European Parliament - Training placements

European Parliament Schuman traineeship

You will receive 1,889 EUR per month for 5 months, as well as a one-off travel allowance of 300 EUR. The monthly allowance is adjusted to the cost of living at your place of work and is tax-free within the EU. You will work at one of the Parliament’s sites in Brussels, Luxembourg or Strasbourg, or at a liaison office in an EU Member State. You will gain practical experience in areas such as EU domestic and foreign policy, finance, law, multilingualism, administration, communication and IT. If you have a permanent disability of at least 20%, you may be eligible for a supplement of up to 50% on top of your monthly grant.

Who can apply

• Age: You are at least 18 when the placement begins.
• Nationality: You are a national of an EU Member State or an accession or candidate country. A very small number of places are also available to people of other nationalities.
• Qualification: You hold a completed university degree (EQF level 6). A few places are open to holders of an EU vocational qualification (EQF level 3, 4 or 5).
• Languages: You have a perfect command of one of the EU’s official languages and a good command of a second.
• Field of study: All fields are welcome.
• Clean record: You can provide an acceptable criminal record certificate.
• Prior EU experience: You have not worked in an EU institution or undertaken a training programme there for more than two months. You have not undertaken a study placement at the Parliament’s Secretariat in the six months prior to the start of the placement.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted via Parliament’s online internship portal. You may submit up to three applications per application round, each accompanied by a Europass CV and a one-page covering letter. There are two application rounds per year: apply between 1 and 31 May for a start in October, or between 1 and 31 October for a start in March. The application deadline is at 23:59 Brussels time. If you are shortlisted, please upload your documents before the final selection is made.

How realistic are your chances?

Each year, the Parliament selects around 1,000 Schuman trainees, roughly 500 per round. This is a large number, but the programme is well-known throughout the EU and attracts many applicants. A university degree and strong language skills are sufficient to get you through the initial screening. If you clearly meet the requirements and write a compelling cover letter tailored to the specific role, you have a realistic chance of success.