u/HoldExcellent773

Ho 25 anni, primo lavoro post laurea. Attualmente mi trovo in Svizzera e devo scegliere se restare qui con un contratto di tre anni a CHF 4,687 al mese netti, o se accettare un tirocinio dell'Unione Europea a 1500 al mese netti per un anno (si, il salario in Svizzera e' piu'che sufficiente per vivere bene e mettere da parte parecchio, devo dire pero' che sono transfrontaliere, ovvero soluzione migliore possibile).

Lo so che nessuno ci penserebbe due volte, ma da quando sono qui in Svizzera (8 mesi circa), sto davvero male. Ho accettato l'offerta iniziale di un anno perche' ovviamente era irrepetibile, ma il lavoro e' noioso, isolante, ripetitivo e vivo in un paesino di 1000 persone senza vita sociale. Anche a lavoro tutti i miei colleghi hanno piu di 40 anni e famiglia. Ogni spostamento mi richiede 40 minuti ed i mezzi circolano poco nel fine settimana. Per tornare a casa in Italia ci metto quasi 7 ore (no voli diretti), spendendo piu' di duecento euro ogni volta.

E' la mia terza esperienza all'estero, quindi non e' quello il problema.

Non mi vedo a crearmi una vita qui, per me era una buona occasione per avviare la mia carriera ed aveva un tempo limitato, ma in Italia ho famiglia (nessuno parla di quanto sia difficile per i figli unici, soprattutto con genitori separati, lasciare i genitori "da soli"), partner, amici.

Fare un tirocinio dell'Unione Europea e' da sempre un mio sogno ed andrei a fare qualcosa che mi piace davvero, e mi dico se non lo faccio ora quando mi ricapita? A 25 anni ho messo da parte gia' molto in questo anno e vorrei forse correre il rischio, fare questa esperienza, sperando che sommandola all'esperienza in Svizzera e tutto il resto possa comunque aprirmi altre porte (anche migliori? eventualmente anche tornare qui?) in futuro. Dall'altra parte pero' non credo che mi si ripresentera' piu' un'opportunita' simile - soprattutto in Italia (parliamoci chiaro, ho fatto scienze politiche).

Vorrei solo un po' di validazione, perche' non so se sia davvero un rischio troppo grande quello che sto per correre.

My current contract ends at the end of December. Yesterday, I had a conversation with the manager of my team, who asked me whether I would be interested in staying after my contract ends. I said yes, trying to remain as vague as possible and buy myself some time, but I know she has already started talking to HR.

The reality is that I already knew I had been selected for another position elsewhere, but I was still negotiating the start date. They initially wanted me to start on September 1st, but I have a one-month notice period that I wouldn't have been able to respect otherwise. I showed interest in staying in my current position in case it wasn't possible to postpone the start date, so that I could keep that door open. Now, however, I obviously need to resign, and I'm very worried about the fact that I literally expressed interest in staying yesterday.

I don't want it to look like I changed my mind overnight, and the timing and the situation at work make everything even more complicated. My team consists of only three people:

• A colleague who is more senior than me and is currently on leave until August 24. She is the person I'm closest to and interact with the most on a daily basis (and she would essentially be left completely on her own until January, which is the earliest possible date for someone new to join the team).
• My supervisor, who is currently absent indefinitely for health reasons. We still speak on the phone roughly every two weeks.
• The manager I spoke to yesterday, who doesn't actually work directly with our team, but whom I've been interacting with much more frequently because of my supervisor's absence.

So I'm not really sure what the right order would be for communicating my decision. Should I speak to the manager first? Should I call my supervisor even though she is currently absent?

I should also add that I'm moving to a job that, unfortunately, pays less, so it's definitely not about the money, and I don't want to come across as ungrateful. However, it's a role that is much more aligned with what I think I would enjoy doing, in an environment where I think I would fit better, and it's also closer to home. In my current job, I've felt quite isolated and I've had a very heavy workload, partly because the team is currently in this complicated situation.

I feel bad about burning bridges here, because they are all genuinely very nice people and have always treated me very well. I know it's not my fault that they are now in a difficult situation (their recruitment processes are very long for administrative reasons, and they have difficulties replacing someone quickly), but I can't help feeling guilty about it, and I'm honestly quite scared of having to face them and formally resign. On top of that, my team is directly responsible for handling resignations and all the administrative procedures that follow, so it's going to be a little awkward.

