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The selection procedure
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- you must have completed the first cycle of university studies and hold the corresponding degree as
detailed in point 2.2.1 of the Rules governing the official
traineeships scheme of the European Commission.
- you must not have already benefited from previous in-service training or employment (paid or unpaid)
with any of the European institutions or bodies for more than six weeks.
- you must have a very good knowledge of English or French or German.
- if you are a National of an EU Member State,
you must have a very good knowledge of a second EU official language.
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- you must have completed the first cycle of university studies and hold the corresponding degree as
detailed in point 2.2.1 of the Rules governing the official
traineeships scheme of the European Commission.
- you must not have already benefited from previous in-service training or employment (paid or unpaid)
with any of the European institutions or bodies for more than six weeks.
All candidates must be able to translate into their
main language (target language) from two other
EU official languages (source languages).
- your target language must be one of the EU official languages or Croatian.
- your first source language must be either English, French or German.
- your second source language, different from the first one, must be one of the
EU official languages.
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Currently, the majority of applications come from candidates with qualifications in law, political
science, international relations and economics. However, the Commission is also looking for trainees
with qualifications in other fields, such as: computer sciences, agricultural technology,
education studies, bio-chemical engineering, health and food safety, energy management, auditing,
aerospace engineering, psychology, financial management, evaluation and strategic analysis (notably
systems dynamics), design, multimedia, sports management, and so on.
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To submit your application, you must:
- Complete the application form
and submit it on-line.
- Send your application file, preferably by registered post, before the deadline for application
(the date of the postmark will be taken as the date of postage), to the
address displayed at the bottom of the submitted application form.
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NB: any incomplete application file will automatically be
rejected!
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Please ensure that your application file is complete before posting, preferably in an
A4 envelope, in the order set out below.
The Traineeships Office does not accept documents sent separately from your file,
whether from you or from a third party.
You are advised to keep a copy of your application file as well as proof of postage, to be produced in case
of loss en route.
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| Obligatory documents |
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A translation into English or French or German has to be
attached to each obligatory document not written in one of the
EU official languages.
Simple translations (not certified - if need be, selfmade), as well as simple photocopies
(not certified as true copy of the original), are sufficient at this stage.
You will only have to provide certified official translations and certified copies
at a later stage, if you are selected for a traineeship.
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| A printed copy of the application form that was submitted
on-line (the version with the candidate number), dated and signed. |
| A clear and legible copy of your passport or national identity card, stating your
name, first name, date and place of birth, as well as your nationality. The spelling of your surname,
firstname and nationality must be the same as on the application form. Identity documents other than a passport or national
identity card are not accepted. |
Copies of each university diploma declared in the application form with the
relevant Europass Diploma Supplement¹ (or if missing - the relevant University Transcripts) and their translation, where applicable. If you have completed your degree course but not
yet received an official degree certificate, you should provide a formal, official statement from your
university² confirming your degree result
(ECTS points are not accepted as degree equivalent). |
| For each of the short-length studies and seminars, university exchanges abroad
and ongoing studies declared in the application form:
please provide an official declaration from your university² confirming your
attendance (and its translation, where applicable). |
¹ For further info about the Europass Diploma Supplement click here.
² Self-certifications are not accepted.
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Explicit certificate³ of very good knowledge of
an EU official language other than the candidate's
mother tongue. |
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Explicit certificate³ of very good knowledge of
English or French or German. |
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Explicit certificates³ of very good knowledge of two
EU official languages, one of which must be
English or French or German. |
| No proof required. |
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Explicit certificate³ of very good knowledge of
English or French or German. |
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| No proof required. |
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Explicit certificates³ of very good knowledge for each of
the two source languages. |
| ³ Explicit certificate
= Written proof - Diploma from a language school or proof of language course followed as part of university studies, proof of having studied or worked in the language. Self-certifications are not accepted. |
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If relevant, please provide an official document indicating the name of your employer, the type, start and end dates of employment
(declaration from your employer, or a copy of the contract and copy of the last salary slip (any financial
details may be obliterated), etc.), as well as translations of these documents, where applicable.
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- Do not send original diplomas, certificates or other documents. The Traineeships Office will not
return any documents.
- Do not send copies of your PhD thesis or any publications.
- Do not send certified copies of these documents (unnecessary at this stage).
- Do not send certified official translations (unnecessary at this stage).
- Do not bind all the documents together, they will be separated on receipt and the bindings
thrown away.
- Do not send (or ask others to send) any documents separately to supplement your dossier. They will not
be taken into consideration.
