October 2019 Traineeship

radar934 wrote:

djleons wrote:I've just heard from a unit that falls within the DG of my second preference. They had requested me as their trainee but heard from TO that I have already accepted an offer elsewhere. Since  I have not done that, I suspect that a unit from the DG of my first preference identified me first so I was immediately assigned to them.

Tl;dr, is it somehow possible to make the first unit (which I don't know who they are) let me go, so that the second unit (which I would want the most) can still take me in? I have the head of my preferred unit on my side, but I am not sure if that's enough against the all mighty TO...

Any similar experience shared will be much appreciated!

I haven’t been in your situation before but I assume that you could contact the traineeship office to let them know that you’ve had a change of heart in terms of your preferences. I remember reading somewhere that the wish of the applicant is a huge factor when the traineeship office decides where you’ll end up so it might be worth a shot to explain the whole situation to the traineeship office. Good luck!

So an update on this is that TO have been extremely swift in replying that I cannot change my preference, if anyone's in the same situation, this might help (by saving your time contacting them...).

djleons wrote:

radar934 wrote:

djleons wrote:I've just heard from a unit that falls within the DG of my second preference. They had requested me as their trainee but heard from TO that I have already accepted an offer elsewhere. Since  I have not done that, I suspect that a unit from the DG of my first preference identified me first so I was immediately assigned to them.

Tl;dr, is it somehow possible to make the first unit (which I don't know who they are) let me go, so that the second unit (which I would want the most) can still take me in? I have the head of my preferred unit on my side, but I am not sure if that's enough against the all mighty TO...

Any similar experience shared will be much appreciated!

I haven’t been in your situation before but I assume that you could contact the traineeship office to let them know that you’ve had a change of heart in terms of your preferences. I remember reading somewhere that the wish of the applicant is a huge factor when the traineeship office decides where you’ll end up so it might be worth a shot to explain the whole situation to the traineeship office. Good luck!

So an update on this is that TO have been extremely swift in replying that I cannot change my preference, if anyone's in the same situation, this might help (by saving your time contacting them...).

Thank you for the information. It is good to know. I actually changed my mind as I don't find the tasks of the traineeship offered by my first preference interesting. However they promised to select me as a their 1st candidate, while my second preference (where my heart now goes) only confirmed I am shortlisted...Nevertheless, I get the feeling we can never rely on what we are told on the phone, or through emails, and take nothing for granted as the selection by the HRs of the Units is a totally independent process, thus the final selection by the HR may not comply with the lists submitted by the Units.

john90 wrote:Hello to all!

I have been following the conversations on the selection procedure and I must say that it's either too complicated or everybody is misinformed. A lady from the agency of my first choice just told me on the phone (oh yes they still conduct interviews!)  that if she shortlists me I will be automatically removed from the lists of the other DGs that have already shortlisted me.  Therefore I am not sure we are that free to choose where we want to go, especially if we change our minds.  If it's more units within the same DG then probably the TO considers our choices, but if it's between our first and second choices I believe the decision is automatic.

Does anyone have a better idea on that? I actually want to go to my second choice but I'm afraid of taking the risk to reject my first one since they want me

I think I understand where your confusion is. I do not believe that being shortlisted by one DG automatically removes you from the lists of other DGs who have shortlisted you. I think what the lady you spoke to meant was that as her DG is your first preference, if she lists you on HER shortlist as first preference, the TO will defer to her DG since it was your first choice. This means that when the TO is endeavoring to make offers, they would make you an offer for your first preference DG. If a lower ranked DG has also listed you first, they will not make you two offers- you will be bumped and the offer for your lower ranked DG will go to the next trainee in line.

I think it is like this, for example:

Your first preference DG: 1. You , 2. Trainee X, 3. Trainee Y
Your Second Preference DG: 1. You, 2. Trainee A, 3. Trainee B

In this situation, the TO would make you an offer for your first preference DG since it automatically takes priority per the TO rules. This would bump you from your second preference DG's list. The offer for your second preference DG would therefore go to Trainee A.

