Traineeship at the European Commission

About this blog

2008-01-08T08:56:00.001+01:00

It was created by a group of trainees from the Winter Stage 2007 - 2008, hoping that it will become a practical tool with a complete package of informations for the future trainees. It explains what means to be a trainee at the Commission and answers as well to common questions like: 'How is to work as trainee at the Commission?', 'Which are the perspectives after such experience?','How is it to live in Brussels?', 'Where and how to search for accommodation?', 'Which are the best places to spend the free time?', etc

The comments or suggestions should be sent to felicia.stoica@gmail.com or directly on the blog!

Application procedures

2008-01-07T19:38:00.002+01:00

On the Commission website http://ec.europa.eu/stages/index_en.htm you can find all the relevant informations about the application and selection procedures. Read it carefully before applying!
An useful .pdf file could be: http://www.ukrep.be/stage.pdf

Tips & tricks
In the application form, when choosing the Directorates or Services within you would like to work, focus on the ones that suit best with your academic and professional background!
Avoid choosing an area of activity that doesn't have any relevance with your background, but you'll be happy to work in.
Before applying, have a look on the organizational charts of each Directorate General or Service http://ec.europa.eu/dgs_en.htm

Waiting to see if I passed the preselection

2008-01-07T11:58:00.000+01:00

When the preselection procedure is over you will receive an e-mail from the Traineeship Office with the list of all the 'registering numbers' that passed the preselection. Bear in mind that when you apply, you receive automatically a registering number, which represents you in the communication flow with the Traineeship Office.

In case you passed the preselection (which is actually a filtering of the CVs), you enter automatically on a list with three persons for one place, meaning that you have 33% chances to be selected.
The key stands in the hands of the heads of units from the chosen Directorates or Services or from the cabinet responsible, in case you applied for cabinets.
You just have to be contacted by them in case your application raised their interest.
They can get in touch with you either by mail or calling.
If you were contacted by them it doesn't mean that you have been selected!

The final answer you'll get it again by mail!

I was accepted;-)...

2008-01-07T10:22:00.000+01:00

Approximately two weeks later after receiving the e-mail informing you that you were accepted, you will receive by post a pack with informations about the administrative procedures that you should follow further, as well as informations regarding the payment, accommodation, etc.

The commission doesn't provide accommodation, so you should solve this issue by yourself.

...but where will I stay?

2008-01-06T18:12:00.020+01:00

First, you should check where is located your office: http://ec.europa.eu/oib/building_en.cfm

You can find accommodation...

...by using the following websites:

! ADVANTAGES: very dynamic sites with lots of offers, some of them providing pictures

...by contacting directly the landlords:

Leila (French speaking), Tel: 0032 478 330 999: Three bedroom apartment, Molenbeek-Saint Jean (residential area), ideal for three trainees, fully furnished, 500 euro/person, all charges included, very nice and helpful landlady. Posted in Jannuary 2008, by former trainee and tenant Norel Neagu

Laurent Servais - 0032 487 36 39 76 or Jasmin Servais - 0032 497 44 87 30, IXELLES
Furnished apartment - Very good condition, 2nd floor, building with lift, 2 bedrooms (one very big with double bed), fully equiped kitchen, very large dining/living room, wc, bathroom, wash. and dry. machines, home cinema.
Available on the 1st of March. Close to the Public Transports. Posted in Jannuary 2008, by former trainee Daniel Oliveira

Mme SALUM - cinniadmilano@yahoo.it or +33663719588. Very nice and bright studio (50 sq m) located in a lively neighbourhood close both to the EC and the centre. Metro Hotel de Monnaies and Louise very close. Completely furnished and equipped and newly renovated. I strongly recommend it! Available from 1.03.08. Price is 550 euros charges excluded. Mme SALUM (cinniadmilano@yahoo.it - +33663719588). Posted in Jannuary 2008, by former trainee and tenant Valentina Ramaschiello

Desi - Desislava-Georgieva.Martinova@ec.europa.eu. Apartment available to be rented on 1st of March, 10 min walking distance from Schuman, park Ambiorix. The rent is 585 EUR (monthly charges 70 EUR). Posted on February by former trainee and tenant Desislava Martinova

! ADVANTAGES: these are places where former stagiaires used to live in!