I am generally a very anxious person and a people pleaser, so the idea of the moment makes me wanna throw up honestly.

I genuinely appreciate the fact that they offered me the possibility of staying, and I really want to handle this in the best possible way.

How would you handle the situation? Would you be completely transparent and say that another opportunity became definite today?

Il mio attuale contratto termina a fine dicembre. Ieri ho avuto una conversazione con la manager del mio team, che mi ha chiesto se fossi interessata a rimanere anche dopo la fine del contratto. Le ho detto di si, cercando di rimanere il piu' vaga possibile e temporeggiare, ma so che si e' gia' mossa con le risorse umane.

In realta' sapevo gia' di essere stata selezionata per un altro ruolo altrove ma stavo negoziando la start date (volevano che iniziassi il primo di settembre, ma ho un mese di preavviso che non avrei potuto rispettare altrimenti). Mi sono mostrata interessata qualora non fosse stato possibile spostare la start date per tenermi la porta aperta nel mio attuale lavoro. Quindi ora devo ovviamente dare le dimissioni, ma mi preoccupa molto il fatto che letteralmente ieri avevo espresso interesse a rimanere.

Non vorrei far sembrare che abbia cambiato idea dall'oggi al domani e anche le tempistiche e la situazione a lavoro rendono tutto più complicato. Il mio team è composto da sole tre persone:

• Una collega di grado superiore al mio, che è attualmente in ferie fino al 24 agosto. È la persona con cui ho più confidenza e con cui mi relaziono maggiormente nel lavoro quotidiano (e rimarrebbe completamente scoperta fino a Gennaio - prima data possibile per inserire qualcuno di nuovo nel team).
• La mia supervisor, che al momento è assente per motivi di salute a tempo indeterminato. Ci sentiamo comunque telefonicamente circa ogni due settimane.
• La manager con cui ho parlato ieri, che in realtà non lavora direttamente con il nostro team, ma con cui vista l'assenza della mia supervisor mi sto interfacciando molto più spesso.

Quindi non so bene nemmeno quale dovrebbe essere l'ordine giusto per comunicare la mia decisione. Dovrei parlarne prima con la manager? Dovrei chiamare la mia supervisor nonostante sia assente?

Aggiungo che sto andando verso un lavoro che, purtroppo, è pagato meno, quindi non e' questione di soldi e non vorrei sembrare poco riconoscente. Però è un ruolo molto più in linea con quello che penso mi piacerebbe fare e con l'ambiente in cui credo mi troverei meglio e vicino a casa. Nel mio attuale lavoro mi sono sentita abbastanza isolata e ho avuto un carico di lavoro molto pesante, anche perché il team si trova attualmente in questa situazione complicata.

Inoltre il mio team gestisce direttamente le dimissioni e la parte burocratica che segue, quindi sara' un po' imbarazzante.

Mi dispiace pero' bruciare i ponti qui, sono tutte persone molto gentili e mi hanno sempre trattata molto bene. So che non e' colpa mia se ora si trovano in difficolta' (per questioni amministrative i loro processi di selezione sono molto lunghi ed hanno difficolta' a rimpiazzare subito qualcuno), ma non riesco a fare a meno di farmi problemi e ho davvero paura di affrontare il faccia a faccia delle dimissioni. Apprezzo sinceramente il fatto che mi abbiano proposto di rimanere e vorrei davvero uscire da questa situazione nel modo migliore possibile.

Voi come gestireste la situazione? Sareste completamente trasparenti e direste che oggi si è concretizzata un'altra opportunità?

My ex (27M) and I (25F) broke up around a month ago after 10 years together.

He has been diagnosed with depression. Throughout our relationship, he always felt safe with me, but recently he started distancing himself and behaving differently. He has always found it difficult to express his feelings, so I pushed a bit to understand what was wrong, he told me that the relationship was causing him anxiety and that he didn’t feel capable of giving me what I deserved or a peaceful future. He said he needed some time to figure out what he wanted and to work on himself but he still loves me. However, I was the one who decided that we should end the relationship because I don’t believe in taking breaks.