Alternatively:
Your first preference DG: 1. You, 2. Trainee X, 3. Trainee Y
Your second preference DG: 1. Trainee A, 2. You, 3. Trainee B

Here, the TO would make you the offer for your first preference DG since it automatically takes priority per the TO rules. You are then effectively removed from the list of your second preference DG because were Trainee A to decline their offer for one reason or another, your first preference DG takes priority, so you would not receive the offer (as you already have one) and Trainee B would get the offer for your second preference DG.

So I think what the lady you spoke to was doing was making you aware that as she is from your first preference DG, if she lists you first, when the TO reviews, your offer will be for her DG and you won't be available for offers from your second preference DG if you are receiving one from your first.

As per the TO policies, your first ranked preference automatically takes priority. And as I understand it, the TO does not make multiple offers to a person- they will perhaps contact you if multiple units from the same DG have selected you first, but otherwise the point of us ranking the DGs in our applications is so that the TO can organize and match one trainee to one unit. So you were right in a sense- you don't really get to choose where you go if it is between two DGs. It is only if multiple units within the same DG are interested that you are supposed to be asked.

Guys, does anyone know is it better to apply for a DG in general or some specific Unit within in? For example, as my first choice, I put EEAS as a whole and 2nd and 3rd choice were specific units in other DGs that in the meantime informed me they will not be accepting any trainees. Meaning, my only hope is EEAS but i did not get any info from them...

Hey, I am a non-EU participant, I have lobbied and have not been contacted by anyone. Also, My first preference does not receive any interns for this term. Does anybody share the same experience? Are we hopeless? I do not know what to think...

Hi all. I received an email from my interviewer, saying that I was booked for the October traineeship session, and the DG responsible for my recruitment will send an official letter as of 25 of June.
So this probably means that the TO will send offers on this date. But it can be different, the process seems to be different and not very clear for each DG.
I did not lobby, and was contacted by 2 DG, one by phone and the other by email(my 3rd choice)  I accepted the first one although it was not one my preferences but the project was related to my field(software development) so I accepted it and I was supposedly "booked". I didn´t receive more emails or phone calls from this point, so I don´t know if I am removed from the blue book list after being booked by one DG, I was asked to send an email confirming my interest after that phone interview.

One of my friends who told me about the blue book program received 2 emails from two DG´s last year and then an official offer from the TO from a different DG, so even if you're not contacted there is still a good chance of selected.

Is anyone familiar if we all will receive the final decision around 25th, no matter if we are accepted or not?

okaps 12 wrote:Is anyone familiar if we all will receive the final decision around 25th, no matter if we are accepted or not?

We are only contacted for an offer. If you are not selected, then you will not be contacted. However, the TO is STARTING to send offers on the 25th, it doesn't mean that they are only sending them on this particular date. It's still perfectly possible to receive an offer later on because they might send the emails in badges or send offers to the second choices of the units because their first choice has declined or decided not to do the Traineeship at all.

YaPe wrote:

okaps 12 wrote:Is anyone familiar if we all will receive the final decision around 25th, no matter if we are accepted or not?

We are only contacted for an offer. If you are not selected, then you will not be contacted. However, the TO is STARTING to send offers on the 25th, it doesn't mean that they are only sending them on this particular date. It's still perfectly possible to receive an offer later on because they might send the emails in badges or send offers to the second choices of the units because their first choice has declined or decided not to do the Traineeship at all.

Hmm my friend who did a traineeship in the Commission told me you are contacted both if you are successful and if you are unsuccessful. I think you will be contacted saying you are unsuccessful if you have not been reserved or put on the shortlist for any unit at all.

cmarie28 wrote:

YaPe wrote:

okaps 12 wrote:Is anyone familiar if we all will receive the final decision around 25th, no matter if we are accepted or not?

We are only contacted for an offer. If you are not selected, then you will not be contacted. However, the TO is STARTING to send offers on the 25th, it doesn't mean that they are only sending them on this particular date. It's still perfectly possible to receive an offer later on because they might send the emails in badges or send offers to the second choices of the units because their first choice has declined or decided not to do the Traineeship at all.

