periods

For traineeships beginning in October, applications open in February of the same year.
For traineeships beginning in March, applications open in July of the previous year. 
 
You can find all the detailed information on the official Traineeship website.