Working in an EU Delegation

From time to time, the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) organises calls for expressions of interest for the External Relations department. Candidates must pass a test to be considered for recruitment.

Individuals may also consult the different delegations’ websites for job vacancies, and a list of vacant contract agent posts is published here.

The Junior Professional in Delegations is aimed at providing qualified University graduates from EU Member States with invaluable experience in the European Commission’s External Service Delegations situated in particular in developing countries. The initiative is sponsored by the European Commission and the Member States of the European Union. It enables successful candidates to be employed as a full member of the ‘administrative and technical staff’ of a Delegation for a period of two years.

The European Diplomatic Programme is a training programme that promotes the idea of common European diplomacy. It’s a common project between the EU Member States and EU Institutions and is part of the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy. In practice this programme is executed by the Member States’ Foreign Ministries, the Commission’s External Service and the Council Secretariat. Participants are young diplomats from the foreign services of Member States and officials of the European Commission and the Council Secretariat.

Non-Remunerated traineeships at the EU Delegations

EU Delegations have a tradition of offering non-remunerated traineeships to young people in third countries or international organisations where they are accredited.

The aim of these traineeships is to provide young graduates with insight knowledge about the daily work of EU Delegations as well as about the EU foreign policy delivery and the representation of EU interests outside the EU.

Are you eligible for non-remunerated traineeship?

You may apply for the traineeship if:

You are a national from an EU Member State, pre-accession State or from the third country where the Delegation is accredited
You are a young graduate with a University diploma or at your last year of University
You have excellent command of foreign languages
You have less than 1 year of professional experience
You have not yet worked in any of the EU institutions

Candidates to the Blue Book Traineeship Programme are informed that as the European Commission and the EEAS wish to offer to as many people as possible the opportunity of in-service training as Blue Book, applications will not be accepted from candidates who – for more than six weeks:

Have already benefited or benefit from any kind of in-service training (formal or informal, paid or unpaid) within a European institution or body, or
Who have had or have any kind of employment within a European institution or body.

What are the general rules?

Duration: the traineeship can be up to a maximum of six months
Cost: traineeships at the EU Delegations are not paid. All costs related to travel, insurance, accommodation and living expenses must be borne by either the trainees themselves or their sponsoring institutions
Visa: trainees are responsible for obtaining and covering the cost of necessary visas
Travel: trainees have to arrange and finance their travel to the EU Delegation
Medical insurance: trainees need to arrange and show proof of a valid medical insurance coverage prior to the start of their traineeship

Where and how to apply?

If you are interested in a non-remunerated traineeship in an EU Delegation, please contact directly the Delegation of your interest. The call of expression and recruitment process are organised and managed by the Delegation. Please note that not all Delegations are offering traineeship programmes.

The full list of EU Delegations is available at the following link: http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/

Council recommendation on a Quality Framework for Traineeships