Selfishly and rationally, I know that this breakup could be for the best as we had some issues in the relationship and I was also unhappy about how he had acted recently, but he is my best friend, my family and we have a really long history together, so it has been really hard for me to let him go, expecially knowing that part of this is caused by his poor mental health.

We have been long distance in the last 7 months, event thought I try my best to visit him every two weeks / once a month. It was never the real issue here (for context, we broke up when I visited in July and I would visit again in August - last week).

We are trying to go no contact, but he messaged me saying that he misses me one week post breakup. Then I contacted him as I felt like there was a lot unanswered and I wanted some reassurance, instead I felt like he was really convinced with his decision to break up and he felt really detached. I must admit that here I kinda begged him a little to reconsider and maybe try to make it work (and I felt really ashamed afterwards). In the past we kind of broke up for a short time, but never really went no contact, and eventually we just got back together.

So, during this last conversation we had, we agreed to see each other again in August. Actually I asked and I didn't even think he would reach out to organize if I didn't do it first. But seeing him so indifferent I was no longer convinced that it was good to meet so soon, and I didn't think he would reach out again.

Maybe I wanted to pretend to be superior or more mature, so I went completely silent and when he actually reached out last week to see if I was still up to meet up, I said no. And I asked him if there was anything new he wanted to discuss, he said he just wanted to see me. He seemed a bit upset that I said no.

I really believe I made the right choice as I think that we would have just chatted like old friends as we do love each other, but nothing would have changed. And the fact that he didn't insist confirms that he doesn't want to get back into the relationship.

However, saying no now for me means letting him go for real. I started to regret it immediately after, and now that I am again alone and long distance I am missing him a lot and I really wanted to see him.

I don't know when and how I will have another opportunity to reconcile, he is pretty proud so he might take badly my refusal and won't reach out again. He doesn't even know now when I will visit next time.. I would say that is way of coping is just putting all problems aside, so I am sure that right now he is just going out with friends and distracting himself.

Do you think this is really done? I know you don't have the full pictures, but could he already have somebody else even if I reached out twice?

Do you think I could ever reach out again just to ask him if this time apart has given him more clarity? If yes, after how long now? I will go back to our hometown on September 9.

I don't know how 10 years together could end just like that..

Hi everyone,

I’m sorry if this is not the appropriate sub-reddit, but other Italy-specific subs may not be specific for International orgs taxations. I am offered a 12-month paid EUI traineeship in Florence in November 2026. I’ll be tax resident in France until then and will move back to Italy for the traineeship (I am Italian).

The EUI doesn’t withhold tax and says trainees are responsible for their own tax obligations, but however trainees do not benefit of the same exemptions of staff members.

I heard that EFSA trainees for example do not pay taxes on their grants. Has anyone experienced this and could clarify how this works - specifically for EUI?

I would like to know how this works before accepting my offer, cause this could impact a lot my overall living experience.

My 10 years relationship recently ended and all the friends I had were in common. I am moving to a new city in a month for work, which excites me for all the possibilities, but for the time being what can I do to feel better when I literally have no support system around me (just my mom and my therapist)? my current city doesn’t offer much to distract me.

also I struggle to make friends and get past the casual conversations in general, so any tips for when I will eventually move are well accepted.

Hi,

I have a domestic flight out Geneva airport at 6;10 am. I saw that the first available bus (66) would leave me at the airport at 5.07. Knowing that there shouldn't be too much traffic at that time, I trust that it could also be a couple minutes early. I have no check-in bags.

Do you think this is too risky? I also hope there won't be too many people around that time at security check. Would you try or take a taxi just to be safe?

Ciao a tutti,

Lo scorso anno ero arrivato all'ultimo step di selezione per una posizione che volevo davvero tramite agenzia del lavoro. Alla fine non sono stato selezionato e mi sono messo l'anima in pace ed ho trovato un'altro lavoro.

A Marzo di quest'anno, solo due mesi dopo aver iniziato il mio attuale lavoro, vengo richiamato da questa agenzia per una posizione simile, mi dicono che si ricordano di me, con inizio ad Aprile. Ad essere sincero mi interessava molto l'offerta, ma non mi sembrava corretto venire via dalla mia posizione attuale solo dopo 2/3 mesi (anche questo lavoro e' molto buono), quindi mi sono sentito di riufitare.

