European Parliament - Traineeships for university graduates - General Option or Journalism Option (Schuman Scholarships)

What you get

You will be offered a paid five-month placement at the European Parliament. You will receive a salary of about 1,214 EUR per month as well as a contribution towards your travel expenses from your place of residence to your place of work. You will be based in Brussels, Luxembourg, Strasbourg or at one of the Parliament’s representations in an EU country. Your role may cover a wide range of areas: EU policy, finance, law, multilingualism, administration, communications or IT. In addition, there are a number of these placements in the Communications Department for people with a background in journalism. If you have a disability, you may be eligible for an additional allowance of up to 50% of the monthly amount.

Who can apply

• Degree: You must hold a full university degree. A limited number of places are available to those with a vocational qualification obtained within the EU (EQF levels 3, 4 or 5).
• Field of study: Any subject.
• Age: You are at least 18.
• Nationality: You are a national of an EU country or a candidate country. Only a very small number of places are available to nationals of other countries.
• Languages: You must be fluent in one of the EU’s official languages and have a very good command of a second one. If you are not an EU citizen, you must have a very good command of English, French or German.
• Clean record: You can provide a clean criminal record certificate.
• No prior EU work: You have not worked for, or undertaken a placement with, an EU institution, body or agency for more than two months.

How to apply

Applications are made via Parliament’s online internship portal. You may select up to three offers per round and must submit a Europass CV and a one-page letter of motivation. Apply in May for the internship running from October to February (deadline: 31 May) or in October for the internship running from March to July (deadline: 31 October). Both application deadlines end at 23:59 Brussels time. If you are shortlisted, you will then be asked to upload your documents so that your eligibility can be verified.

How realistic are your chances?

As this is a well-known paid placement at a major EU institution, it attracts many graduates from across Europe, and competition is fierce. An excellent degree, a sound knowledge of two EU languages and a well-targeted cover letter will help applicants stand out from the crowd. Your chances will improve if your field of study is a good fit for one of the areas listed. You should therefore choose your three applications carefully, rather than applying for a wide range of positions.