Careers and internships in European Institutions May 10, 2011
Posted by Jeff Riley in : European Union Careers, Government, Graduate recruitment, internships, politics, work abroad , add a commentCareers Colleagues of mine from SOAS and Queen Mary’s College went on a recent ‘EU’ Careers day organised by the European Personnel Selection Office. University careers advisers are being targeted in this way to help increase the number of British graduates consider careers in the European institutions. Here are a few key points from the day covering: work experience with MEPS; working in the European Parliament; The role of the ECs UK representation office; internships in the European Institutions and the launching of the new European Banking Authority based in London.
- Socialist & Democrats in Europe (SDE). A representative from this organisation was at the event. The SDE represents Labour parties across Europe. He talked about how MEPs offer great work experience. MEPs are heavily involved in reviewing legislation generated by the European Commission and, consequently, their interns spend a high proportion of their time drafting and researching legislation. More so than interns with UK MPs On the down side parliament closes during the summer months which makes it difficult to get work experience. The rest of the year offers more interesting possibilities. The SDE themselves also offer internships – and w4mp.org was cited – as ever – as the web site to check.
- European Parliament, Administrator Route
Work for the European Parliament as an ‘Administrator’ (this is the catch all phrase for people working for the EP who are not MEPs), you need Mother Tongue in English, French or German and a second EU language
For 1st promotion in 2/3 years, also need a 3rd working language. This poses challenges for UK recruits and UK nationals are vastly underrepresented in EU.
Many British personnel are retiring and more British nationals are needed to replace them.
Since the enlargement process, English is succeeding French as the Lingua Franca, and there is a demand for native speakers who can write high standards of English (this point was reiterated throughout the day for both European Parliament and the European Commission).
They welcome applications from immediate graduates, but having some post-study work experience is much preferred. A typical profile of an applicant to the graduate route would be a good degree, possibly a Masters in European Studies, 2 to 3 years working in civil service/law firm/management consultant or other.
As a Desk Officer (typical entry level role for a graduate) may spend time working with the nominated MEP responsible for reviewing legislation (called a Rapporteur) by sitting on Committee and liaising with the MEP on drafts, or content. Typically a British Desk Officer would be nominated if the Rapporteur is a British MEP.
*European Commission: Representation in the United Kingdom (and some tips for applying to the EU institutions)
The EC Representation in the UK is a little like an Embassy representing the EC in the UK. It’s about explaining the EU to UK audiences such as the Press, Trade organisations, Chambers of Commerce, Civil Servants and the general public. A Political section of the Representation deal with different parties and groups. It’s also about explaining the UK to the EU.
More good news for Law and Economics students – these backgrounds are very popular amongst EC staff. There is always a need for lawyers, and if someone trained as a barrister/solicitor in the UK and then came into Brussels it would be very highly regarded. Equally some law firms like people who’ve had experience working in the EU before applying for lawyer jobs.
More autonomy in the EC civil service than in the UK. You’re encouraged and expected to move on, and around.
In your application, demonstrate that you strong extra curricular activities and participated in clubs/societies as a leader. Get an internship if you can. Or get involved in European Politics, or meet your MEP.
- European Union Interns/Traineeships
- Each EU institution has its own traineeship recruitment and selection process. Two entry deadlines each year in March and July
- Applications on line – includes questions about academics, work experience, languages and a motivation section
- Traineeship/stage office do an initial sift, and candidates are put onto the “blue book”. Institutions then select which candidate they would like to take on. Some will do a telephone interview .
- In the motivation section, candidates often forget to sell the skills they would offer the Institution and instead focus on talking about what they know about the institution.
- During the five month learning experience ensure you sit with manager and establish with them what you want out of this time.
- At each deadline there are between 6500 and 7500 applicants. And they take on 650.
- A good idea to have some work experience before applying to the traineeships. Make sure this stands out in your application.
- Have to have finished degree before applying.
- EC internships are available to people from outside the EU, but follow-on jobs are not.
- It’s good to have languages to apply, but English is needed more and more.
- European Banking Authority, City of London
A new office (started Jan 1st 2011) with a current staff of 35 that looks set to expand to over 150 in a year’s time.
Double remit of writing banking legislation and oversight with three core parts: Bank Regulation, Oversight Authority, and Operations.
They are currently growing organically and offering opportunities as and when the need arises. They are currently recruiting at all levels – opportunities on their website and EPSO.
Standard need to be EU citizen and speak two languages, with English as the clear working language.
As the organisation is in the City of London and newly-emerging, this organisation offers strong developmental opportunities in an important area.