Per chiarezza: alla prima chiamata mi sono mostrato molto interessato, hanno poi mandato il mio CV al datore di lavoro che ha chiesto di invitarmi a colloquio, ho discusso del mio preavviso eventuale con HR e le ho detto che non le avrei fatto perdere tempo. Mi e' sembrata comunque un po' scocciata del mio cambio di idea/indecisione.

Arriviamo ad ora, il mio contratto di un anno qui sta per scadere (dovrei eventualmente venire via solo 1/2 mesi prima della fine, e non sarebbe un problema) e ho visto che questa agenzia ha ripubblicato una posizione simile. Mi sono immediatamente candidato, appena pubblicata.

Tutto tace. Potrebbero non chiamarmi davvero piu, magari perche' non sono sembrato convinto qualche mese fa?

Hi everyone! I’m looking for some advice.

I’m based in Geneva and don’t have a car, but I’d love to do a day trip to Les Diablerets by train, especially to see Blue Ice Lake (is it worth it during this time of the year? best period?).

Has anyone done it using public transport? Is it feasible in a day? I’m not really looking for a proper hike, but I’m happy with an easy walk.

Are there any other beautiful viewpoints or places worth visiting around Les Diablerets that are accessible by public transport or with only a short walk? (I’m not planning to go up to Glacier 3000.)

Also, if you have any recommendations for similar scenic day trips from Geneva that can easily be done by public transport, I’d love to hear them! I’ve already been to Chamonix.

Thanks in advance!

He broke up with me just a week ago because of depression. he said the relationship was making him feel too pressured and he could never give me a happy future. He cried a lot and told he would rather die than leave me, he feels like a failure, but eventually he seemed sure of his decision.

We went no contact for a whole week, I was already thinking of reaching out to see how he was doing cause I am a bit worried (and still hoping we could eventually work it out).

But this evening he sent me a text saying that he misses me. Instead of answering I called him cause I was honestly worried he would hurt himself, he was crying and said he couldn’t talk but he would text or call back when he was calmer.

What do you think this means? what should I do?

Hello,

I’m coming out of a relationship that lasted 10 years. He broke up with me after struggling with depression for years. He told me that the pressure of being present and fully involved in the relationship was causing him anxiety because he knows that he can’t give me what I need or promise me a happy future.

He also said some things that really worried me, like that he would rather die and that he feels like a failure for ruining everything. He told me that for a long time I was his only stability and I know that he doesn't share how he feels with anyone else but me and his psychologist (which he has also been avoiding lately). At the same time, he seemed completely convinced that ending the relationship was the right decision.

He also has an avoidant attachment style, so I think it's much easier for him than it is for me to stick to no contact. If he had let me, I probably would have waited for him forever. What I’m struggling to accept is that our relationship ended because of something bigger than the two of us and something that isn’t really his fault.

When he broke up with me, he was absolutely devastated, but maybe what he’s grieving is the loss of those ten years and everything we shared? He said he wishes to work on himself and try to get out of depression, hoping eventually we would get back together.

I miss him terribly. I respect his decision, and I know it’s probably best not to contact him, but do you think it would really be such a bad idea to reach out every now and then just to see how he’s doing? I genuinely care so much about him and just want to know that he’s okay.

Hello,

I’m coming out of a relationship that lasted 10 years. He broke up with me after struggling with depression for years. He told me that the pressure of being present and fully involved in the relationship was causing him anxiety because he knows that he can’t give me what I need or promise me a happy future.

He also said some things that really worried me, like that he would rather die and that he feels like a failure for ruining everything. At the same time, he seemed completely convinced that ending the relationship was the right decision.

He also has an avoidant attachment style, so I think it's much easier for him than it is for me to stick to no contact. If he had let me, I probably would have waited for him forever. What I’m struggling to accept is that our relationship ended because of something bigger than the two of us and something that isn’t really his fault.

It might also be relevant to mention that we broke up once before, back in 2020. That breakup was mainly because of some unhealthy behaviors on my part, which I’ve worked hard to change. After we got back together, we didn’t have any major issues, apart from falling into a bit of a routine, which I think is pretty normal after being together for ten years.

