Traineeships in the European Parliament

Applicants for a Schuman traineeship must:

• be aged 18 or over;
• be nationals of a Member State of the European Union or an accession/candidate country (a very limited number of traineeships to nationals of other countries can also be offered);
• hold a university level diploma;
• have a thorough knowledge of one of the official EU languages and a very good knowledge of a second (citizens of non-Member States must have a very good knowledge of either English, French or German);
• provide an eligible criminal record;
• not have worked, or have benefitted from any other type of traineeship, for more than two consecutive months in an EU institution, body or agency;
• not have carried out a study visit at the Secretariat of the European Parliament six months prior to the beginning of the traineeship.

In order to apply, please visit our traineeship application page:

1. select and apply for a maximum of three traineeships;
2. if you are shortlisted, you will be required to provide certain supporting documents to prove your eligibility;
3. if you are selected, you will get an official Admission Letter via email.

The Schuman traineeships are awarded for a period of five months:

• Traineeship period 1 October-28/29 February
  • you can apply from 1 to 31 May
• Traineeship period 1 March-31 July
  • you can apply from 1 to 31 October

Spontaneous applications will not be considered.

Members freely choose their trainees. However, candidates must fulfil the following criteria:

• be aged 18 or over (derogations from this age limit can be granted in response to a duly substantiated request);
• be nationals of a Member State of the European Union or an accession/candidate country. Nevertheless, Members may offer a traineeship to nationals of third countries, provided they comply with visa requirements;
• have obtained a secondary-school leaving certificate corresponding to the level required for entry to university, or have followed a higher or technical course of study to an equivalent level, or have obtained a university diploma;
• have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union;
• not be party to an employment contract or any working contractual relationship during their traineeship;
• not have carried out a previous traineeship with a Member, nor have previously worked as a parliamentary assistant to a Member, whether local or accredited.

To submit an application, it is necessary to contact directly the Members of the European Parliament.

The duration of the traineeship is between six weeks and five consecutive months, and is decided on by the Member of Parliament who awards the traineeship. It can start at any time during the year.

Trainees are awarded a monthly grant of between EUR 838 and EUR 1374 for a full-time traineeship.