EC Traineeship March 2018

Andrea12 wrote:Hey everyone,

So I received a total of 3 calls from units in different DGs telling me they want to/will reserve me. How is the final decision made then? The problem is that 2 units that called me weren't in my preferences back in August and I am more interested in those units than the one that is in my preference. They suggested me to send an e-mail how my preferences have changed and they would forward it... But I still think they will assign me to the unit I put in my preferences (they were also the first ones who called me so of course I said I was interested). Is there a way I can change my preferences, somebody to contact regarding that?

Andrea,

There is a way! Traineeships office can actually change your application. If you have been 'reserved' by a DG which wasn't in your initial preferences but which you prefer now, you can ask the Traineeships office to change your preferences!

Those preferences are very important! Any DG that wants to select you but is not in your preference list, does not have a chance of getting you, unless they are the only ones that selected you. I.e.your preferred DGs have a priority in selecting you. So if your preferences have changed and you know a DG really wants to select you, I suggest calling/emailing them saying you would like to change the preference so that they have the first hand in selecting you.

I hope it works out for you!
Best of luck!

Hi guys,

Maybe this will help --

DGs which have selected their trainees had to reserve them in the Blue Book (I suppose the process is ongoing). By the mid-January there is an internal process in DG HR. They will allocate the selected trainees within DGs. DG which was your FIRST priority in your application, has the first hand in getting you.
There might be a 'dispute' over some trainees, and allocating according to the priority list is their way of resolving it.

Also, from my experience from previous years - this is not the end. After the internal allocation process, there might be DGs which still require trainees. People change their minds, DGs do not get trainees they reserved etc. So there is a chance you get contacted in January still.

Hope this helps. Good luck everyone and enjoy the holidays!

Hi everyone and congrats to those who have been called.
Do you know when is the exact date when we will receive final offer/rejection? I read in this forum that it is sometimes near mid-January but is there a specific date?

Thanks

clmclara wrote:Hi everyone and congrats to those who have been called.
Do you know when is the exact date when we will receive final offer/rejection? I read in this forum that it is sometimes near mid-January but is there a specific date?

Thanks

Specific date is not given. But it was only in the last week of January last year.

I think we should receive the offer as from the 23rd. As far as I know, now the internal process is in the negotiation phase (there are still DGs who have not selected their candidates yet and they may want applicants who have already been reserved by other DGs). Once this stage reaches the internal deadline (which I have been told is mid-Jan), the TO will do a last check to be sure there is no overlap (reserved candidates will receive the "you have been selected" type of email, and in case they have received more than one offer they will have to make up their mind and express which DG they choose). Eventually, the TO will proceed to send the formal placements containing the tasks and conditions of the traineeship (end of January/beginning of Febr). If the candidate is their second/third choice, then she/he will hear from them at a later stage.

What I don`t know is whether we have to provide any other kind of documents along with the acceptance. It would be nice to know beforehand whether we need to prepare something. Does anybody have info about this?

Also, I think we should create a Facebook group

hey guys, did anyone apply for the taxud dg internship? I was already preselected and now I am waiting for the offer but tbh I am getting a bit impatient. did any of u receive a call or anything?

Heyyy guys! Does anyone have the email address for the 'Traineeships office'??

I need to contact them, but I can't seem to find any contact info for them!

Look forward to seeing you all in March!

Hello everyone,

I was wondering whether the procedure for non-EU applicants is the same (meaning the interview part)?
Has anyone been contacted so far?

Hanna Montana wrote:Hello everyone,

I was wondering whether the procedure for non-EU applicants is the same (meaning the interview part)?
Has anyone been contacted so far?

I‘m a non-EU candidate and I received a call before Christmas. She asked me to send the email to confirm my interest in joining them. Also she told me the recruitment procedure for non-EUs takes longer than the EU ones and we also need to go get something like a health check. That's what I know so far. Facebook group is a great idea. Anyone started?

[quote="jesss139"]

Hanna Montana wrote:Hello everyone,

 Facebook group is a great idea. Anyone started?