EU Careers Month January 26, 2011
Posted by Jeff Riley in : European Union Careers, Government , add a commentA Foreign Office initiative called EU Careers Month coincides perfectly with our careers event at King’s College London called, ‘Careers in the EU institutions’. Our event will be happening on Monday 28th February 17.30 to 19.00 hours in The Great Hall. No need to book, just turn up – though you will need to be a King’s student or alumnus.
The event will be hosted by the EU careers ambassador from King’s College, James McIlwraith. This is a grand sounding title but James has been tasked by the European personnel selection office to raise awareness of European opportunities amongst King’s students. James will be joined by the Head of the European Fast Stream, Margaret Prythergch, as well EU representatives in the UK. The event will cover careers in the EU institutions, internships, careers for linguists, the European FastStream, application tips and a chance to meet some recent recruits.
Meanwhile The Foreign Office’s EU Careers Month is to be launched on Monday 7 February. As part of their campaign they have produced a website containing all you need to know about a career in the EU. The site will contain helpful information for students, including ‘day in the life of’ films, case studies, top tips, competitions and the opportunity to ask for expert advice. Please note the link only goes live on 00:01 hours on the 7 February. www.telegraph.co.uk/eucareers
Why work for the EU? November 30, 2010
Posted by Jeff Riley in : European Union Careers , add a commentI recently met the newly appointed ‘EU Careers Ambassador’ for King’s College. I asked James to write five reasons why students should consider careers in the EU institutions. Here is what he wrote
My name is James McIlwraith and I am currently studying for a masters in International Relations at King’s College, London. I have recently become the EU Careers Ambassador for the University and am looking to promote careers within the EU. King’s students are some of the most highly rated in the UK and the EU is looking for excellent students to join the civil service. Why? Here are five excellent reasons:
1. To work for an organisation which constantly has to adapt to new situations and is always relevant (The bail out of the Irish banks)
2. An excellent career with real opportunities and job stability
3. A chance to live and work in the beautiful city of Brussels
4. A chance to meet like-minded people from across the EU who will challenge your ideas
5. Excellent benefits and salary
For more information contact James McIlwraith at eucareers.kings@gmail.com
Please don’t contact James if you aren’t a King’s Student but look at our recent posts on applying to the EU. Details at http://bit.ly/e4D4lB
Our resources for international development and international affairs November 17, 2010
Posted by Jeff Riley in : European Union Careers, international development , add a commentwww.careers.lon.ac.uk/development – a site focused on entry level routes into international development
http://bit.ly/cpEfnv – A blog from King’s Careers Service covering careers in politics, development and security (you might be reading this right now!) Use the ‘category cloud’ to find relevant archived articles such as careers in the European Union http://bit.ly/a6aEH8
www.careerstagged.co.uk – our specialist search engine – search on items such ‘thinks tanks’ ‘ngo’, ‘international development’, or ‘European Union’
http://on.fb.me/bsP7cT – the Facebook site for entry level ‘getting into international development’
European Union Careers November 11, 2010
Posted by Jeff Riley in : European Union Careers, Government , add a commentThe key web sites for careers in the European Union are
www.civilservice.gov.uk/faststream
www.facebook.com – EU Careers
You might also read an earlier post with some useful links http://bit.ly/cpEfnv
Traineeships in the European Commission August 27, 2010
Posted by Jeff Riley in : European Union Careers, internships , 2commentsI wrote this piece last year but realised I didn’t post it up here. So I’m doing so now and including some updated links at the end. Please note that the recruitment process has been made more transparent so please visit the relevant links.
“Adeline, an MSc Risk Analysis student at King’s College University of London, has just obtained a six month traineeship placement with the European Commission in Brussels. We asked her how she went about it.
The European Commission, based in Brussels (though certain specific offices are located in other countries), organises two 5-months internships every year, one starting March 1 (summer internship) and one starting October 1 (winter internship).
Applications should be submitted 6-8 months in advance. All the details are on this website: http://ec.europa.eu/stages/index_en.htm
There are two selection stages:
* The preselection, which is an internal process (you are not contacted) is an assessment of your application along a certain number of criteria such as nationality (there are quotas per countries), relevance of studies, motivation, grades, etc…The rules are changing for the next selection (summer 2010) and are getting more transparent.
If you are preselected, your profile will be added in the Virtual Blue Book (VBB), which is an online system gathering all preselected candidates.
The selection process is done by the services of the different Directorate Generals (DGs) of the Commission. Usually 1 out of 4 preselected candidates on the VBB gets chosen. This step can involve a telephone interview, though it is not always the case. To me it is the most complex and opaque phase of the procedure.
The actual content of the placement is not necessarily very specific. If you have a phone interview with a unit, they might explain what your role will be. I eventually got chosen by a unit I did not speak to, therefore I have no idea what my precise role will be, except for the usual ‘administrative and research support’ function.
