March 2019 Traineeship

EmiliaS wrote:Hello. Did anyone from non-EU states get any answer? I wrote to some units and HR, but haven’t heard back.

Just got a call from one unit and three replies saying they take my cv into consideration. Which DG are you applying?

stephenlkkpm6a31 wrote:

EmiliaS wrote:Hello. Did anyone from non-EU states get any answer? I wrote to some units and HR, but haven’t heard back.

Just got a call from one unit and three replies saying they take my cv into consideration. Which DG are you applying?

I applied to EEAS, DEVCO and NEAR. Which units replied you?

Lea92 wrote:

Lars29 wrote:Has anyone been contacted from the Translation Unit?

Not so far, no, but there's still a lot of time then... I can't believe we will only hear the official word one month before the traineeship starts!

I don't know what to say. I don't really understand how the whole process is going on, but I've kinda lost any hope once I've read some posts from the last March session:

Silvernight wrote:Wow guys, I've just been selected o.O That sure was fast. I got this
"We would like to inform you that you have been selected for an in-training period with grant ( ±1.100,00€ per month)
in Unit DGT.A.LT.2 of Directorate General for Translation of the European Commission in Luxembourg from 1 March until 31 July 2017. If you wish to take advantage of this offer please reply (using the "reply to all" button) by …………………, otherwise it will lapse.

The only official and binding offer to be signed will be sent by the Traineeships' Office (DG EAC) on a later date.

Would you please confirm that you agree that we give your name and email address to the other future trainees also coming to DGT in March?".

Someone got this message on the 12th of December (pre-selection day) last year instead of the usual "you've been included in the Blue Book", so I guess that I don't really have many chances, as I only got the "you've included in the Blue Book". I hope I am wrong I am very curious to see if we get something like that before Christmas.

EmiliaS wrote:

stephenlkkpm6a31 wrote:

EmiliaS wrote:Hello. Did anyone from non-EU states get any answer? I wrote to some units and HR, but haven’t heard back.

Just got a call from one unit and three replies saying they take my cv into consideration. Which DG are you applying?

I applied to EEAS, DEVCO and NEAR. Which units replied you?

I sent to almost all the unit of Devco. And you? Where are you from?

stephenlkkpm6a31 wrote:

EmiliaS wrote:

stephenlkkpm6a31 wrote:

EmiliaS wrote:Hello. Did anyone from non-EU states get any answer? I wrote to some units and HR, but haven’t heard back.

Just got a call from one unit and three replies saying they take my cv into consideration. Which DG are you applying?

I applied to EEAS, DEVCO and NEAR. Which units replied you?

I sent to almost all the unit of Devco. And you? Where are you from?

I am from Georgia. I wrote to some units in A, G and R directorates.

Hi all, do you know if the units have selected (as in registering the trainees with the TO) already?

It is very confusing, as I had one unit telling me I was in their shortlisted top three (no promises) and another unit telling me "hope to get you to work with us in March".

If so.. when should we receive an "offer"? Before Christmas, or just the "take it or leave it" offer, if at all, in January?

Ameliee wrote:Hi all,  do you know if the units have selected (as in registering the trainees with the TO) already?

It is very confusing, as I had one unit telling me I was in their shortlisted top three (no promises) and another unit telling me "hope to get you to work with us in March".

If so.. when should we receive an "offer"? Before Christmas, or just the "take it or leave it" offer, if at all, in January?

Maybe some did, but not all of them for sure. I was worried that all the DGs had a deadline to close the reservation lists last Friday, but then I received an email today from HR of EACEA that they will forward my CV to the unit they think is the most relevant for me and I might be contacted by someone in the next days. So, it's not finalised, at least not in all DGs.

Hi everyone! It's nice to discover this forum as before I didn't really find a place to discuss the process. I applied and was selected for the Blue Book. Last week I was contacted by 4-5 different units in different DGs. The interviews were spontaneous hence I didn't have any time to prepare. Most of them just asked for confirmation of my interest and told something more about the position. No promises about anything, some of them even said that this interview does not really mean that I've got the position, that depends on HR. I've also sent some emails to heads of units but noone replied. I only received one reply saying that they are not hiring for the next session and wishing me luck... So this is it... I guess all we can do now is wait and hope we were high on someone's list. Btw, I spoke with one unit today and they told me they have to send the final list to HR by the end of the day.

Hi!