...by choosing to live in 'colocation'

AVAILABLE ON THE 1st OF APRIL! Bernardita Cardenas, E-mail: bernardita@fastmail.fm. Five rooms in Watermael - Boitsfort (residential area), in a very nice, new furnished house. 20 min by bus or metro to the center. The kitchen is fully equiped and it is shared, as well as the bathroom. Internet connection is provided. Price: between 400 and 450E/month, all charges included. Posted in Jannuary 2008, by former trainee and tenant Felicia Stoica

Daniel Buelens, dbuelens@scarlet.be, Collocation in Rue des deux tours, 75 - 1210 Brussels, its in St.Jose, 5 min from Madou and 10 min from Schuman. You share the house with 15 other tenants, its very basic but its cheap, I paid 300 euros a month, and everything is included, also laundry machine and internet. Posted in Jannuary 2008, by former trainee and tenant Hampus

Katarina Motoskova- kmotoskova@gmail.com or +32487548489. Room to rent in beautiful duplex appartment with its own private garden 15 min walk from Schuman, available from 1st March. Room is fully FURNISHED with wooden floor, giving directly to the private garden. Very nice, cosy duplex appartment (FULLY FURNISHED!!) with equipped kitchen (cooker, fridge, deep freezer, dishwasher), dining room, large living room, 2 toilets, 1 bathroom and 3 bedrooms Convenient location: 15 min walk from Schuman, well connected with buses, trams in nice neighborhood (bakery, groceries, newspapers) Extra:wireless internet,,washing machine and tumble dryer, TV, DVD player 2 very nice flatmates. Price 466 EUR ( charges included) + internet. Postet in February 2008, by former trainee and tenant Katarina Motoskova

Mr Herman Luyten - : +32 1451 56 93 or +31 653 42 87 40,
herman.LUYTEN@ec.europa.eu. 10/15 minutes walk to Schumann & 20/25 minutes walk to place Luxembourg; 2 bus stops (number 34 & 36 ) and 1 tramway stop (number 81) very closed to the flat, Internet connection and phone; Big rooms, oven, micro-wave, computer, washing machine, dryer; Nice flatmates (6 flatmates); Very closed to the shops (GB and Delhaize; Banks; Casa; Phone House; others)
But: I have to buy an electric heater (15 euros) because it can be cold sometimes in the rooms; I know I could find something cheaper but La Chasse (area where the flat is) is a well-located area. Posted by former stagiaire and tenant Charles

We have rented a very nice flat in Rue de la grande ile 4, directly at Place St. Géry and we are looking for a third flatmate from March to August 2008. It close to Metro De Brouckère. The flat includes two bathrooms, a modern kitchen, washing-machine, TV, roof terrace etc. It costs 500 Euro per months, deposit 800 Euro.As we get the keys on Friday, you are welcome to visit it Friday afternoon or evening. If you are interested, please give me a call on Friday to arrange the visit (Tel. 0032495183865, E-mail: st.friedrich@yahoo.de). Posted in February 2008

Apartment(120 sqm) out of which 2 fully furnished rooms are available for renting to girlstagiaires of the E.C., even for very short period.

The address of the place is :
85, avenue L.Wiener
1170 Bruxelles.
0478 533114.

Easy connection with the E.C. via the metro(line A) or the bus 95.
If you want more informations or pictures, don't hesitate to contact pamerten@ulb.ac.be. Posted in October 2008

For girlstagiaire, a room to rent from Februari the 1st.

At this address, near the metrostation Beaulieu:
85, av.L.Wiener
1170 Bruxelles.

Price: 390 euros.

