Internships at EU institutions

Would you like to have a more international career and work in one of the European Union’s institutions? These are often announcing new vacancies and internships! These internships promote the role of the EU institutions and their impact on the international reality, while allowing the trainees to develop personal and professional skills, while collaborating with a network of experienced professionals.

It is essential to take into account that each person can only carry out one internship in one of European Institutions, Bodies and Agencies, This means that if you have already done an internship, both paid or unpaid, for more than 6 weeks in any EU institution, including local and decentralized offices, you cannot take part in these opportunities again. Nevertheless there is an alternative way of doing an internship in the European Parliament – contacting MEPs and asking how applications are processed.

Am I still in the age gap to carry an internship?

There is no age limit for internships in the institutions of the European Union and, generally, the selected candidates are not those who have just finished their Bachelor’s, as it is possible to analyse in the following chart that exposes the data collected between March 2015 to October 2019 on average age among candidates selected for Bluebook Traineeships.

The first graph refers to internships for translation and the second to internships in administration. This information serves as a reference and is only related to internships in the European Parliament, that is, other institutions, bodies and agencies have other data.

Internship Features

Most internships have an average duration of 3 to 5 months, however it is possible to find internships lasting up to 1 year.

Regarding the level of qualifications, it is important to take into account that most of the selected interns had a Master’s, this means that the institutions are looking for interns who have extensive knowledge and some experience in their area, so that they can contribute to the work developed, while developing their own knowledge and skills.

We have attached two charts concerning the average qualification of interns selected for internships in the European Parliament, the first for translation internships and the second for administration internships.

European Institutions, Bodies and Agencies

You probably know about the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Court of Auditors, however there are many European institutions, bodies and agencies that carry out internship programmes and most open vacancies on an annual or bianual basis.

Regardless of your area of study, professional experience and objectives, we believe that if you are interested in do an internships at an European institution, it is possible to find an suitable option for your profile. Some opportunities are at the European Medicines Agency, European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction, European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, European Institute for Gender Equality, European Central Bank, among many others.

We advise you to visit the EU careers platform to find out more about the internship programmes and application dates, however whenever they open a new vacancy we will advertise it on our social media networks so you don’t miss out on anything.

EU Careers

F.A.Q EU Internships

Can I apply for more than one internship?

Yes, but if you are selected for more than one, you will have to choose one of them, since each person can only carry out one internship.

I did an internship at the European Commission Representation in my country, can I do another internship?

If your internship at the European Commission Representation lasted more than 6 weeks, you can not carry another internship at a EU institutions. The alternative way is to do a professional internship with MEPs.

Where do the internships take place?

A little bit across Europe: Brussels, Lisbon, Strasbourg, Prague, Luxembourg, among others. On the EU Careers page you have all this information.

How much is the internship’s grant?

The grants vary on the country and institution where the internship takes place. On the EU Careers page you can find this information.

I have already applied for several internships, but I was never selected, what should I do?

There is a lot of competition for these internships, so you should continue trying, adapting your application, take some courses, do volunteer work, among others.

Can I do an internship during my Master’s?

Yes, you can do an internship during your degree. If you have a mandatory internship, you will need to confirm the option with the institution, since those internships have different features.