Hmm my friend who did a traineeship in the Commission told me you are contacted both if you are successful and if you are unsuccessful. I think you will be contacted saying you are unsuccessful if you have not been reserved or put on the shortlist for any unit at all.

That's not correct. I obviously can't speak for previous selection periods but I received multiple emails from different DGs and units within the DGs which almost always stated that I will only be contacted if selected and if I don't receive an email by the end of July it means that I didn't make it in this round. The same is also indicated either somewhere in the FAQs of the official EC website or some other EU website.

One of the replies I received:
"If you pass the final selection stage, the Traineeships Office will send you a contract for a traineeship either with DG XY or with another Directorate General. If, however, you have not received any answer by mid-July 2019, for the traineeship beginning in October 2019, you may consider that your application has not been successful."

YaPe wrote:

cmarie28 wrote:

YaPe wrote:

okaps 12 wrote:Is anyone familiar if we all will receive the final decision around 25th, no matter if we are accepted or not?

We are only contacted for an offer. If you are not selected, then you will not be contacted. However, the TO is STARTING to send offers on the 25th, it doesn't mean that they are only sending them on this particular date. It's still perfectly possible to receive an offer later on because they might send the emails in badges or send offers to the second choices of the units because their first choice has declined or decided not to do the Traineeship at all.

Hmm my friend who did a traineeship in the Commission told me you are contacted both if you are successful and if you are unsuccessful. I think you will be contacted saying you are unsuccessful if you have not been reserved or put on the shortlist for any unit at all.

That's not correct. I obviously can't speak for previous selection periods but I received multiple emails from different DGs and units within the DGs which almost always stated that I will only be contacted if selected and if I don't receive an email by the end of July it means that I didn't make it in this round. The same is also indicated either somewhere in the FAQs of the official EC website or some other EU website.

One of the replies I received:
"If you pass the final selection stage, the Traineeships Office will send you a contract for a traineeship either with DG XY or with another Directorate General. If, however, you have not received any answer by mid-July 2019, for the traineeship beginning in October 2019, you may consider that your application has not been successful."

Oh interesting- I hadn't heard that. Of course I can only know what my one friend experienced, but I also received an email from a unit directly letting me know my application with them had not been successful. So maybe some DGs let you know and others don't? Who knows... the only think that is certain about this process is that NOTHING is certain

cmarie28 wrote:

YaPe wrote:

cmarie28 wrote:

YaPe wrote:

okaps 12 wrote:Is anyone familiar if we all will receive the final decision around 25th, no matter if we are accepted or not?

We are only contacted for an offer. If you are not selected, then you will not be contacted. However, the TO is STARTING to send offers on the 25th, it doesn't mean that they are only sending them on this particular date. It's still perfectly possible to receive an offer later on because they might send the emails in badges or send offers to the second choices of the units because their first choice has declined or decided not to do the Traineeship at all.

Hmm my friend who did a traineeship in the Commission told me you are contacted both if you are successful and if you are unsuccessful. I think you will be contacted saying you are unsuccessful if you have not been reserved or put on the shortlist for any unit at all.

That's not correct. I obviously can't speak for previous selection periods but I received multiple emails from different DGs and units within the DGs which almost always stated that I will only be contacted if selected and if I don't receive an email by the end of July it means that I didn't make it in this round. The same is also indicated either somewhere in the FAQs of the official EC website or some other EU website.

One of the replies I received:
"If you pass the final selection stage, the Traineeships Office will send you a contract for a traineeship either with DG XY or with another Directorate General. If, however, you have not received any answer by mid-July 2019, for the traineeship beginning in October 2019, you may consider that your application has not been successful."