What would your top five tips be for those wanting to get a traineeship?
1) Think carefully about your choice of DGs in your application. When you submit an application, you are asked to choose 3 preferred DGs in which you’d like to work. Pick those which are relevant to your studies, especially if you have some sought-after competences, such as scientific skills, IT, etc…Keep in mind that many applicants will be students in EU-related subjects (EU politics, economics etc…) hence it is important to highlight your differences. Although I have a master in EU studies, I am convinced that I have eventually been picked because I am currently finishing an MSc Risk Analysis at King’s, which to them is something unusual.
2) Rank your choice of DGs in a clever way. It is said that most trainees get their first choice (also my case). I was interviewed by people from my 2nd and 3rd choices, and they all asked me to justify my ranking.
3) Lobby. There have been many debates about whether or not you should lobby the Commission once you are on the VBB. I think it is useful but only if done carefully. Do not send the same standard email to all units, but only pick the ones you would really like to work for, and try to send something short and tailored. Emails are usually sent to heads of unit, though it is actually impossible to find out who is selecting trainees. Heads of units are really busy people and I am almost certain that they do not have the time to take care of these matters and delegate to a policy officer in the unit (these are the people who might phone you up for an informal interview). But to identify the policy officer in charge of trainee recruitment in each unit is impossible, so I would hope and ask the head of unit’s secretary to forward my email to the person in charge.
4) Find out when the DGs are recruiting and make sure you are reachable. Use forums, facebook groups etc…to find out if other people have been contacted, and be ready to be. I had two phone interviews and I got both calls without any prior notice, so make sure that the contact number you put on your application form will still be valid 6-8 months after.
5) Contact HR of your preferred DG to find out about the status of your application. I would advise to call because they tend to answer emails with standard responses. They are the ones who will be able to tell you when the selection will be made in their DG, and, if you are lucky, check your status in the VBB and tell you if someone is interested in you or has ‘reserved’ you.
Useful websites:
Official traineeship website: http://ec.europa.eu/stages/index_en.htm
Forums of former/current applicants:
http://traineeship-ec.blogspot.com/2008/01/what-to-do-meanwhile.html
http://ec-traineeship.findtalk.net/ec-traineeship-2009-2010-f1/
ECStage Committee: http://www.stagecommittee.org/index.html
Plus search all the Facebook groups with the following key words: European Commission, winter traineeship, summer traineeship, etc…
Read more articles like this on our web sites
www.careers.lon.ac.uk/development and another blog entry with some key sites for EU careers
http://thecareersgroupgid.wordpress.com/2010/03/25/the-european-institutions-graduate-scheme/
The European Institutions Graduate Scheme March 25, 2010
Posted by Jeff Riley in : European Union Careers, Government , add a commentNew procedures are being put in place by the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) to streamline the graduate scheme for European Institutions. This is intended to speed up the recruitment process to enable the Commission to recruit people that have previously passed the various recruitment stages but who then never get recruited because it has taken up to two years for them to finally get appointed. The new scheme will be recruiting 323 graduates in 2010 and work is pretty much guaranteed because there is a pent up demand in EU institutions. Most successful applicants will start work by September 2010 and the majority of postings are in Brussels – which is, apparently, a very lively, cosmopolitan city.
A motivating factor in the launch of the initiative has been to enable the Commission to lower the average age of graduate recruits. Previously applicants needed to have secured their degree before completing the recruitment process but with the new system applicants now only need to be in their final year by the end of the recruitment process which means 2nd year students can apply. Under the old system the average graduate to the programme was 35 years.
A career in the EU Institutions offers a lifetime of different jobs doing interesting and challenging work that makes a real difference for Europe, in an environment where staff are encouraged to learn new skills and languages, and have opportunities to work and travel abroad. Further information on EU careers and the selection procedure can be found on the EU website. www.eu-careers.eu. Also on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/EU-Careers/298387676087?ref=ts
From a recent careers article « It is also worth noting that, from 2010, the EU Careers selection procedure no longer includes the detailed EU knowledge test. Instead, they are moving to an entirely competence-based model, which many British students and graduates will be familiar with. » What this means in practice is that you will no longer have to know how many different type of cheeses are produced in the EU or know the names of previous EU Presidents. The tests will be more objective and conducted by staff who have been selected, trained and observed to ensure recruitment is rigourous and fair. More specialised EU knowledge is only important when you are being interviewed for your specific institution.
Recruitment Cycle
The scheme is open for applications in 2010 from March till April 15th. The graduate scheme recruits for 5 different roles – European public administration, law, audit, economics, and information and communication technology (with the first of these forming the bulk of the intake). You can only apply for one stream per application and you can apply again in subsequent years if you are unsuccessful.
