Legal Traineeship at the European Ombudsman

The European Ombudsman offers traineeships to university or higher education graduates with a keen interest in European Union public administration and, in particular, in how the EU administration relates to citizens.Applicants shall be selected according to their merits, taking into account the interests of the service and the financial and logistical capacity of the Office to receive trainees in an appropriate working environment.Trainees shall be assigned to Strasbourg or Brussels, depending on the needs of the Office and the interest of the service.

There will normally be two training periods: one starting from 1 September and the other from 1 January each year.

Duration 

The maximum duration of a traineeship is a full year.

A traineeship is initially offered for a period of four months and will, upon satisfactory completion of the four months period, normally be extended for another eight months, provided both parties agree.

Eligibility 

Candidates should:

1. be nationals of a Member State of the European Union, or of a candidate country for accession to the EU;
2. have a university degree or diploma of at least three years (or an equivalent qualification) in one of the disciplines mentioned in footnote 1;
3. have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union and a good knowledge of a second. The main working language of the European Ombudsman’s office is English. A very good knowledge of English is therefore required

Scholarships 

Trainees may apply for a scholarship during the traineeship period. Trainees who will receive a salary or other financial support of a similar nature during the period of the traineeship should declare it. In such cases, the amount of the scholarship paid by the Ombudsman’s Office will correspond to the difference, if any, between the amount of the external support and the value of a full scholarship.

The amount of a scholarship is equivalent to 25% of the basic salary of staff in grade AD 6 step 1 applicable at the moment the offer is made, plus the household allowance, where appropriate. In this respect, provisions applicable to officials of the European Union apply by analogy. This amount may be altered by decision of the European Ombudsman.

If an applicant with a disability is selected, the Ombudsman’s Office will make appropriations available to cover additional costs related directly to the condition of the selected trainee and which are insufficiently covered by the scholarship.

Official Link

Deadline:30th April 2017