Congrats to everyone who had received a call !

i would like to ask (maybe there is somebody who will know the secret answer) if they (HR) confirm the place by information on webpage/profile in the upcoming weeks or should we wait till the end of January ? I can not wait! I have already confirmed my interest in undergoing traineeship in one Unit but still I am not sure how the procedure looks like. Actually they said me "see u in March".. so i am confused with all this information.

I think we're all highly confused by the process

marthakad wrote:Hi!

Congrats to everyone who had received a call !

i would like to ask (maybe there is somebody who will know the secret answer) if they (HR) confirm the place by information on webpage/profile in the upcoming weeks or should we wait till the end of January ? I can not wait! I have already confirmed my interest in undergoing traineeship in one Unit but still I am not sure how the procedure looks like. Actually they said me "see u in March".. so i am confused with all this information.

I'm not sure either.  I read somewhere that if a few DGs are interested, then the one that is higher on your priority list will be then one where you will do your internship.

Hi, has anyone been contacted by DG ECHO, DEVCO, or HOME? Do you know how many trainees takes in one DG?

regards

Ania

As far as I read on this forum (not only about the March 2019 session) each DG has a specific number of trainees that can take, specific procedures and deadlines. Therefore, I think that the best idea would be to wait until the final answer is given, which will be somewhere around the end of January. I think that one of the reasons for this is that many people change their minds by then. Basically, that is the moment when all the answers are centralised and ready to be sent to the applicants. Also, I spoke with someone who applied in 2015, October session, and she told me that she got no phone call during the selection period and that she got a final offer for the EEAS in the very last day, when her expectations to get any offer were zero... The whole process has many shades of grey and each individual case is different...

marthakad wrote:Hi!

Congrats to everyone who had received a call !

i would like to ask (maybe there is somebody who will know the secret answer) if they (HR) confirm the place by information on webpage/profile in the upcoming weeks or should we wait till the end of January ? I can not wait! I have already confirmed my interest in undergoing traineeship in one Unit but still I am not sure how the procedure looks like. Actually they said me "see u in March".. so i am confused with all this information.

I got the same “hope to see you in March” answer, so that is already a great sign!  I guess if no other unit “books” you from your top choice, its very likely you’ll be assigned to that unit for your traineeship. We won’t get any other HR information more than the “take or leave” offer in January, its my understanding... However, this process is so-not clear for anyone lol. Good luck though :-D

I had many interviews, but not sure I'm high on anyone's list. They all said something like "I will put you on a shortlist, but it doesn't depend on me whether you get the traineeship or not, Traineeships Office will decide, so don't have your hopes very high, it might not happen"...

Hi all,

Update: I got another mail from a unit saying I’m their first choice and asking to confirm that I will “apply” to their unit for thei traineeship. Anyone got the same or similar? And Any clue how to answer this email? It’s my second choice within DG ENER, so I’m not sure how to proceed :-(

Ameliee wrote:Hi all,

Update: I got another mail from a unit saying I’m their first choice and asking to confirm that I will “apply” to their unit for thei traineeship. Anyone got the same or similar? And Any clue how to answer this email? It’s my second choice within DG ENER, so I’m not sure how to proceed :-(

I think if a few units from the same DG want to hire you, then you will be contacted by HR to ask about your preference. But I'm not 100% sure...

Well I am kinda in the same position. I think you should call your 1st choice to have a clear idea on whether or not your are ranked 1st in their shortlist. Then, if they say yes, for the other unit in your second choice, I would confirm my interest and put a reserve by telling them the truth. They are not gonna change their mind and remove you from their list, it is too late anyway, it is the Traineeship Office sending the final offers but, at least, it clarifies the situation.

Plus, I think that we ll receive an informal offer from the TO in the next days/before Christmas, from what i read. then, in january, the official offer, with the contract.

Thanks, @Rosaura! Will do, what do you mean by its “too late”? Are you also an applicant of DG ENER? Would be nice to get in touch once in Brussels (fingers crossed).

rosaurora wrote:Plus, I think that we ll receive an informal offer from the TO in the next days/before Christmas, from what i read. then, in January, the official offer, with the contract.

Could you let us know here on the forum please if/when you get an unofficial offer around Christmas time from TO? The thing is, I have read the forums of the previous sessions and haven't seen before that something like this was done by TO. Also, I think that I myself will not receive such an offer, as no units asked me to confirm their interest, so I guess even if I get a spot, I will know that like on Jan 31 if not later But please let us know!

i mean its too late for them to change their mind, so if you tell them "yes but you re my second", it wont have any impact i guess
Yes i am also in between 2 units of DG ENER as well ! so im just waiting for the TO decision .. see you in brussels hopefully !!!!

