Traineeships at the General Secretariat of the Council

Traineeships

Every year, there are around 100 places available for paid traineeships, around 20 places for unpaid compulsory traineeships and up to 6 places for paid trainees with a disability.

What can you expect from your traineeship?

A traineeship at the General Secretariat of the Council (GSC) offers:

• first-hand experience of the work of the GSC
• EU knowledge - insight into the processes and policies of the EU institutions
• an opportunity to contribute to the Council's day-to-day business
• the chance to work in a multicultural, multilingual and multi-ethnic environment
• an opportunity to share your fresh point of view and the knowledge you have acquired during your studies 

Important information: the organisation of traineeships is currently affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Find out more, by reading the section on COVID-19 implications for traineeships.

There are 4 types of traineeships in the Council, you can choose a traineeship which is of interest to you:

• Paid traineeships
• Compulsory unpaid traineeships
• Traineeships for students of national administration schools
• Positive action programme for trainees with a disability (paid)

What does a traineeship involve?

Depending on the needs of the service, your daily work would generally be equivalent to that of junior administrator officials at the beginning of their career, such as:

• preparing meetings and drafting minutes
• attending meetings of Council preparatory bodies and Coreper (Committee of the Permanent Representatives of the Governments of the member states to the EU)
• researching on a particular project
• translating documents
• compiling documentation, writing reports

Trainees will also be invited to take part in a study programme that includes visits and conferences at other EU institutions in Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg.

Learn more about the details of the traineeship, the tasks involved and the domain in which you may find yourself working should you be successful:

• Frequently asked questions (background information)
• First-hand description of traineeship tasks from the trainees (updated July 2022)
• Description of the various domains available for a traineeship, within the GSC (updated February 2022)

Who can apply?

Nationality

GSC traineeships are open to:

• EU citizens 
• citizens from candidate countries that have concluded EU accession negotiations

Languages

Candidates must have very good knowledge of at least two EU official languages. Given that English and French are used extensively for internal communication within the GSC, a good knowledge of English or French is required, (*C level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

Profiles

The majority of applications currently come from candidates with qualifications in law, political science, international relations, EU studies and economics.

The GSC is also looking for trainees with qualifications in other domains, such as: translation, human resources, communication, education studies, computer sciences (collaboration platforms), archives and document management, civil engineering, graphic design, multimedia, agriculture, biochemical engineering, health and food safety, energy management, environment, aerospace engineering.

Who can't apply?

Applications will not be accepted from candidates who have already benefited from any kind of training (paid or unpaid) or employment for more than 6 weeks within an EU institution, body, agency or office.

Complaints procedure

We strive to offer the highest standards of service.

However, if you think that you have been subject to maladministration, you have the right to introduce a complaint to the European Ombudsman. Please note that before the Ombudsman can accept a complaint from you, you need to first raise your concerns with the traineeships office.

Contact

For more information you can contact the traineeships office:

+32 22813677