Patrice Mertens - 0478 533114. Posted in November 2008

Flatshare / 1 room to let in a flat from the 1st of March 2010

- Address: Avenue de l’ Emeraude, B-1030, Brussels.
- Type of accommodation: furnished Room in a fully furnished flat on the 5th floor (with elevator).
- Description (flat): very spacious living/dining-room, fully equipped kitchen, 2 bedrooms, bathroom, WC, built-in wardrobe, wine cellar, washing-machine, dishwasher, microwave.
- Description (room): bed, desk, closet, night table, glazed balcony (very luminous).
- Location: nice, safe and residential neighbourhood, all kinds of stores, three large supermarkets and fitness club nearby.
- Transportation: 1 minute walking distance from Meiser & Diamant which are transport hubs; buses 12/21 to NATO, DGT, EP and to the airport; tram 23/24/25 to Montgomery (underground); buses 29/63 to the Central Railway Station (Gare Centrale); walking distance to Schuman Square.
- Price: 470 Euros per month, “charges” included apart from internet.
- Pictures available at:
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/Emeraude66/Appartement?authkey=Cco6tXVIMuI#5235443805820850034
and more details upon request!
- Contact: Apostolos at +32 (0) 488 47 98 18 or ap_aravanis [ a t ] hotmail.com

The Conferences Days, from the first week, are the best place and moment to find your house mates. Many trainees will be in the same situation as you!
www.facebook.com is a very good channel of networking with former, current or future trainees!

First days at the Commission - how it will be?

2008-01-03T22:26:00.000+01:00

The Commission welcomes you in the first day with an administrative meeting held by the head of the Traineeship Office, where you will get some guidelines about how to better integrate, what are the 'rules' and 'facilites' inside the Commission.

Two days of conferences will follow, where you can meet and socialize with all you colleagues and hear some speaches from representatives of the Commission, Council and Parliament.

You can get involved in the Stage Committee, a small group of people in charge with the organization of the social and cultural activities for the stagiaires: parties, trips, museums' visits, solidarity projects, etc.

Five months inside the Commission

2008-01-03T12:22:00.001+01:00

Work
Each trainee will have his/her own desk, PC, telephone (with telephone number into the general address book of the Commission) as well as an adviser, who is an employee of the Commission (either Policy Officer, Head of Unit or....). The adviser will provide your 'job description' which reflects your tasks and duties during the five months of traineeship. You will be integrate in the team of the unit were you are assigned to, participate to the unit meetings, conferences and seminars related to your tasks.

Networking
The stage is a great opportunity to meet new people among the stagiaires, the employees or the participants of the events you take part (conferences, parties, etc)

Social life
The social life is one of the most interesting and attractive parts of the stage. You will have the opportunities to:
- join lots of parties: the Stage Committee is the main organizer of most of the parties
- go out for drinks: the same Stage Committee organize very often meetings among stagiaires within different pubs & bars in Brussels.
- do trips: Brussels is located very close to cities like Paris 1h30', London 2h, Amsterdam 3h30', Antwerp 45', Bruges 1h, Ghent 30', Maastricht 2h (by train)

LATEST NEWS FOR THE SUMMER STAGE 2008

2008-01-02T16:42:00.001+01:00

15.02.2008
Greetings future EC stagiaires, few weeks left before the March 2008 stage starts!
Couple useful things:
Firstly, just wanted to let you know that bunch of enthusiasts (known as Secret Nights team) organize parties in Brussels...The goal of these parties is to create a special mix of local Brussels' people and an international party crowd (EU, EC, NATO, lobby, expats,...)
Their next event is on Saturday 8 March in Autoworld (Parc du Cinquantenaire). It will be a very special Soirée Diamond Deluxe with jewelry presentation, free (!) cava bar between 10-11pm, great DJ's,...
Think that the date is perfect for the people that arrive beginning of March...
Entry: 10 EUR
The group on facebook can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4539743806

Michal Saraparka