March 2020 Traineeship

ncks123 wrote:Hey, thanks for the advice. I would very much appreciate if you tell me what would it be better to include in the e-mail? Should it be short and on the topic, or with a bigger text about my motivation?

I just sent a short cover letter actually, background, motivation for the unit, 3 short paragraphs, and attached my resume. Also mention your Blue book candidate number.

Hello,

I have seen that a couple of people in here have applied for the EP and so am i.

I had an interview last week from DG COMM. Has anybody else any more news on this procedure? Around when should we wait for the response?

nn123 wrote:

okaps 12 wrote:A bit off topic - did anyone here by chance apply for a traineeship in the European Parliament for the next session and do you know if there is a forum for that as well because i cannot find one?

I applied for the EP. I think they might send offers in the beginning of January but I'm not sure. I know even less about how the EP's selection process works...

I received a call from the EP last friday, asking me if I was still available for the position. Usually they contact their 2/3 favourite candidates before the pre-selection process ends. Sometimes they don't. But it will take some time, do not expect any official news before 1st of january!

Thank you for the info!

I just created a new topic for that    https://ec-traineeship.forumotion.com/t1111-march-2020-schuman-traineeship-at-the-ep

Amandinala wrote:

nn123 wrote:

okaps 12 wrote:A bit off topic - did anyone here by chance apply for a traineeship in the European Parliament for the next session and do you know if there is a forum for that as well because i cannot find one?

I applied for the EP. I think they might send offers in the beginning of January but I'm not sure. I know even less about how the EP's selection process works...

I received a call from the EP last friday, asking me if I was still available for the position. Usually they contact their 2/3 favourite candidates before the pre-selection process ends. Sometimes they don't. But it will take some time, do not expect any official news before 1st of january!

Good afternoon ! Has anyone heard from the EEAS yet?

MLR wrote:Good afternoon ! Has anyone heard from the EEAS yet?

No... I am a bit worried as there have been some issues with my details and I mentioned that when lobbying/to HR... But not getting any answers, neither ECHO, DEVCO nor EEAS, and I do not even know whether it is because I have not been chosen or because they tried to contact the wrong number

I know some have been approached by DEVCO, was it from the units you lobbied or randomly?

mariamari wrote:

MLR wrote:Good afternoon ! Has anyone heard from the EEAS yet?

I know some have been approached by DEVCO, was it from the units you lobbied or randomly?

Randomly - the units I lobbied for ignored my emails.

mariamari wrote:

MLR wrote:Good afternoon ! Has anyone heard from the EEAS yet?

No... I am a bit worried as there have been some issues with my details and I mentioned that when lobbying/to HR... But not getting any answers, neither ECHO, DEVCO nor EEAS, and I do not even know whether it is because I have not been chosen or because they tried to contact the wrong number  

I know some have been approached by DEVCO, was it from the units you lobbied or randomly?

Hey! Have you changed your phone number since you did the application? It happened to me last session, I contacted the TO to let them know and gave them the new one!!

Hi! I applied for a traineeship in the DG Translation and I lobbied two Units but I haven't been contacted yet. Anyone else in my same situation? Do you think there is still hope? I can't seem to find much information about Translation traineeships

anlag wrote:I just created a new topic for that    https://ec-traineeship.forumotion.com/t1111-march-2020-schuman-traineeship-at-the-ep

Amandinala wrote:

nn123 wrote:

okaps 12 wrote:A bit off topic - did anyone here by chance apply for a traineeship in the European Parliament for the next session and do you know if there is a forum for that as well because i cannot find one?

I applied for the EP. I think they might send offers in the beginning of January but I'm not sure. I know even less about how the EP's selection process works...

I received a call from the EP last friday, asking me if I was still available for the position. Usually they contact their 2/3 favourite candidates before the pre-selection process ends. Sometimes they don't. But it will take some time, do not expect any official news before 1st of january!

Wow, already?!?!
Well, i am not expecting much to be honest because it is way harder to get position there than in the EC. They take only 100 applicants all together.