After that first breakup, which lasted a few months, we gradually found our way back to each other. It wasn’t true no contact to be honest, I was the one who kept reaching out because I wanted him to forgive me.

This time, I honestly don’t know. When he broke up with me, he was absolutely devastated, but maybe what he’s grieving is the loss of those ten years and everything we shared? He said he wishes to work on himself and try to get out of depression, hoping eventually we would get back together.

I miss him terribly. I respect his decision, and I know it’s probably best not to contact him, but do you think it would really be such a bad idea to reach out every now and then just to see how he’s doing? I genuinely care so much about him and just want to know that he’s okay.

25 anni, donna. Sto vivendo la mia prima rottura dopo una relazione di 10 anni. Abbiamo iniziato oggi il periodo di "nessun contatto".

La rottura è stata il più amichevole possibile, e in un certo senso non era nemmeno quello che volevamo entrambi. Lui soffre di depressione e mi ha detto che non può più darmi niente né impegnarsi nella relazione, anche se mi ama ancora moltissimo.

Da parte mia, riconosco anche che la sua depressione era diventata un peso troppo grande da portare. Una parte di me pensa che dovrei essere sollevata, ma la verità è che lui era tutto per me, nonostante altri problemi che avevamo.
I am a bit dependent on him, but we already did some periods long distance in the past, I focused a lot on my career.

Non ho veri amici oltre a quelli che avevamo in comune, che ho conosciuto tramite lui. Non è una di quelle situazioni in cui ci si mette in una relazione e si trascurano gli amici, non ho mai avuto amici intimi prima che ci mettessimo insieme and I’m really not the best in making friends or letting people getting closer to me.

L'unica persona su cui posso contare è mia madre. Mi vuole bene, ma non sento che mi capisca del tutto.

Sei mesi fa mi sono trasferita in una nuova città che non mi piace, e la mia vita si riduce praticamente a lavoro e casa. Conosco molte persone, ma non ho una vera rete di supporto.

I recently started therapy which I hope will help.

Ci siamo lasciati una volta nel 2020 per diversi motivi, ma non abbiamo mai interrotto completamente i contatti (soprattutto per colpa mia, a dire il vero), e dopo qualche mese siamo tornati insieme.

Cosa posso fare per andare avanti e smettere di contattarlo? La cosa più difficile è che l'ho visto oggi e sembrava completamente devastato e in pessime condizioni mentali. Continuo a volerlo contattare per assicurarmi che stia bene.

Sapere che la sua depressione è la causa di tutto questo rende la situazione ancora più difficile da accettare. Non credo che potrei mai perdonarmi se si facesse del male ora che è solo.

In fondo, spero ancora che cambi idea.

25 anni, donna. Sto vivendo la mia prima rottura dopo una relazione di 10 anni. Abbiamo iniziato oggi il periodo di "nessun contatto".

La rottura è stata il più amichevole possibile, e in un certo senso non era nemmeno quello che volevamo entrambi. Lui soffre di depressione e mi ha detto che non può più darmi niente né impegnarsi nella relazione, anche se mi ama ancora moltissimo.

Da parte mia, riconosco anche che la sua depressione era diventata un peso troppo grande da portare. Una parte di me pensa che dovrei essere sollevata, ma la verità è che lui era tutto per me, nonostante altri problemi che avevamo.
I am a bit dependent on him, but we already did some periods long distance in the past, I focused a lot on my career.

Non ho veri amici oltre a quelli che avevamo in comune, che ho conosciuto tramite lui. Non è una di quelle situazioni in cui ci si mette in una relazione e si trascurano gli amici, non ho mai avuto amici intimi prima che ci mettessimo insieme and I’m really not the best in making friends or letting people getting closer to me.

L'unica persona su cui posso contare è mia madre. Mi vuole bene, ma non sento che mi capisca del tutto.

Sei mesi fa mi sono trasferita in una nuova città che non mi piace, e la mia vita si riduce praticamente a lavoro e casa. Conosco molte persone, ma non ho una vera rete di supporto.

I recently started therapy which I hope will help.

