Working in Europe European Movement Ireland 3 November 2010

“…when Irish people get to Brussels, we do really well.” Me, Green Book III, Grad Jobs in Europe Programme, 2010

What is a stage?  USA = internships, EU = stage (rhymes with “mirage”)  Work placement, usually for graduates  Real work experience offered  Vary in length, usually 3-6 months  Differing eligibility criteria  Payment varies  High proportion of employers now looking for stage experience for job applications

Avenues to getting a stage 1. Institutional 2. Agency 3. Non- institutional 4. Academic routes

1. EU institutional stages 1.Commission, Brussels 2.Parliament, Brussels 3.Council, Brussels 4.European Economic & Social Committee, Brussels 5.Committee of the Regions, Brussels 6.European Central Bank, Frankfurt 7.European Ombudsman, Strasbourg 8.Court of Auditors, Luxembourg 9.European Court of Justice, Luxembourg 10.European Investment Bank, Luxembourg

Institutional: Commission stage Two stage intakes, summer (March) & winter (Oct) Administrative & translation stage Paid €1,066 a month 15,000 applications for 1,200 positions (30 Irish) Requirements Need a 1 or a 2:1 Under 31 years Need ‘good working knowledge’ of German or French Application process Online application process, top three ‘Departments’ are identified

2. EU agency stages  23 agencies  Specialised areas that have been decentralised around Europe  Usually of a legal, technical or scientific nature Lisbon, London, Crete, Valenciennes, Torino, Vienna, Alicante, Luxembourg, Stockholm, Thessaloniki, Dublin, Angers, Vigo, Bilbao, Warsaw, Cologne, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Parma, Vilnius, The Hague, Brussels

Agency: FRA stage Vienna, Austria European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) Two stage intakes, summer (March) & winter (Oct) €1,000 per month Requirements Complete a degree Need English, plus one other language Application process

3. Non-institutional stages  Lobbyists, not-for-profits & communications companies  Nearly every place that has an office in Brussels takes a stagiaire  Less likely to be paid, but some are  Can give an even greater level of responsibility & experience  IBEC Europe, APCO, European Movement International, Amnesty International and many more

4. Academic routes Erasmus (Your college international or career office) Study abroad for 3-12 months, 33 countries of choice Open to all students, not just languages Grants available Leonardo da Vinci (Leargas) Paid post-grad work experience programme across EU Grants available College of Europe (European Movement Ireland) 2-3 government funded scholarships to the College of Bruges Open to students studying politics, law, economics & European studies Jim Dooge research medal (European Movement Ireland)

Tips for applying  It’s competitive but not impossible  Don’t be put off by ‘the language thing’  Never too late to learn a language  Negative corollation between glamour and interest  It’s harder to ignore a phone call…

CVs & cover letters  Welcome to word bingo  CV makes you competent, cover letter makes you human  Every application is a new application  Don’t be shy, but don’t lie  Know what a Europass is  Triple check your application  Your referees are on your team

Looking for summer experience? European Movement Ireland 4 undergrad students on summer stage programme Unpaid, travel costs covers Requirements Must be studying a ‘suitable’ degree Good research skills Team player Application process CV, cover letter & two referees to

Questions?

Thank you.