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There are two types of traineeship at the European Commission:
- Translation traineeship with the Directorate-General for Translation
(DGT);
- Administrative traineeship, with all the other Directorates-General
and Services of the Commission, with the Cabinets of the European Commissioners, with the executive bodies and agencies with whom the European Commission concluded Service Level Agreements:
- Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA),
- Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI),
- European Research Council Executive Agency (ERC EA),
- Executive Agency for Health and Consumers (EAHC),
- European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS),
- Single European Sky ATM Research Joint Undertaking (SESAR),
- European External Action Service (EEAS).
NB: you can only apply for one type of traineeship per session.
The application procedure is the same for both types of traineeship, except for the address to which the
application files must be sent, which is different.
DGT has its own eligibility criteria and selection procedure, and is responsible for its execution.
All the information under the Preselection tab applies only to
applications for an Administrative traineeship.
For more information on DGT, please have a look at its
website.
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Please note that the online form has been updated. The choice of 3 DGs is no longer relevant and applicants
will have to select an area of employment instead.
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The majority of Commission DGs and Services are based in Brussels.
Some are based in Luxembourg:
- Eurostat (ESTAT)
- Office for Infrastructures and Logistics in Luxembourg (OIL)
- Publications Office (OP) - one placement also available in Brussels.
Others may offer placements in Brussels or Luxembourg:
- DG Economic and Financial Affairs (ECFIN)
- DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities (EMPL)
- DG Information Society and Media (INFSO)
- DG Health and Consumer Protection (SANCO)
- DG Human Resources and Security (HR)
- DG Informatics (DIGIT)
- DG Energy (ENER)
- Office for Administration and Payment of Individual Entitlements (PMO)
- European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO)
- DG Translation (DGT) - up to two thirds of its placements are in Luxembourg.
The Communication DG (COMM) will usually allocate a few trainees to some of its Representations in the Member States.
Only two placements are available in Commission Delegations in non-Member States.
The relevant decision on this is taken by the EEAS (European External Action Service).
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Important information
to read before accessing the application form |
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The on-line application form is available in English, German and French, which are the official working
languages of the Commission. A very good knowledge of one of these three languages is compulsory in order
to apply:
- If you apply for an Administrative traineeship, you must use one of these three languages when
filling in the free text fields;
- If you apply for a Translation traineeship with DGT,
the form must be filled in using English or French or German, except for section 2B ("Type of Traineeship")
which should be filled in using your mother tongue (this must be one of the EU official languages or Croatian).
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If your mailbox uses an anti-Spam filter, please make sure that it will accept all messages coming
from our on-line application system which has the following address:
EAC−Stages−Application@ec.europa.eu
Please do not reply or send any message to this address, as it is a 'send only' address.
If you need to contact us, please always use the 'Contact us'
form available on this website.
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To apply for in-service training, you must first register by supplying your e-mail address and a
password. From the Login page, click on the 'If you are a new candidate, please register here'
link to go to the Registration page, and follow the instructions displayed.
You will then receive a validation e-mail message in your mailbox. If you do not get this validation message
within 24 hours, please contact us.
You have to open the validation message and click on the link provided. It is a rather long link,
so if you need to copy it to your browser's address bar, make sure that you copy the whole link, and not
just the beginning. The use of this link will confirm to us the validity of your e-mail address and you
will be taken to the login page.
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Once registered, you can fill in the application form. You can access your application at
any time by going to the login page and entering your e-mail address and password. It is therefore possible,
for example, to fill in only part of it on one day and to continue on another day.
NB: if the system remains idle for more than 20 minutes (no change of page or saving made) you
will automatically be disconnected and risk losing unsaved information.
After having correctly filled in all sections, following the specific instructions indicated on each
page, go to the Finish Page. This page, clearly marked with the word DRAFT, displays all
the information you have entered. Check all sections of your application thoroughly.
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Please note that you can only make modifications while your application is
still a DRAFT. Therefore, please make sure that you have not made any mistakes or forgotten
anything before submitting your application.
When you are certain that you have nothing more to add, you must:
- Click on the Submit button at the end of the Finish page. The title changes from "DRAFT" to
"Submitted Application Form", a candidate number appears at the top right corner of the
form and the postal address to which you have to send the application file appears at the end of the
form.
- Please note down the candidate number. You will need to provide this number for any contact with the
Traineeships Office.
- Print out the form, date and sign it.
- Send in the form in an envelop, together with the photocopies of all required documents.
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If you forget your password, please go to the login page, click on the "If you have forgotten your password,
please click here" link and follow the instructions. Your password will be sent to your e-mail address.
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Access to the application form is via the home page.
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