I think is the Trainees Committee who opens the official FB group

Hey folks - did anybody hear from any DGs/Units this past week? Not sure whether they were still on holiday. Also, has anybody tried getting in touch with the Trainees Office to find out whether you've been booked (since apparently some units can book you without letting you know)? Thanks!

deepblue91 wrote:Hey folks - did anybody hear from any DGs/Units this past week? Not sure whether they were still on holiday. Also, has anybody tried getting in touch with the Trainees Office to find out whether you've been booked (since apparently some units can book you without letting you know)? Thanks!

Hi!
I applied for the translation unit for March 2018 and in my message it said that there was no need to contact the DG at that stage so I did not get in touch with them and I am not planning to do so until further notice, I'm not sure what the best practice would be though, to be honest.

I have been reading through some comments on here and I see some people have been called on the phone and so on. This is the first time me applying and I'm not sure what I should be expecting from now on, the last email I got was in mid-December and it said that my application was included in the Blue Book, but other than that still nothing.
Anyone can maybe shed some light on what to expect?
Good luck to you all!
Carlotta

DG Translation might be a little different, but for all other DGs there is an unofficial tradition of "lobbying" - aka, as soon as you get that email in mid-December letting you know that your application has been included in the Blue Book, you start contacting the DGs/units of your preference. Some units may contact you without any prior lobbying, but with so many applicants in the Blue Book, there's a good chance you won't even get noticed by the units you want if you don't put your name out there.

Right now might be too late to start lobbying, but since not all units have chosen their trainee yet, you may try. Again, however, DG Translation sometimes works a bit differently from the rest, so everything I said may not entirely apply. You might want to check the thread specifically for DG Translation.

Hello,

First time poster here. Just wanted to ask you guys a few questions, maybe someone has previous experience/friends/family who have done this before and could help. I was applying for the first time, so wasn't all that up to date on the whole lobbying part. Then I found out that people pre-write letters with extra details that dont have room on the original application and send them off as soon as they get their preselection confirmation. To be honest I find this practice unfair and unsavory, given that there is no indication that this should have been the norm when you look at the way the traineeship is marketed on the home page, it destroys the whole point of standardised application forms to eliminate bias and gives unfair advantage to people who happen to be able to send their stuff first. But that's just my two cents on the matter. Bottom line is, that I didnt lobby or get contacted by any units sequentially, what is the realistic chance of getting selected at this point? My preferences were COMM, EPSC, EEAS, but would be willing to do any offer at this point.

Happy waiting, and thanks in advance!

deepblue91 wrote:Hey folks - did anybody hear from any DGs/Units this past week? Not sure whether they were still on holiday. Also, has anybody tried getting in touch with the Trainees Office to find out whether you've been booked (since apparently some units can book you without letting you know)? Thanks!

Hey, I got contacted by EDA this past week wanting me to confirm an informal agreement for the traineeship; though technically they aren't part of the Commission, but of the Council. Anyway, they were not on holiday anymore. I remember I read somewhere that the Commission was closed till the 3th, but I think  most will come back this week. I've sent 2 lobby mails to ENV at the beginning of the week and got an out-of-office reply till the 8th.

Hi all!

Congrats to those who've been selected!

A question, when you heard you got selected by a DG/Unit, are you already looking for housing or still waiting for the official email from the Traineeship Office stating that you've been selected for DG X? What I've heard this email will come around the 23th.

Heyyy!

Does anyone have the email address of the Traineeship Office??

I can't seem to find it anywhere!

ireland93 wrote:Heyyy!

Does anyone have the email address of the Traineeship Office??