Oh interesting- I hadn't heard that. Of course I can only know what my one friend experienced, but I also received an email from a unit directly letting me know my application with them had not been successful. So maybe some DGs let you know and others don't?  Who knows... the only think that is certain about this process is that NOTHING is certain

Yes, that's of course possible! Sometimes the units tell you directly that they won't consider you for their Trainee position. But I was mainly referring to the process of the Traineeship Office. After all, they are the only ones who can give you any official, reliable information regarding your application. And they will not notify you in case you didn't get selected.

There is something that really puzzles me about the offers they send out. Let's say you are the 2nd choice for a unit in your preferred DG and the 1st choice for a unit in your 2nd preferred DG. What if the 1st choice of your preferred DG turns down the offer? Is it really so that if someone has at any point marked you as they preferred candidate, your name is automatically removed from all the other lists and the offer goes to the 3rd choice (assuming they did not get one from somewhere else etc). Even if the DG who chose you is not even on your priority list?

So I just got a strange email. It is from one of the heads of unit I lobbied, saying that I’m not eligible since I don’t have European nationality. Yet I was interviewed by another unit (from the same DG but different directorate) who seemed very interested and had full knowledge that I was not a European national. Now I’m very confused!

Emvfri wrote:There is something that really puzzles me about the offers they send out. Let's say you are the 2nd choice for a unit in your preferred DG and the 1st choice for a unit in your 2nd preferred DG. What if the 1st choice of your preferred DG turns down the offer? Is it really so that if someone has at any point marked you as they preferred candidate, your name is automatically removed from all the other lists and the offer goes to the 3rd choice (assuming they did not get one from somewhere else etc). Even if the DG who chose you is not even on your priority list?

Dear emvfri apparently you are not the only one puzzled by the selection procedure. I believe cmarie28 outlined the "equations" quite accurately above. However your question is legit. And I would add my personal experience to that as I was told by my 2nd preferred DG that I was shortlisted and then my 1st preferred DG shortlisted me, as well, one week after the deadline of submission of shortlisted candidates. Opinions differ as to whether you are automatically removed from lists when your 1st choice shortlists you. However, given that DGs submit lists of 3-4 candidates, that supposedly cannot be edited once submitted and if half of the candidates are automatically removed because they are selected by other DGs then most DGs run a high risk of not having trainees in the end!

As the sending of offers approaches I guess we'll find out soon

Hi folks
I've been preselected for the October 2019 session. One of my preferences falls under Dg santé. However, I've received no informal contacts yet but the following automatic reply. I'm starting to get concerned about the selection process. It seems there is no clear line at all. Is there anyone, whose preference falls under dg santé, in a doubtful position like mine?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Blue Book candidate,

Thank you for your email informing us that you have passed the pre-selection stage, for which we congratulate you.

I note that you wish to have a traineeship within --------. However, as the selection of candidates did not start yet, we are not in a position at this stage to be able to guarantee a traineeship in this Directorate General.

If you pass the final selection stage, the Traineeships Office will send you a contract for a traineeship either with us or in another Directorate General. If, however, you have not received any answer by --------, for the period beginning in ---------, you may consider that your application has not been successful.

Should your first application be unsuccessful, you can still apply for a subsequent exercise, provided you are still eligible. You must, however, make a new application.

Wishing you good luck with your projects, I remain,

Yours sincerely,
The Trainee Coordinators team

adam sostrum wrote:Hi folks
I've been preselected for the October 2019 session. One of my preferences falls under Dg santé. However, I've received no informal contacts yet but the following automatic reply. I'm starting to get concerned about the selection process. It seems there is no clear line at all. Is there anyone, whose preference falls under dg santé, in a doubtful position like mine?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Blue Book candidate,

Thank you for your email informing us that you have passed the pre-selection stage, for which we congratulate you.

I note that you wish to have a traineeship within --------. However, as the selection of candidates did not start yet, we are not in a position at this stage to be able to guarantee a traineeship in this Directorate General.

If you pass the final selection stage, the Traineeships Office will send you a contract for a traineeship either with us or in another Directorate General. If, however, you have not received any answer by --------, for the period beginning in ---------, you may consider that your application has not been successful.

