Traineeship - Brussels Liaison Office

The European Institute for Gender Equality¹ (EIGE) announces that it is drawing up a reserve list of candidates for traineeship opportunities within its Outreach and Engagement Unit lasting six months² for graduates who are either nationals of an EU Member State or an EFTA country or an IPA qualifying country³. This traineeship shall be based at EIGE’s Brussels liaison office.

The traineeship will offer the possibility to university graduates in communications, public relations, international studies, European studies, politics, social policy or similar, to gain experience in the work of the EU in general and in the work of EIGE in particular.

The registration of applications will begin on 1 February 2024 and will close on 23 February 2024 at 13:30, Eastern European Time (EET).

Applicants shall note that the specific tasks assigned to them will be identified in the offer letter sent to the selected candidate. The tasks of the trainee might be further tailored after the start of the traineeship. The trainee may be required to assist in other areas of activity, depending on the needs of the service and his/her profile and experience.

The traineeships aim principally to:

• Provide on the job training experience in key areas of the Institute's work covered by the Outreach and Engagement Unit (in particular stakeholder relations, communications and knowledge management)
• Extend and apply knowledge acquired in the course of studies or working life
• Provide practical working knowledge of EU agencies and institutions
• Enable trainees to acquire work experience in an EU agency context

The Institute

EIGE is a decentralised agency of the European Union (EU) entrusted with specific objectives envisaged to contribute to, and strengthen, the promotion of gender equality.

The Institute collects and analyses comparable and reliable information at EU level and develops appropriate methodological tools for the integration of gender equality into all EU policies. It fosters the exchange of good practices and dialogue between stakeholders and raises awareness on gender equality. It also provides technical assistance to EU institutions, in particular the European Commission and the authorities of the Member States.

In the course of its work to promote and strengthen gender equality, EIGE supports policy makers with high quality data relevant to their work.

EIGE is an equal opportunity employer and accepts applications without distinction on any grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language religion or belief, political (or any other) opinion, gender identity, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation.

Traineeship description

As part of the Outreach and Engagement Unit, the trainee provides assistance and support to with a focus on supporting the Stakeholder Relations team by facilitating the Institute’s inter-institutional relations and stakeholder cooperation, keeping abreast of EU policies relevant for EIGE’s work and undertaking foresight analysis to chart developments that might affect gender equality in the future.

With the help of the Institute’s Brussels liaison office, the Stakeholder Relations team aims to facilitate timely input to relevant policies within the European Institutions and Member State representations, and develop EIGE’s cooperation with partners from EU institutions, Permanent Representations, civil society, social partners and beyond.

Reporting to the Brussels liaison officer, the trainee can expect to carry out a variety of tasks from the list below:

• Support in organising EIGE’s stakeholder events, visits and meetings (e.g. Director missions to Brussels, meetings with Brussels-based stakeholders, including new MEPs)
• Monitor EU policy-making and prepare regular reports for the Institute
• Draft briefing notes, speaking points and background papers for EIGE’s management
• Assist with the successful organisation of the bi-annual Gender Equality Forum and work together with the project manager to ensure the active participation of youth delegates
• Support the implementation of EIGE’s focus topics in 2024 (new push for European democracy and tackling gender-based violence) and beyond
• Perform other tasks assigned by the supervisor or Head of Unit

The traineeships are open to applicants who have not previously undertaken a traineeship in another EU institution or body and who have a recognised university degree⁴ evidencing completion of a full cycle of studies⁵.

Applicants must have fluent English, both spoken and written, an excellent knowledge of at least one other EU language as well as computer skills applicable to a Windows environment.

Application procedure

There are two stages:

Stage 1 - Online registration

Candidates must submit their application electronically using EIGE’s application form. Applications must reach eige.hr@eige.europa.eu by not later than 13:30 Eastern European Time (EET), on 23 February 2024 and the subject title should include the name of the candidate and the reference number of the traineeship.

Candidates are requested to send their completed application in English, the working language of the Institute. All parts of the application form must be completed in full. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Stage 2 - Supplementary documentation (applicable only to candidates selected to start a traineeship)

Should a candidate be selected to start a traineeship, in order for the application to be considered complete, she/he must provide copies of all the supporting documents - e.g. proof of nationality, diplomas, academic qualifications, employment certificates as applicable, insurance policy for sickness and accident during the period of the traineeship, medical certificate indicating work fitness, etc. - needed to prove that they satisfy all admission conditions.

Candidates must be prepared to submit proof of their qualifications upon request. All documentary evidence of any professional experience must indicate start and end dates for previous positions and the start date and continuity for the current position held.

Candidates will be eliminated if:

• their application is received after 13:30, EET on 23 February 2024
• they do not use and duly complete the official application form provided by EIGE
• they do not meet the general conditions described in section 2 above

Eligible candidates shall be selected on the basis of their application.

A selection committee shall oversee the analysis of the applications to assess and select those best matching the profile and qualifications required for each traineeship. The selection committee can also assess any administrative experience obtained by the applicants either as part of their studies for a university degree or through professional experience. The committee can then invite the selected candidates for an interview.

The work of the selection committee is confidential. Candidates shall not make direct or indirect contact with the selection committee or have anybody do so on their behalf. The Appointing Authority reserves the right to disqualify any candidate who disregards this instruction.

The Institute regrets that, due to the large volume of applications it receives only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.

All inquiries for information should be sent by e-mail to eige.hr@eige.europa.eu quoting the reference of the traineeship.

Engagement & conditions

While Vilnius is EIGE’s place of employment, this traineeship is based at its fully operational Brussels liaison office.

The trainee shall work in a multicultural environment where social dialogue is considered very important. EIGE applies a participatory approach to its work and encourages an open dialogue between management and staff. Colleagues work closely together as much of the work is organised around cross-unit project teams. EIGE is committed to the principle of zero tolerance for harassment at work. Working time includes office-based working and telework.

Engagement for a traineeship will be decided by the Institute’s Director based on a reserve list of candidates proposed by a selection committee. Candidates should note that inclusion on the reserve list does not guarantee selection. The established reserve list may be used for other similar traineeships depending on the Institute's needs and will be valid until the 31 December following the year of engagement.

The traineeship is supported by a monthly grant equivalent to 1,376.89 EUR. While a travel allowance will be provided, trainees will have to make their own health insurance arrangements. Applicants are advised to read Director’s Decision No 304/2024 since it contains other relevant information.

Appeals

Applicants can submit an appeal to the European Ombudsman at the following address or directly on Ombudsman’s website.

However, before submitting a complaint to the European Ombudsman, applicants must already have contacted EIGE about the matter and used all the internal administrative options for review.

Data protection

The purpose of processing of the data submitted by candidates is to manage each application in view of a possible pre-selection and recruitment as a trainee at the Institute. Unsuccessful application files are kept for two years following the closure of the selection procedure, after which time they are destroyed.

The personal information requested from applicants will be processed as required by Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October December 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data. This applies in particular to the confidentiality and security of such data.

Footnotes

¹ Established by the European Parliament and of the Council Regulation (EC) No 1922/2006 of 20 December 2006 (OJ L 403/9 of 30.12.2006).

² The traineeship may be prolonged by the Institute’s Director for up to a further five months.

³ The countries that qualify are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey.

⁴ Only study titles that have been awarded in EU Member States or that are subject to the equivalence certificates issued by the authorities in the said Member States, shall be taken into consideration.

⁵ For a list of minimum national diplomas see Annex 2 of Director’s Decision No 2024/304 on EIGE’s traineeships.