So, Monday did not bring me any new calls nor replies. I guess thats it, who wanted to contact me has already done that. Now i just need to wait for the results and hope for the best...

MLR wrote:Good afternoon ! Has anyone heard from the EEAS yet?

Hi! So, I heard from them, only to tell me that they already have someone for that unit
Which, btw, is one unit that does not appear in the organisational chart neither in the "Who is who" page, I found it randomly on Linkedin a few days after the process started. Find this whole process very weird.

Does this mean they have chosen candidates without reaching out/interviews?

Hey guys! Has anybody been contacted by the EC's Secretariat this morning to check your interest in working for G.1 Unit?

I got a call from an EACEA unit, I asked the guy about the timing and he said "I think the T.O will call you in the next weeks" wtf??

I tell you guys, I hate this process lol

anlag wrote:I got a call from an EACEA unit, I asked the guy about the timing and he said "I think the T.O will call you in the next weeks" wtf??

I tell you guys, I hate this process lol

You and me both. I've received a bunch of calls and many have asked whether or not I'm still available and interested. I was firmly under the impression that we're all available until we confirm or decline an offer (which supposedly aren't sent out until January) and that we don't have much say in how it all turns out in the end. So I've been totally unprepared to answer questions regarding my preferences. This may be different for many of you but I'm in communications and there are communications units all across the Commission so I could end up literally anywhere. Worst of all, what I've gathered from the phone calls and emails seem to some extent be conflicting to the official information. It's driving me nuts and it makes answering questions really hard since at least one interviewer seemed to assumed that I knew things that aren't officially communicated to us.

At least I'm not the only one. Could you share with us what is exactly "conflicting the official info" according to you?

even wrote:

anlag wrote:I got a call from an EACEA unit, I asked the guy about the timing and he said "I think the T.O will call you in the next weeks" wtf??

I tell you guys, I hate this process lol

You and me both. I've received a bunch of calls and many have asked whether or not I'm still available and interested. I was firmly under the impression that we're all available until we confirm or decline an offer (which supposedly aren't sent out until January) and that we don't have much say in how it all turns out in the end. So I've been totally unprepared to answer questions regarding my preferences. This may be different for many of you but I'm in communications and there are communications units all across the Commission so I could end up literally anywhere. Worst of all, what I've gathered from the phone calls and emails seem to some extent be conflicting to the official information. It's driving me nuts and it makes answering questions really hard since at least one interviewer seemed to assumed that I knew things that aren't officially communicated to us.

anlag wrote:At least I'm not the only one. Could you share with us what is exactly "conflicting the official info" according to you?

even wrote:

anlag wrote:I got a call from an EACEA unit, I asked the guy about the timing and he said "I think the T.O will call you in the next weeks" wtf??

I tell you guys, I hate this process lol

You and me both. I've received a bunch of calls and many have asked whether or not I'm still available and interested. I was firmly under the impression that we're all available until we confirm or decline an offer (which supposedly aren't sent out until January) and that we don't have much say in how it all turns out in the end. So I've been totally unprepared to answer questions regarding my preferences. This may be different for many of you but I'm in communications and there are communications units all across the Commission so I could end up literally anywhere. Worst of all, what I've gathered from the phone calls and emails seem to some extent be conflicting to the official information. It's driving me nuts and it makes answering questions really hard since at least one interviewer seemed to assumed that I knew things that aren't officially communicated to us.

Sure, the phone calls have made me doubt how the selection procedure actually progresses, when we're informed, and whether or not we have a choice as to what position we may be offered. As early as last Tuesday, I was asked if I was still available (how could I not be, if the Blue Book JUST opened and nothing will be locked down until the official offers are sent out) and repeatedly now I've been asked if I'm interested and what position I'm most interested in of all those who've contacted me - implying I could affect where I end up. Also reading about people's past experiences of the application procedure has caused me some concern.

