Traineeship at the EU Council

General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union - 25/02/2022

Each year the General Secretariat of the Council offers three types of traineeships: paid, unpaid compulsary and paid places reserved for trainees with a disability.

Trainees will be attached to a department and work as part of the team to which they are assigned. The tasks of the trainees include attending meetings, drafting minutes and carrying out preparatory work or research on a particular subject.

1. PAID TRAINEESHIPS
   
   Each year the General Secretariat of the Council offers some 100 paid traineeships lasting 5 months.
   
   Selection Criteria
   - nationals of one of the Member States of the European Union;
   - citizens from candidate countries that have concluded EU accession negotiations;
   - applicants have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the EU and satisfactory knowledge of another of 
     these languages. In practice, knowledge of at least French or English is necessary;
   - candidates have completed by the deadline for the lodging of the applications at least the first cycle of a course of university
     studies validated by a certificate. The majority of applications currently come from candidates with qualifications in law,
     political science, international relations, EU studies and economics.
   
   

The General Secretariat of the Council is also looking for trainees with qualifications in other fields, such as: translation, human resources, communication, education studies, computer sciences, graphic design, multimedia, agricultural technology, biochemical engineering, health and food safety, energy management, environment, aerospace engineering.

Read more here.

2. COMPULSORY UNPAID TRAINEESHIPS

   Unpaid traineeships are offered to third, fourth or fifth-year students who are required to complete a compulsory training period as part of their studies.

   Selection Criteria
   any national of the EU Member States or a State that is a candidate for accession;
   who is a third, fourth or fifth-year student (or equivalent) of a higher-education establishment or university which requires such a period of training to be undertaken as part of the course of study or for access to a profession, or who is required to do research for a thesis or doctorate.
   applicants have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the EU and satisfactory knowledge of another of these languages. In practice, knowledge of at least French or English is necessary
   applicants who have not already undergone an in-service training in another European institution

   Read more here.
   
   
3. TRAINEESHIPS FOR STUDENTS OF NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION SCHOOLS

   This programme is intended for students of national administration schools. Traineeships are split into 2 different periods, each lasting from 2 to 5 months.

4. POSITIVE ACTION PROGRAMME FOR TRAINEES WITH A DISABILITY

   The General Secretariat of the Council (GSC) guarantees up to 6 paid traineeships a year to EU nationals with a recognised disability.

   Selection Criteria
   Candidates must have a university degree or be third year students (or equivalent) of a higher education establishment.
   Traineeships take place in two periods, each lasting five months.

   Read more here.