Should your first application be unsuccessful, you can still apply for a subsequent exercise, provided you are still eligible. You must, however, make a new application.

Wishing you good luck with your projects, I remain,

Yours sincerely,
The Trainee Coordinators team

Hi! I have received that answer several times. Today I received another one from another DG that I lobbied (not included in my first three preferences although) saying that services are currently reserving the candidates and continuing with "if your application is successful...." bla bla bla. So it seems that services have or almost have concluded in their preferred candidates.

Has anybody been contacted by DG ENV?
They reached out yesterday, after not replying to my lobbying emails for weeks (it's my 1st preference). They asked if I am still interested and available, to which I said yes. They then said they're experiencing an admin issue and won't be able to follow up just yet. I'm confused. The conversation happened via text because I'm +9 hr different time zone for work-related reasons. Has anybody had a similar experience? Thanks!

JG91 wrote:Did anyone hear something from DG SANTE or DG research and innovation ?

Dg Santé falls under my preferences but I have heard nothing from them yet. I just got an automatic reply from TO. Which nationalities and background do you hold?

I'm wondering if they prefer candidates, mostly francophone, with a scientific background.

Hey guys,
A Spanish guy here. I was contacted by DG SANTE in the first week of June and had an interview with a head of unit. The interview was in English as I do not speak French and I have a scientific background (PhD in Molecular Biology).

Hi everyone,

Just want to know my chances of getting a spot. If someone has been notified that they have been shortlisted for one unit, how likely is that person going to get it? Also is it common that units don't notify the shortlisted people that they have been shortlisted?

Luis13 wrote:Hey guys,
A Spanish guy here. I was contacted by DG SANTE  in the first week of June and had an interview with a head of unit. The interview was in English as I do not speak French  and I have a scientific background (PhD in Molecular Biology).

Hi Louis
I congratulate with you for your success. On the other hand, I start getting annoyed by the way DGs work. They lied to me and that ends up not being professional at all.

By the way, May you tell me if you have lobbied?

Hi Adam,

Well, I have not gotten anything yet, I was only shortlisted and I don’t even know if I am their first candidate. So, I am still waiting as most people here. It is true that the process is a bit chaotic because each DG seems to behave differently. However, everybody has been really professional, and I understand that is the TO who has the final say.

I did not lobby to get this interview, but I lobbied other DGs and Units after this interview and I have not received any call or email.

Hey everyone,

If a Unit, shortlists you as one of their preferences, say as #2 or #3, does this mean no other unit can select you as their #1 ?

sarah1994 wrote:Hey everyone,

If a Unit, shortlists you as one of their preferences, say as #2 or #3, does this mean no other unit can select you as their #1 ?

No. Also, the units don't know whether another unit (from another DG) has shortlisted you at all - let alone on which position. Only the TO has access to that kind of information and they are usually trying to act in the candidates best interest. I'm really glad that tomorrow the wait is finally over when they start sending the official offers!

Hi Everyone!

A few pages back, someone said that the the Traineeships Office will start sending confirmations on 25 June (tomorrow).

I would just like to ask if anyone knows where this date is from? Such a specific date is not mentioned anywhere on the official documents/communications by the TO (I wish!) and I can only find traces of it in this thread. Basically I am asking how legit is it?

Otherwise, good luck to all of you!

puempipi wrote:Hi Everyone!

A few pages back, someone said that the the Traineeships Office will start sending confirmations on 25 June (tomorrow).

I would just like to ask if anyone knows where this date is from? Such a specific date is not mentioned anywhere on the official documents/communications by the TO (I wish!) and I can only find traces of it in this thread. Basically I am asking how legit is it?

Otherwise, good luck to all of you!

It's 100% legit. However, they only START sending offers on the 25th, it doesn't mean that they are sending them all at the same time. You could also still receive an offer later on if you are listed 2nd by a unit and their 1st choice doesn't accept the offer.

Good luck everyone!

The day is here!.. Stay calm, brace yourselves, don't forget your chargers at home! Hoping for good news for all of us!

I'm so nervous, I'm so nervous!