Pre-selection phase
- OpeningApplications open twice a year
- For traineeships starting in October, applications open in February.
- For traineeships starting in March, applications open in July–August of the previous year.
All supporting documents must be submitted together with the application form, merged into one PDF file.
- Submission of applicationsYou can submit only one application per session and per traineeship type:
- Administrative (ADMIN)
- Translation (DGT)
- AssessmentYour application is assessed based on:
- your academic background
- language skills
- other skills and experience
National guiding rates are applied to EU candidates to ensure a balanced geographical representation.
Nationals of non-EU countries are grouped under a single quota.
- Eligibility checkA pre-selection committee verifies your supporting documents against your declarations
- All pre-selected candidates are included in the Virtual Blue Book.
Selection phase
- Application for the postsCandidates in the Virtual Blue Book can apply for up to three traineeship positions
Please note that certain Directorates General, Services or Agencies may not recruit nationals from non-EU countries.
- There are around three times more candidates as there are available places.
- Recruiting services may contact candidates and may organise interviews.
- RecruitmentIf selected, the Traineeships Office issues a placement offer
- Your selection becomes final only when the offer appears in your account.
- Any informal or unofficial communication does not count as an offer.
- Your decisionYou can accept or refuse the placement offer:
- Accept → your traineeship is confirmed.
- Refuse → no further offers and no traineeship.
Each application is valid for one session only. You may apply again for a future session.