Traineeships in the European Parliament

The European Parliament offers two types of traineeships: Traineeships in the Secretariat (Schuman traineeships) and Traineeships with Members of the European Parliament

Traineeships in the Secretariat – Schuman Traineeships

The Schuman traineeships are paid and can be undertaken at one of the European Parliament’s official places of work – Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg – or in its Liaison Offices in the Member States.

A Schuman traineeship will enhance your education and your vocational training. It will provide you with an insight into the work of the EU institutions and the European Parliament, a crucial forum for decision-making and political debate at EU level.

The Schuman traineeships may be undertaken in a wide variety of fields, such as EU internal and external policies, finance, law, multilingualism, administration, infrastructure and logistics, communication or IT.

Eligibility

Applicants for a Schuman traineeship must:

• be aged 18 or over;

• be nationals of a Member State of the European Union or an accession/candidate country (a very limited number of traineeships to nationals of other countries can also be offered);

• hold a university-level diploma. You must have obtained your diploma at least three months before the first day of your traineeship;

• have a thorough knowledge of one of the official EU languages and a very good knowledge of a second (citizens of non-Member States must have a very good knowledge of either English, French or German);

• provide an eligible criminal record;

• 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;

• not have carried out a study visit at the Secretariat of the European Parliament six months prior to the beginning of the traineeship.

How To Apply?

In order to apply, visit the traineeship application page:

1. select and apply for a maximum of three traineeships;

2. if you are shortlisted, you will be required to provide certain supporting documents to prove your eligibility;

3. if you are selected, you will get an official Admission Letter via email.

The Schuman traineeships are awarded for a period of five months:

• Traineeship period 1 October-28/29 February

  • you can apply from 1 to 31 May

• Traineeship period 1 March-31 July

  • you can apply from 1 to 31 October

Spontaneous applications will not be considered.

You can find additional information regarding the application period here.

The traineeship is paid, but monthly allowances depend on the country you are applying from. Check here for details.

Traineeships with Members of the European Parliament

Members of the European Parliament may offer paid traineeships at their offices in the premises of the European Parliament in Brussels (or Strasbourg) based on an agreement with the European Parliament.

The MEPs’ traineeships may be undertaken in a wide variety of fields. The Member of Parliament who awards the traineeship will assign specific tasks to be completed during the traineeship.

Eligibility

Members freely choose their trainees. However, candidates must fulfil the following criteria:

• be aged 18 or over (derogations from this age limit can be granted in response to a duly substantiated request);

• be nationals of a Member State of the European Union or an accession/candidate country. Nevertheless, Members may offer a traineeship to nationals of third countries, provided they comply with visa requirements;

• have obtained a secondary-school leaving certificate, followed a higher or technical or vocational course of study to an equivalent level, or obtained a university level diploma.

• have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union;

• not be party to an employment contract or any working contractual relationship during their traineeship;

• not have carried out a previous traineeship with a Member, nor have previously worked as a parliamentary assistant to a Member, whether local or accredited.

How To apply?

To submit an application, it is necessary to contact directly the Members of the European Parliament.

• The duration of the traineeship is between six weeks and five consecutive months, and is decided on by the Member of Parliament who awards the traineeship. It can start at any time during the year.

• Trainees are awarded a monthly grant of between EUR 1000 and EUR 1638 for a full-time traineeship.