I can't seem to find it anywhere!

eac-stages@ec.europa.eu

EuroIntern wrote:Hello,

First time poster here. Just wanted to ask you guys a few questions, maybe someone has previous experience/friends/family who have done this before and could help. I was applying for the first time, so wasn't all that up to date on the whole lobbying part. Then I found out that people pre-write letters with extra details that dont have room on the original application and send them off as soon as they get their preselection confirmation. To be honest I find this practice unfair and unsavory, given that there is no indication that this should have been the norm when you look at the way the traineeship is marketed on the home page, it destroys the whole point of standardised application forms to eliminate bias and gives unfair advantage to people who happen to be able to send their stuff first. But that's just my two cents on the matter. Bottom line is, that I didnt lobby or get contacted by any units sequentially, what is the realistic chance of getting selected at this point? My preferences were COMM, EPSC, EEAS, but would be willing to do any offer at this point.

Happy waiting, and thanks in advance!

Hey! I sent some emails today, to EEAS and EPSC units, I had sent some around the 19th of December, but received no answer, so I sent a second one. I read a few comments above that EEAS's deadline for lobbying was December 14th, (no comment, considering the whole lobbying thing isn't even official). One of the people from EEAS I contacted just answered saying they had already chosen a trainee, so I think for EEAS it might be over...

For EPSC however, they answered saying they redirected my email to the unit in charge of trainees, so it might still be useful to contact them.

I hope it helps, good luck.

MiguelB wrote:Hi all!

Congrats to those who've been selected!

A question, when you heard you got selected by a DG/Unit, are you already looking for housing or still waiting for the official email from the Traineeship Office stating that you've been selected for DG X? What I've heard this email will come around the 23th.

Hi Miguel,

Have you received an official offer? Has anyone else?

I'm getting impatient as I have offers from other jobs coming in!

Hi everyone,

The traineeships office has confirmed with me that official offers will be sent out the week of 22 January.

Good luck!

yogiyo wrote:

MiguelB wrote:Hi all!

Congrats to those who've been selected!

A question, when you heard you got selected by a DG/Unit, are you already looking for housing or still waiting for the official email from the Traineeship Office stating that you've been selected for DG X? What I've heard this email will come around the 23th.

Hi Miguel,

Have you received an official offer? Has anyone else?

I'm getting impatient as I have offers from other jobs coming in!

Hi Yogiyo,

Yeah sort of. Last week I received an email where I was asked to confirm the informal agreement so that they could inform the Traineeship Office. Though they also stated that "only the Traineeship Office Unit is entitled to validate the final selection, to inform candidates on the selection results and eventually to send placement offers."

WeReAllInThisTogether wrote:

EuroIntern wrote:Hello,

First time poster here. Just wanted to ask you guys a few questions, maybe someone has previous experience/friends/family who have done this before and could help. I was applying for the first time, so wasn't all that up to date on the whole lobbying part. Then I found out that people pre-write letters with extra details that dont have room on the original application and send them off as soon as they get their preselection confirmation. To be honest I find this practice unfair and unsavory, given that there is no indication that this should have been the norm when you look at the way the traineeship is marketed on the home page, it destroys the whole point of standardised application forms to eliminate bias and gives unfair advantage to people who happen to be able to send their stuff first. But that's just my two cents on the matter. Bottom line is, that I didnt lobby or get contacted by any units sequentially, what is the realistic chance of getting selected at this point? My preferences were COMM, EPSC, EEAS, but would be willing to do any offer at this point.

Happy waiting, and thanks in advance!

Hey! I sent some emails today, to EEAS and EPSC units, I had sent some around the 19th of December, but received no answer, so I sent a second one. I read a few comments above that EEAS's deadline for lobbying was December 14th, (no comment, considering the whole lobbying thing isn't even official). One of the people from EEAS I contacted just answered saying they had already chosen a trainee, so I think for EEAS it might be over...

For EPSC however, they answered saying they redirected my email to the unit in charge of trainees, so it might still be useful to contact them.

I hope it helps, good luck.

Hi, to whom at EPSC did you sent the email and to whom did they redirected your email? EPSC is also one of my preferred DGs and I sent them an email around the 13 or 14th of December but I never received a reply.

MiguelB wrote:Hi all!

Congrats to those who've been selected!

A question, when you heard you got selected by a DG/Unit, are you already looking for housing or still waiting for the official email from the Traineeship Office stating that you've been selected for DG X? What I've heard this email will come around the 23th.

