Finding a traineeship in a European organization

Verified 14 November 2023 - Legal and Administrative Information Directorate (Prime Minister)

You are a student and you want to do an internship in a European organization? The European institutions offer internships that allow you to discover how the European Union (EU) works. They may be paid or unpaid. The conditions and procedures for applying are different depending on the internships offered.

European Central Bank (ECB)

The internships at the ECB lasts 3 to 6 months.

They are renewable for a maximum period of 6 months.

These internships are paid.

They take place in Frankfurt.

To apply, you must meet all of the following requirements:

Applications are made online on the ECB's website.

Applying for an internship at the European Central Bank

European Investment Bank (EIB)

The EIB offers a limited number of internships for a maximum period of 3 to 5 months.

They are organized twice a year.

These internships are paid.

They are most often held at the EIB’s headquarters in Luxembourg.

You must meet the following requirements to apply:

  • Be a national of a Member State of theEuropean Union or candidate countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Albania, North Macedonia, Ukraine)
  • Have a university degree
  • Have a very good knowledge of French and English
  • Have less than one year of professional experience.

You must consult the job offers and apply online on the EIB website.

Apply for an internship at the European Investment Bank (EIB)

The Committee of the Regions offers internships paid for a period of 5 months and unpaid traineeships for a period of 1 to 4 months.

They are organized twice a year.

You must meet the following 2 conditions to apply:

  • Have a university diploma of Bac + 3 level, coming from an EU countryEuropean Union or a candidate country (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Albania, North Macedonia, Ukraine)
  • Speak one of the official languages of the EU
  • Have a good knowledge of English or French.

The application is available online on the Committee of the Regions' website.

Applying for an internship with the Committee of the Regions

The EESC proposes internships paid for a period of 5 months.

They are organized twice a year.

You must have a university degree from an EU countryEuropean Union to apply.

These internships may to qualify for a grant.

Short-term unpaid internships (1-3 months) are also available.

You must apply on the EESC website.

Apply for a long-term internship at the European Economic and Social Council

For a long-term internship, you must complete the online application form during the registration periods.

For a short-term internship, you must complete the online form.

The European Commission organizes paid traineeships of 5 months duration.

They are organized twice a year.

To apply, you must meet the following 3 conditions:

  • Have a university degree at the baccalaureate + 3 level
  • Have a very good command of English or German and another language of the languageEuropean Union

You must apply online on the European Commission's website.

Applying for an internship at the European Commission

The Council offers paid internships and mandatory unpaid internships.

Paid internship

Paid internships last 5 months. They are organized twice a year.

To apply, you must meet the following conditions:

  • Have a university degree or equivalent of 1er cycle
  • Have a very good mastery of at least 2 official languages of the EU
  • Have a good knowledge of English or French

You must apply online during the dedicated periods.

Apply for a paid internship at the Council of the European Union

Compulsory in-service training

These internships last between 2 and 5 months. They are organized twice a year.

To apply, you must be a student of 3è, 4è or 5è a year of a university or higher education whose program provides for the completion of a compulsory internship.

To apply, you must download a form and send it back by email.

Apply for a compulsory unpaid traineeship in the Council of the European Union

If your file is retained, you will receive an answer by email and will have to provide additional documents.

The ECJ traineeships are organized twice a year.

These are paid internships of up to 5 months.

To apply, you must meet the following conditions:

  • Have a degree in law, political science or conference interpreting
  • Have a very good command of a official language of the European Union
  • Have a good knowledge of French

You must apply online.

Register on EU CV online (European Commission)

The European Court of Auditors proposes 3 sessions of internships, of 3 to 5 months duration.

They may be paid or unpaid.

To apply, you must meet the following conditions:

  • Have completed at least four semesters of university studies in one of the fields of activity of the Court
  • Have a very good command of one of the official languages of the EU and a good command of a second language

You must apply online on the Court's website.

The Human Resources department will contact you if your application is successful.

Applying for a traineeship at the European Court of Auditors

The Office of the European Ombudsman proposes paid traineeships of 4 to 12 months.

Internships start on 1er every September.

They take place in Strasbourg or Brussels, depending on the needs of the Bureau.

During the course, you study complaints and complaints received by the European Ombudsman.

To apply, you must be a student and master English.

An application form (available in English only) must be completed online.

Applying for a traineeship with the European Ombudsman

The European Parliament offers university and higher education students internships within its General Secretariat.

Internship for university graduates (so-called Robert Schuman internships)

To apply for internships Robert Schuman, you must meet all of the following conditions:

  • Have the nationality of a EU Member State
  • Be at least 18 years of age on the date of commencement of the internship
  • Have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the EU
  • You must not have received a traineeship or an employee engagement of more than 4 consecutive weeks from the EU budget

3 types of courses are offered:

  • General Option
  • Option journalism (you must have a proven professional experience or recognized journalism training to apply)
  • Option Sakharov Prize (you must have a strong interest in human rights issues to apply)

The duration of the internship is 5 months.

They are organized twice a year.

You must apply online according to a specific schedule.

Applying for an internship for university graduates at the European Parliament (Robert Schuman internships)

Translation internship for university graduates

Translation courses are offered 4 times a year.

They take place in Luxembourg.

These internships are paid.

They last 3 months, with the possibility of an exceptional extension of up to 3 months.

The traineeship is remunerated in the form of a grant.

To apply, you must meet all of the following requirements:

  • Have the nationality of a Member State of theEU
  • Be at least 18 years of age on the date of commencement of the internship
  • Have a university degree at Bac + 3 level
  • Have a perfect knowledge of one of the official languages of the EU and a thorough knowledge of 2 other official EU languages
  • You must not have received a traineeship or an employee engagement of more than 4 consecutive weeks from the EU budget

You must apply online according to a specific schedule.

Apply for a translation course for university graduates at the European Parliament

Translation training course

Translation courses are offered 4 times a year.

They take place in Luxembourg.

These internships are paid.

They last 3 months, with the possibility of an exceptional extension of up to 3 months.

The traineeship is remunerated in the form of a grant.

To be a candidate for translation training courses, you must:

  • Have the nationality of a EU Member State
  • Be at least 18 years of age on the date of commencement of the internship
  • Have a high school diploma corresponding to the level of entry to the university, before the application deadline
  • Have a perfect knowledge of one of the official languages of the EU and a thorough knowledge of 2 other official EU languages
  • You must not have received a traineeship or an employee engagement of more than 4 consecutive weeks from the EU budget

You must apply online according to a specific schedule.

Apply for a translation training course at the European Parliament

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