EU Council selections

Fellow applicants,

About this time of the year, the Council is announcing the lucky fellows who wil get to receive a contract for a traineeship (spring/fall). Has any of you received any news yet? It would help to know whether it is still worth waiting.

I also haven't received anything yet. Still hoping

Same here. Still waiting

I don’t think that they will let us know before December. So we have to wait a couple more days or even weeks.

Can I ask you whether you know what's the EU Council traineeship like? What does it include, what do you learn?
What prospects does it give you that the other ones don't?

First of all, the main difference is that there are a lot less people - if the CE has over 650 trainees, the Council has 60. So, in terms of group cohesion, is a completely different story (better in my view, but that depends on the personality) The work is not that different in the end from the one you do at the CE, it all depends on your field of interest. In terms of the opportunities, again, it depend on what you are searching afterwards. I would say that a traineeship at the Council in the field of energy, environment, consumer rights, etc, it is as worthy as one at the CE as you will gain in-depth knowledge on a topic that many public policy firms are interested in. On a more general level, it can give you communication, administrative and co-ordination experience .

Did you get an offer and you are not sure whether to accept it ?

HI there,

I got an email yesterday saying I had been selected for a traineeship in the Council. I'm really delighted. My only worry is that I need to send proof of everything I included in my application - this is mostly fine but one or things I have absolutely no proof of,mostly voluntary work. Is this liley to be a problem? They seem quite strict and I have to have this posted by tomorrow for it to get to Brussels by December 6th.

Congratulations! In what departament will you be working?
Try to contact the NGOs you have discussed with so that they can at least write you an email from their official maibox that you can print. That's everythin I can think of on such a short notice  

Has anyone else received the email? If it similar to the Commission, only the selected ones have been announced yesterday and I guess for the rest of us, which have not received any email, that's it.   

No emails. I guess I'm out.
I feel a bit discouraged honestly. Sure there are plenty of valid applicants, but I don't really understand what is required to be chosen by European Institutions.
I still hope for the EC, where I got preselected for the second time, but I cannot be too confident.
As far as I know, at least two master degrees and 3-4 languages are the minimum requirements...
Out of curiosity, if you don't mind it, can you please tell us something more about your background Lily12? And congratulations of course!

Don't be.
Just because we were not contacted yet, that doesn't mean we might not be. And even if we are not contacted in the end, it has nothing to do with our qualifications. There is just too much competition out there. Don't forget that they take in only 50 60 persons (and if at least a third of those who applied for the Commision applied also for the Council, that makes at least 6000 persons). It can also be related to their needs - while you might have tons of degrees and internship, maybe for this session they do not need them.

stevedale84 wrote:No emails. I guess I'm out.
I feel a bit discouraged honestly. Sure there are plenty of valid applicants, but I don't really understand what is required to be chosen by European Institutions.
I still hope for the EC, where I got preselected for the second time, but I cannot be too confident.
As far as I know, at least two master degrees and 3-4 languages are the minimum requirements...
Out of curiosity, if you don't mind it, can you please tell us something more about your background Lily12? And congratulations of course!

Nice cheer up lucia_roman, but honestly I also feel a bit discouraged to hear that apparently they have started to send out offers and I haven't heard anything yet.

Does anyone know how long it will take for them to send out the offers?

It can't be that long?

Yes, Lucia, I also got the translation traineeship offer. I was expecting to be contacted by the Commission, since I thought I’d had the best chances there, and this really caught me off guard.

I'm thrilled and I'll definitely accept the offer, but I started wondering what is, in fact, the difference between all these traineeships. Why do some of them have a better reputation and more people apply for them, and some don’t? Isn’t it all basically the same thing?

I also don’t think that the number of degrees or a very impressive professional background really matter here. I’d say it’s more about the specific needs of each unit in the next 5-month period.

I think my strong points were the fact that I come from a small country which doesn’t have so many applicants combined with my knowledge of languages. My professional background is ok, but I definitely wouldn’t call it impressive (much of it wasn’t even related to translation, but it did show that I was pretty hard-working).
And I only have one university degree

Still, you don’t have to lose all hopes. Many people applied for more than one traineeship and there might be some rejections when the Commission announces its results.

Maybe this will cheer you up! God knows we all need some serotonin!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP8tTGfm4jU

Grandma wrote:Yes, Lucia, I also got the translation traineeship offer. I was expecting to be contacted by the Commission, since I thought I’d had the best chances there, and this really caught me off guard.

I'm thrilled and I'll definitely accept the offer, but I started wondering what is, in fact, the difference between all these traineeships. Why do some of them have a better reputation and more people apply for them, and some don’t? Isn’t it all basically the same thing?

I also don’t think that the number of degrees or a very impressive professional background really matter here. I’d say it’s more about the specific needs of each unit in the next 5-month period.

I think my strong points were the fact that I come from a small country which doesn’t have so many applicants combined with my knowledge of languages. My professional background is ok, but I definitely wouldn’t call it impressive (much of it wasn’t even related to translation, but it did show that I was pretty hard-working).
And I only have one university degree

Still, you don’t have to lose all hopes. Many people applied for more than one traineeship and there might be some rejections when the Commission announces its results.

I also got the translation traineeship. Grandma, for which period did you receive the offer? I was very surprised because they offered me traineeship from September 2014-January 2015. That is so faaar away!

And I also applied for the EC and EP, and was pre-selected for the EC. Does anyone know if I can send the documents for the EC eventhough I already accepted the offer for the Council? Because as I've said September is so far away and if I would by any chance get the traineeship for the March period (EC) I would then rather accept EC. Is this even possible??

tadeiya wrote:
I also got the translation traineeship. Grandma, for which period did you receive the offer? I was very surprised because they offered me traineeship from September 2014-January 2015. That is so faaar away!