No I'm not looking for housing as of yet. Maybe I should? Probably will look around but start working on it only once I get the official offer.

Don't want to spend time on something I'm not completely sure about as I have other priorities at this point

Does anybody know how difficult is it to find an apartment/room in Brux?

lili wrote:

MiguelB wrote:Hi all!

Congrats to those who've been selected!

A question, when you heard you got selected by a DG/Unit, are you already looking for housing or still waiting for the official email from the Traineeship Office stating that you've been selected for DG X? What I've heard this email will come around the 23th.

No I'm not looking for housing as of yet. Maybe I should? Probably will look around but start working on it only once I get the official offer.

Don't want to spend time on something I'm not completely sure about as I have other priorities at this point  

Does anybody know how difficult is it to find an apartment/room in Brux?

I've been looking for a couple a weeks as I've already been selected by the CoR, though I'm still awaiting potential offers from the BB. I suppose how "difficult" it is depends on what your budget is and what your priorities are. For the most part, I've found supply to be decent. The one problem I've run into a few times is people wanting someone to commit to a period of at least a year, which can obviously be a problem for those of us coming for a 5-month traineeship.

[quote="lili"]

Andrea12 wrote:

There is a way! Traineeships office can actually change your application. If you have been 'reserved' by a DG which wasn't in your initial preferences but which you prefer now, you can ask the Traineeships office to change your preferences!

Those preferences are very important! Any DG that wants to select you but is not in your preference list, does not have a chance of getting you, unless they are the only ones that selected you. I.e.your preferred DGs have a priority in selecting you. So if your preferences have changed and you know a DG really wants to select you, I suggest calling/emailing them saying you would like to change the preference so that they have the first hand in selecting you.

I hope it works out for you!
Best of luck!

Heyyy! I emailed the traineeship office asking to change my preferences and I was told quite bluntly (they were a bit rude tbh) that this was not possible and that if I get selected by a preferred DG I could either take it or leave it

Anyone else had any luck with this? I already have an offer I want and have accepted...i'm worried some unit which has made zero contact with me, that I previously listed as a preferred DG, could swoop in and disrupt my current offer

MiguelB wrote:

Hi Yogiyo,

Yeah sort of. Last week I received an email where I was asked to confirm the informal agreement so that they could inform the Traineeship Office. Though they also stated that "only the Traineeship Office Unit is entitled to validate the final selection, to inform candidates on the selection results and eventually to send placement offers."

Ah okay, thank you and congratulations!! I've have a couple of DGs say they would like me, but they said that they would put me in their top three, not that they choose me.

ireland93 wrote:

lili wrote:

Andrea12 wrote:

There is a way! Traineeships office can actually change your application. If you have been 'reserved' by a DG which wasn't in your initial preferences but which you prefer now, you can ask the Traineeships office to change your preferences!

Those preferences are very important! Any DG that wants to select you but is not in your preference list, does not have a chance of getting you, unless they are the only ones that selected you. I.e.your preferred DGs have a priority in selecting you. So if your preferences have changed and you know a DG really wants to select you, I suggest calling/emailing them saying you would like to change the preference so that they have the first hand in selecting you.

I hope it works out for you!
Best of luck!

Heyyy! I emailed the traineeship office asking to change my preferences and I was told quite bluntly (they were a bit rude tbh) that this was not possible and that if I get selected by a preferred DG I could either take it or leave it

Anyone else had any luck with this? I already have an offer I want and have accepted...i'm worried some unit which has made zero contact with me, that I previously listed as a preferred DG, could swoop in and disrupt my current offer

Oh wow! Sorry for giving the wrong advice! And thanks for sharing your experience with us!

I know a person from couple of years ago who succeeded in changing the preferences. Things might have changed now!

Anyways, I hope everything works out well for you!xx

I just received an offer !!!!!!! cannot believe!!! OMG !! So happy
Jumping like a crazy one
Good luck for everyone !!

Ale__Ma did you receive a formal/official offer?

I thought they are sending out official offers on January 23rd.

In any case congratulations!