@ viktoriia
I wouldn't be so sure about it. It's not my first time applying. Even if you haven't received any calls so far it doesn't mean that you won't get an offer. Firstly, not everyone is conducting interviews. Some DGs select their trainees purely on CV and in such cases there's no need to call them and ask. Some trainees, after the receipt of the 'final offer' gave up. At the end, the final choice depends on the traineeship office anyway

TS.K. wrote:@ viktoriia
I wouldn't be so sure about it. It's not my first time applying. Even if you haven't received any calls so far it doesn't mean that you won't get an offer. Firstly, not everyone is conducting interviews. Some DGs select their trainees purely on CV and in such cases there's no need to call them and ask. Some trainees, after the receipt of the 'final offer' gave up. At the end, the final choice depends on the traineeship office anyway

I understand that, but in my case, receiving the offer out of the blue on Jan 31 is actually too late Because I have another job contract, and they rely on having me, I would need to inform them a bit earlier than 3-4 weeks before leaving to Brussels (plus the official notice time is 1 month too). EC internship has been my huge dream for a couple of years now, it will be such a shame if I would have to reject an offer now after all the effort. But well, I'm trying to stay hopeful still that everything will just turn out for the best.

@viktoriia

Same here, I also have a full time job while applying... However, if you get the offer on the 31st January, you technically still can give one month notice that day. Its not our fault that February has 28 days right? ;-) In my case, I prepped my employer so they know I am considering going away for 5 months, and have been very encouraging so far. So, don’t give up ;-)

Same situation
anyway, I'm currently 99% sure that I'll have to give up Exactly because of timing. I tried asking my employer for an "unpaid leave" (which in my country can be up to 6 months), which is a huge solution and my notice much shorter. My employer said "ok", but judging by the amount of work we have I started doubting whether they'll actually let me be absent for 6 months in reality!?! I recommend you to conduct the same conversation with yours in case you want/need it and if you have such opportunity per your national law

I have the same situation as you- the permanent employment. I decided to tell my employer that I applied because there must be someone who can replace me during traineeship. They still have some time to find the other person.

rosaurora wrote:Plus, I think that we ll receive an informal offer from the TO in the next days/before Christmas, from what i read. then, in january, the official offer, with the contract.

This is the main debate right now, i.e., will we receive an unofficial confirmation or not? One of my interviewers said I COULD receive something like that "in early January", but another one said he had no idea. Plus, a friend of mine who was a trainee a couple of years ago said that she did not receive anything before the official final offer.

Maybe only those who are a first choice will receive something. This would make sense, as it would allow the Traineeship Office to have the time to contact those shortlisted in second/third position during January, in case the first choice ultimately gives up its place.

Maybe it is up to the single units to decide whether to provide a written confirmation before the final offer or not. In this case some units will, others won't bother. This would explain why one of my interviewers said so, and the other one had no idea.

Or maybe this is just a myth, nobody really knows (not even units) and we will all receive just the final offer from the TO.

AC92 wrote:

rosaurora wrote:Plus, I think that we ll receive an informal offer from the TO in the next days/before Christmas, from what i read. then, in january, the official offer, with the contract.

This is the main debate right now, i.e., will we receive an unofficial confirmation or not? One of my interviewers said I COULD receive something like that "in early January", but another one said he had no idea. Plus, a friend of mine who was a trainee a couple of years ago said that she did not receive anything before the official final offer.

Maybe only those who are a first choice will receive something. This would make sense, as it would allow the Traineeship Office to have the time to contact those shortlisted in second/third position during January, in case the first choice ultimately gives up its place.

Maybe it is up to the single units to decide whether to provide a written confirmation before the final offer or not. In this case some units will, others won't bother. This would explain why one of my interviewers said so, and the other one had no idea.

Or maybe this is just a myth, nobody really knows (not even units) and we will all receive just the final offer from the TO.

I think it really depends on the interviewer and the unit. I had interviews and followed each one up with an email thanking them for their time (as you’d usually do with an interview) and I got a response a few days later confirming I was the first choice for their unit, but that I shouldn’t make any firm plans until I get the confirmation offer from the TO in January

Doris1964 wrote:

I think it really depends on the interviewer and the unit. I had interviews and followed each one up with an email thanking them for their  time (as you’d usually do with an interview) and I got a response a few days later confirming I was the first choice for their unit, but that I shouldn’t make any firm plans until I get the confirmation offer from the TO in January

I had a similar experience - which DG was this for? Seems like EEAS is keen to sort things out at the last minute.