(Incidentally there are other entry routes. For example ‘translator’ roles route which opens in July. Plus routes for specialist eg librarians and competition lawyers and some may be entry level .
Also the ‘Assistants’ grade. This is an operational grade which graduates can apply for though they are encouraged to enter via the graduate scheme.)
The Tests
The tests are broadly as competitive as the Faststream tests for the UK civil service. In other words you will need to be ‘quite bright’.
* Phase one. Comprised of abstract numerical and verbal reasoning plus a ‘situational judgement’ test that is taken at the same time but may only be assessed later. Examples of tests on the website. All taken at a test centre and not, as yet, online remotely.
* Phase two. Brussels assessment centre partially funded by the EU. Comprising group exercise on policy issue relevant to specialism and decision making in teams. Written exercise on the same policy issue which takes two hours. Applicants are then grilled on their response
* Phase three. Interview on your life experiences and the defined competencies. The emphasis will be on helping you express yourself and not catching you out.
At a certain part of the process you will be asked to complete a ‘Motivation’ box to explain, for example why you have selected the specific area you have. This information is only looked at after you have succesfully completed the tests. It is recommended that you use this box to flag up your preferred destination eg parliament but no guarantees given that you will be placed there. Additionally if you have impending qualifications then include it in this section. The section can differentiate you from other equally well qualified candidates.
Successful applicants are placed on a database to be selected by recruiters. Additional interviews are carried out at that level
Criteria
The scheme is open to all EU citizens – no age limits. Must have two EU languages with fluency in one of English, French or German.
A note on ‘Traineeships’. The scheme is separate from the traineeships (previously ‘stagiare’). These are organised at an Institution level. Over 600 paid traineeships a year. Recruited through application forms with no face to face interview (therefore making the traineeship form and especially the motivation box important) Two intakes a year – next on June 1st for March 2011 entry.
More information and links here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11645975 - for a November 2010 update on the EU budget
http://www.careerstagged.co.uk search on ‘multilaterals’
Fast Stream – new European option August 11, 2009
Posted by Jeff Riley in : European Union Careers, Government , 2comments* NB nationality rules apply for this UK goverment programme*
I attended a day getting an update about the UK’s national Civil Service ‘Fast Stream’ programme. A number of graduate entry programmes run under the banner of ‘Fast Stream’.
The ‘Graduate Fast Stream’ The ‘Graduate Fast Stream’ (GFS) is just one of the Fast Stream Programmes. There are a number of others including ones for economists and statisticians and a new Human Resources Fast Stream. The GFS is a generic programme and trainees can eventually be placed in a number of central government departments such as the FCO (diplomatic service), the Home Office, the Department for International Development (DFID) and others. There is no guarantee that trainees will be placed with the department of their choice though all efforts are made to match trainees with their preferred departments. From the most recent recruitment round 48 were allocated to the Diplomatic Service, 8 (approximately) to DFID and 15 to the Home Office. There were 300 successful candidates drawn from around 1098 invited for Fast Stream Assessment Centre days which, in turn, were drawn from 15,300 initial applications.
The ‘European Fast Stream’. This is a new option within the Graduate Fast Stream programme available for those applying to start from summer 2010. Lots of Europe oriented work across a range of Civil Service departments (including DFID) plus an EU placement via a ‘Structural Traineeship’, previously known as a ‘Stage’. All in support of helping trainees eventually getting jobs in EU institutions such as the European Commission and the European parliament in which the UK is severely under-represented. If trainees aren’t able to secure an EU job through the regular ‘competititions’ then you are still able to work in the full range of regular Faat Stream posts. Those applying to the EFS will need an A level in French or German at minimum or equivalent and will be given language training to help them in the EU competitions (which, for UK applicants, are conducted in either French or German). If you are on the EFS strand of the GFS you will be expected to enter all the EU competitions for which you are eligible during your two years on the scheme. In addition the EU eligibility rules means that commonwealth citizens who can apply for the GFS are excluded from the EFS option.
Incidentally, if you want to see why the UK is making more efforts to get better representation in EU institutions you might read a recent report on the EC Traineeships (Stage). This report from 2008 shows that the UK provides less applicants proportionately to the traineeship programme than any other EU country. The report is also a useful insight into how trainees found the programme. How to apply and what happened to them afterwards. Details at http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/evalreports/civilsociety/2008/stagereport_en.pdf
More Fast Stream details at. Visit www.civilservice.gov.uk/faststream. Many university careers offices will also hold copies of the handouts issued on the day which also covered entry criteria for all the Fast Stream programmes
