CoR Traineeship

Every year, the Committee of the Regions (CoR) offers a limited number of university graduates a five-month traineeship:

Each trainee is assigned to a specific department of the CoR. The nature of the work depends largely on the unit. Some units are more politically oriented, others are more administrative. In general, the type of work assigned is equivalent to that performed by junior executive-grade officials (AD5).
The aim of the traineeship within the CoR is:
- to provide a unique, first-hand experience of the workings of the CoR in particular, and of the EU institutions in general;
- to acquire practical experience and knowledge of the day-to-day work of the Committee's departments;
- to work in a multicultural and multilingual environment;
- to put into practice knowledge acquired during studies, particularly in your areas of competence.
 
Admission criteria
Applicants must:
- be a national of one of the Member States of the European Union or of a State which is an official candidate for accession;
- have completed at least the first cycle of a higher education course and obtained a full degree by the closing date for applications;
- have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union and a satisfactory knowledge of another EU-working language (French or English).
 
Grant
CoR-trainees are entitled to a monthly grant. The amount of the grant is equivalent to 25% of the salary of AD*5 officials (step 1) at the start of the traineeship for the full 5-month period. If a CoR trainee in receipt of a grant is also in receipt of income from a source external to the CoR during his/her in-service training period, he/she shall have no claim to any financial contribution from the CoR, save insofar as that external remuneration is less than the in-service training grant. In that event, he/she shall receive the difference up to the amount of that grant.
An additional monthly allowance of €100, 00 is awarded to:
- a married trainee whose spouse is not gainfully employed;
- a trainee who has dependent children (€100, 00/child/month).
A supplementary grant amounting to up to half of the monthly grant may be granted to a handicapped trainee after consideration of his/her individual situation.
 
How to apply
Applications are exclusively submitted online via an internet Application Form in English, French or German.
 
Application deadline
The electronic application form must be submitted within the following timeframe (unless otherwise stated on the website):
Spring session: Between 1st April and 30th September (midnight, Brussels local time) of the preceding year
Autumn session: Between 1st October and 31st March (midnight, Brussels local time) of the same year
Any application received outside this period will not be accepted by the Traineeships Office.
Any application not submitted electronically will not be accepted by the Traineeships Office.
 
For any further information, please visit the web page: http://cor.europa.eu/it/about/traineeships/Pages/cor-traineeship.aspx