Ci siamo lasciati una volta nel 2020 per diversi motivi, ma non abbiamo mai interrotto completamente i contatti (soprattutto per colpa mia, a dire il vero), e dopo qualche mese siamo tornati insieme.

Cosa posso fare per andare avanti e smettere di contattarlo? La cosa più difficile è che l'ho visto oggi e sembrava completamente devastato e in pessime condizioni mentali. Continuo a volerlo contattare per assicurarmi che stia bene.

Sapere che la sua depressione è la causa di tutto questo rende la situazione ancora più difficile da accettare. Non credo che potrei mai perdonarmi se si facesse del male ora che è solo.

In fondo, spero ancora che cambi idea.

Ciao a tutti,

Vorrei aver scoperto questo subreddit molto prima. Io (25F) sto con il mio compagno (27M) da 10 anni. Praticamente da tutta la vita.

Lui è sempre stato una persona ansiosa, ma alla fine è caduto in depressione durante il suo primo anno di medicina nel 2022. Ha iniziato ad avere difficoltà con lo studio e con gli esami, e poi le cose hanno cominciato a peggiorare, influenzando la sua voglia di uscire, il suo umore e i suoi pensieri. Prende farmaci e vede sia uno psicologo che uno psichiatra, ma niente sembra aiutarlo.

Nel complesso, è sempre stato una persona depressa ad alto funzionamento, perché a parte alcuni periodi davvero difficili, ha sempre continuato a uscire, sembra allegro e giocoso con tutti, continua a cercare di studiare e non si è mai arreso nonostante il fatto che in 4 anni non abbia ottenuto alcun risultato. Non ha mai voluto accettare che questa non sia la strada giusta per lui (anche se nel frattempo fa dei lavoretti saltuari).

Mi sono adattata ai suoi ritmi e ai suoi limiti, consapevole che questo significa mettere in pausa la nostra vita insieme: rimandare viaggi, uscite o occasioni speciali perché deve studiare per un esame che so già che non frequenterà, rimandare il trasloco e la pianificazione di un futuro dopo la laurea. Lo aspetto sempre. And don’t get me wrong, when he is in the right mood - which is most of the time, or at least he knows how to pretend - he is really the best person to be around, he is such a smart, brilliant and caring person. He never failed to make me feel safe and he was always there when I needed him, most of our relationship was happy memories.

Finora non è mai stato un peso enorme per me, dato che anch'io ho appena finito l'università. Ho sempre provato più profonda tristezza per lui e ho sperato che migliorasse, che cambiasse direzione o che fosse solo un blocco temporaneo.

Negli ultimi sei mesi mi sono trasferita in un'altra città per lavoro, ma cerco di essergli il più possibile vicina tornando almeno una volta al mese/ogni due settimane (lui è venuto a trovarmi solo una volta) e tramite messaggi/chiamate, cosa che gli crea qualche difficoltà, dato che in genere non parla molto e si tiene tutto dentro.

Nel giro di un mese, tutto è andato a rotoli. Lo vedevo sempre irritato con me e gli ho chiesto cosa non andasse. All'inizio non ero nemmeno sicura al 100% che fosse a causa della depressione, perché avevamo i nostri piccoli problemi. Ma quando oggi mi ha detto che voleva lasciarmi perché non si sente più in grado di darmi niente e non vuole che io passi la vita ad aspettarlo, è scoppiato a piangere e ha vomitato. Mi ha anche detto che preferirebbe morire e che non vorrebbe lasciarmi, ma che in questo momento non può darmi alcuna speranza. Per me, questo rende tutto molto più difficile da accettare.

Lui è tutta la mia famiglia. Sono una persona piuttosto sola e lo avrei aspettato per sempre se me l'avesse permesso. Allo stesso tempo, non so cosa sia giusto fare; forse non avevamo davvero un futuro insieme. Gli ho detto che ci sarò sempre per lui e di chiamarmi per qualsiasi cosa, ma conoscendolo, non lo farà.

Non so se dovrei almeno contattarlo per assicurarmi che stia bene, come comportarmi, come andare avanti. Mi sembra davvero assurdo concludere dieci anni di vita insieme in questo modo, semplicemente scomparendo. Inoltre, non so se potrei mai perdonarmi se si facesse del male ora che è solo.