And I also applied for the EC and EP, and was pre-selected for the EC. Does anyone know if I can send the documents for the EC eventhough I already accepted the offer for the Council? Because as I've said September is so far away and if I would by any chance get the traineeship for the March period (EC) I would then rather accept EC. Is this even possible??

Since you have already received a contract AND accepted the offer by sending it back signed, you cannot participate in the other selection procedure.

If you hadn't yet accepted the first offer, you could send the documents, but now it is out of the question. Remember the rule of only one traineeship in the EU institutions. You have also declared it in writing, isn't it so? Better be safe than sorry. Unless, of course, you decide to officially cancel the traineeship at the Council. Or if you haven't sent the signed contract yet. In the latter case, simply do nothing, withdraw from the Council procedure, and go on with the European Commission selection.

It is also a matter of fairness towards the other candidates, apart from being discovered and potentially excluded from both traineeships, don't you think?

I only confirmed the offer by email (no contract yet) and now I have to send all the supporting documents. The same as for the European Commission. I am asking this because I don't know if this is allowed or against rules. I don't think it's against the rules since I haven't signed any contract yet and I first got the notice of pre-selection from the Commission...

tadeiya wrote:I only confirmed the offer by email (no contract yet) and now I have to send all the supporting documents. The same as for the European Commission. I am asking this because I don't know if this is allowed or against rules. I don't think it's against the rules since I haven't signed any contract yet and I first got the notice of pre-selection from the Commission...

What is against the rules would be to accept and sign contracts for BOTH institutions.

Remember that the traineeships are mutually exclusive. It is one thing to simply apply to 1, 2, 3, etc. traineeships at the same time -this is legit. It is a totally different thing to officially accept a definitive offer, while continuing the participation in the other traineeship selections.

Therefore, from the moment you receive the contract from the Council and decide to sign and send it back, it would be a risk -apart from the unethical nature of the issue- to continue with the Commission procedure. And vice versa.

So it seems that the people who have gotten a traineeship are people for translation?

I can't remember but translation is part of the same procedure as other functions in the application process?
With the Commission it is a separate application procedure.

If this is true then out of 50-60 trainees a bunch of those will be translators - meaning other specialisations don't stand a chance.

Hello,

Sorry I take time to get back. Mine isn't in Translation, it's in HR. I speak 2 foreign languages and have a degree and MA in political science. I have also lots of extra-curricular experience in media and politics. Aside this, I am just a graduate who is very relieved to have gotten this traineeship!

Okay Lily12 - thanks for the update and of course congratulations on the selection.

It might not be too late for others to be chosen. Let's see what happens.

For those who have been selected - did your email state the duties you will be expected to carry out, talk about reimbursement for flights from your place of residency and ask you send all the documents by December 6th?

Hey Tadeiya, just to answer your question, I got the traineeship offer for the period from Feb 1 to Jun 30. I’m not sure, but I kind of remember choosing that option in the application. Although I’m not certain that it was the application for the Council and not for some other traineeship. Anyway, the period you got is also pretty good, you have a lot of time to prepare for it.  

The e-mail I received from them stated the duties I will be expected to perform, as well as the reimbursement for flights and the deadline for sending the documents.

The documents should have arrived in Brussels by now, so I’d be really interested to hear whether anyone got a second response from them in which they confirm that they’re satisfied with the documents and that you are IN DEED selected. So, anyone?  

Hi Grandma,

I sent all my documents yesterday so hopefully will be in Brussels by Friday. Is there any chance that that they can withdraw the offer? I'm confused about the whole process - the email said I had been selected. Surely unless my documentation is false (which it definitely isn't) we have the trainessship? However I won't be leaving my current job until I have a contract in front of me.

I agree, the selection process is a bit strange because first they tell you you’re selected and then they ask for the documents. With the other traineeships, it’s the other way round, first you send the documents and then you get selected (and then you're pretty sure nothing else can go wrong).

I don’t think they are going to withdraw the offer unless they find the documents false or lacking. But yes, as you said, until there’s a contract in front of you, or at least a written confirmation that the documents have been checked and that they’re ok, you can’t know for sure. That’s why I was wondering if anyone received this final confirmation.

I just received an e-mail telling me I have been selected for a traineeship at the Council (quite late no? mayby I was waitlisted or something). I now need to make sure my documents are all in order. Do you guys think a document from my university declaring the number of subjects I have successfully completed in English and French is enough proof of my language skills? Or do I need to get a certificate from a language institute asap? I have no idea what they are expecting.

Congratulations! What unit are you in? In terms of the proof of your language skills that should be okay for now, but they may ask you to bring more substantial proof in February when you start anyway.

Has anyone else who got the traineeship heard back from them that the documentation was all fine? My documents are in Brussels now but they haven't emailed me yet. I'm hoping I'll hear tomorrow. They don't seem to answer emails....

Congrats Mirrorball! When's your deadline to send the documents?

I haven't heard anything from the Council yet. Maybe they're waiting for the deadline to pass to look into all the documents at once. That's why I don't think we're going to receive any feedback from them tomorrow either. Maybe next week...
Did you write to them, Lily?

I'm going to work in the Record Managment and Central Archives Harmonisation Unit! I need to send everything in no later than the 12th. To be honest the acceptance was quite a shock to me since the archives unit was my second choice and I only have an MA in History and not a lot of experience.

Hi Grandma,

I emailed once, but no reply. Then again when I emailed back accepting the offer I didn't hear then either. Did you get a reply to that?

Nope, I didn't receive any reply to my confirmation of acceptance. Obviously there's nothing for us to do but wait  

If there are any changes, I'll let you know!