Every year, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) offers a limited number of university graduates a five-month traineeship.
Each trainee is assigned to a specific department of the CoR. The nature of the work depends largely on the unit. Some units are more politically oriented, others are more administrative. In general, the type of work assigned is equivalent to that performed by junior executive-grade officials.
Description
Every year, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) offers a limited number of university graduates a five-month traineeship.
Each trainee is assigned to a specific department of the CoR. The nature of the work depends largely on the unit. Some units are more politically oriented, others are more administrative. In general, the type of work assigned is equivalent to that performed by junior executive-grade officials.
The purpose of the organisation of traineeships in the CoR is:
- Provide a first-hand experience of the workings of the CoR and of the EU institutions in general;
- Provide practical knowledge of the working of its departments;
- Work in a multicultural and multilingual environment;
- Enable trainees to have the opportunity to organise a study visit to a European local or regional authority, in connection with the Committee’s political priorities;
- Enable trainees to develop and put into practice the knowledge they have acquired during their studies or personal careers.
Eligibility
- Trainees are selected from nationals of the EU Member States. However a limited number of nationals of non-member countries may be accepted;
- Hold a university degree (or an equivalent diploma) awarded by the closing date for applications;
- Have a thorough knowledge of one official Community language and a satisfactory knowledge of one other EU-working language (French or English).
Remuneration
CoR-trainees are entitled to a monthly grant. The amount of the grant is equivalent to 25% of the salary of AD*5 officials (step 1) at the start of the traineeship for the full 5-month period.
Deadline
31 March, midnight, Brussels local time for autumn traineeships (16 September – 15 February)
How to apply?
Since the number of applications received outnumbers the places available, it is important that you understand the procedure and follow it correctly.
Applications are exclusively submitted online via an internet application form in English, French or German.
Before you start filling in the form, please make sure that you have all the required information.
- There are mandatory and optional fields to complete. It is impossible for you to submit your application unless you complete all the mandatory fields. The other fields are optional, and are intended to help the Traineeships Office to establish a more detailed profile of you.
- Please check that all the information you provide is correct. Also check your form thoroughly before submitting it.
- You can return to your application form and make changes at any time before the submission deadline. After this date, no changes are allowed.
- Once your application is submitted electronically, you will receive an acknowledgement of receipt by e-mail. With this e-mail you will receive a personal access code. This allows you to check your status during the selection process. No correspondence is carried out regarding individual entries and the Traineeships Office does not provide feedback on evaluation or progress of applications.
- Any false statement or omission in the application form, even if unintentional, may lead to rejection of the application or cancellation of a traineeship.
Which service should I apply to?
You have the possibility to choose a preferred service. This is an added criterion for pre-selecting a candidate.
You can find information on the different services in the application form or here.
Picture credit: European Committee of the Regions
For more details visit here the European Committee of the Regions website.