Hi everyone,

I'm applying for an EEAS Delegation traineeship and was hoping to get some advice from people who've gone through the process.

A few questions:

• How did you approach the cover letter? One page? Fairly formal, or is it appreciated to show some personality?
• How much did you focus on the motivation to the specific Delegation or general interest in EEAS?

I'm also a bit confused about the eligibility rule on "less than one year of professional experience after graduation." I have more than one year of work experience during my studies, but I'll only receive my Master's degree this month. I already have my bachelor's. Is this okay?

Any other tips about the application or timeline of the process would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

hello,

my father will visit me for a couple days in Geneva.

He really loves the mountains and has in his mind the idea of smaller typical swiss villages in the Alps.

He has already seen Geneva, so he has a couple days to spend while I am working (8am to 5pm), we were wondering is there anything as such villages around here? He has a car but he would like to drive up to 1hr - we think the best spot could be Chamonix?

is there anything closer or less well known?

Hi everyone,

Former UN intern here. I completed my internship in a very small UN agency and unit, so I didn't end up building many useful contacts within the UN system. After that, I moved on and have now been working for about a year at a large international organization (outside the UN).

I've always been interested in trying a consultant contract at the UN in the future, but I'd like to better understand what it actually involves, especially in my area (communication).

I noticed that many consultant positions are remote. How does that usually work in practice? What's a typical day like? Are consultants mostly expected to work independently on specific projects, or is there a lot of interaction with teams and regular meetings?

Another thing I've noticed is that many consultant vacancies ask for at least 4 years of experience. At the same time, I've seen quite a few former UN interns transition into consultant roles. Do you think it's worth applying if my background includes a UN internship plus around 3 years of total experience (including other internships and my current job)?

Also, are there any tips for tailoring an application for a consultant position? Is there anything recruiters tend to look for specifically in consultant applications?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences or any advice. Thanks!

I'm 25 and lately I've been feeling like I'm stuck in a weird position where I'm somehow both overqualified and underqualified at the same time.

A bit of background: I have a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and I'm currently finishing my Master's in International Relations and European Studies (the only thing left is my thesis, which I've postponed because of my current student contract). I studied at a public university that is considered good, although not particularly prestigious (expecially in terms of connections) in the field.

During my studies, I tried to build as much relevant experience as possible. I've completed an internship in a UN agency, another one at an important Consulate in my home country, and I'm currently finishing a one-year contract at a large international scientific organization (I don't want to be too specific, but it's usually one of those names that gets people's attention on a CV).

I've also done two Erasmus exchanges, one of them at Sciences Po. I am fluent in Italian, French, and English. Beyond academics and internships, I've always been involved in volunteering and student associations, written articles for a think tank, taken specialized courses, and I've always worked various side jobs that helped me develop transferable skills, for example as an assistant in a local communication agency and as a tutor for international students. I've been trying to build a profile focused on communications, events, and institutional relations.

Overall, I feel that for my age I've accumulated a decent amount of experience and have been quite intentional about building a strong CV. My goal is to work within the EU institutions or agencies. I've applied to several EU traineeships and entry-level opportunities. Last year, I reached the interview stage for a temporary contract at an EU agency, but I was ultimately told that I lacked experience in the EU environment (and that was before I started my current role at the scientific organization). More recently, I've been shortlisted for a traineeship at another EU agency, but I've heard that some candidates have already received offers, so I'm starting to lose hope.

I don't think the issue is my applications or interviews. I've been invited to quite a few interviews over the years, and generally they've gone well. What confuses me is that I seem to have enough experience to be considered for entry-level positions, but at the same time not enough even for a traineeship.

What I genuinely don't understand is what I'm missing to enter the "EU bubble."

Hi everyone,

I would need your advice. I have a flight on 11/06, so just the day before the G7 restrictions enter into force. I need to take the bus 66 from french side to the airport and my time is a little squeezed, as I have my flight at 6pm (EU flight) and I would want to take the bus at 4pm (scheduled to arrive at the airport at 4;12pm)

However, I noticed they started doing border checks already to prepare for the G7, do you think it is enough time to get to the airport safely or should I leave earlier/take a taxi?