This process is driving me crazy too. I received a phone call from a DG which is not part of my top choices, and they told me that since they don't have priority to pick up interns who didn't choose their DG within their three preferences, they'll call me back on the 18th (supposingly the date that marks the end of the DG's priority). The reason of the phone call was to present me their unit and to show their interest in hiring me if "I don't accept any offer until the 18th"(verbatim). As Even, I'm wondering: "How could I even accept an offer if the TO has the final word on that ?"

mariamari wrote:

MLR wrote:Good afternoon ! Has anyone heard from the EEAS yet?

Hi! So, I heard from them, only to tell me that they already have someone for that unit
Which, btw, is one unit that does not appear in the organisational chart neither in the "Who is who" page, I found it randomly on Linkedin a few days after the process started. Find this whole process very weird.

Does this mean they have chosen candidates without reaching out/interviews?

Sorry to hear! About your question...You'd think they'd ask if you're interested before choosing you, right? Or can it be that they just randomly send the offer by the end of January without have the certainty that you'll accept? The whole process is unclear and then I guess every unit has a different way of selecting candidates...

To you all, hang on in there

Hi guys,

I haven't been contacted by anybody so far and I am starting to lose hope... Anyone in my same situation?

veedeevee wrote:Hi guys,

I haven't been contacted by anybody so far and I am starting to lose hope... Anyone in my same situation?

It all depends on your preferences. Some DGs apparently don't respond to lobbying emails (EEAS, ECHO, but I'm sure there are more). So don't lose hope!

The Communication unit from DG Trade called me to ask me if I'm interested in working with them. At the end, I asked the caller (very nice btw!) if we'd have any possibilities to choose the unit we'd like to work for if we've got a few offers from different DGs, and he said no, the TO chooses for us. :'(

But so this means we will only get 1 offer in the end? Even though we received several phone calls and they shortlisted us?

anamaria1 wrote:But so this means we will only get 1 offer in the end? Even though we received several phone calls and they shortlisted us?

Yes, that's what he told me.

Besides that, I checked my Linkedin account and saw that someone from DG ECHO had looked at my profile 5 days ago. That person doesn't work in Brussels and I didn't really sign up for living outside of Belgium during the traineeship... I don't understand why we cannot choose an offer...

That's weird. So they need to coordinate between themselves to really only give 1 offer to a candidate even though more are interested in them.

anamaria1 wrote:That's weird. So they need to coordinate between themselves to really only give 1 offer to a candidate even though more are interested in them.

They don't coordinate, each unit makes a shortlist of 3 to 5 candidates, and at the end, the TO picks the offer according to the candidate's DG choices.
For instance, I have EEAS as my first choice, if they pick me for one of their units, then I will end up there even if my third (and preferred) choice has also shortlisted me as their first trainee.
I didn't know these preferences would impact the selection process so yeah... As long as you chose your DG preferences well, then you're fine.

I see. So far I ve been contacted by the DG that was my 2nd choice and by someone else who i did not list in the top 3. To both I said I am interested, meaning if both shortlist me I will get my 2nd choice as they are the ones I listed. Am I correct?

But before me, all the people who picked my 2nd choice as their first one, has priority if shortlisted by that DG? And I might stay with nothing in the end.

anamaria1 wrote:I see. So far I ve been contacted by the DG that was my 2nd choice and by someone else who i did not list in the top 3. To both I said I am interested, meaning if both shortlist me I will get my 2nd choice as they are the ones I listed. Am I correct?

But before me, all the people who picked my 2nd choice as their first one, has priority if shortlisted by that DG? And I might stay with nothing in the end.

Those candidates will have priority over you if the units in your 2nd choice DG have shortlisted them as their top choice... (the unit's shortlist is also based on a preference scheme)

But if you've lobbied your first choice and they have picked you as their preferred candidate, then you will definitely get that position.

Since I wasn't aware of all this, I started lobbying DGs I'm currently really interested in. Those DGs contacted me back by encouraging me to instead lobby my first choice so as to make sure I get a traineeship.
I also know someone working at DG COMP and they told me that most DGs rarely shortlist candidates who do not have the DG as their first choice or at least second...

But some units take more trainees too. I asked and they confirmed. In this case we have more chances.