r/EUCareers

Hi everyone, I’m an Italian Master’s student in International Relations. I’d like to work for the European Union one day, but the more I read about it, the more I realize just how difficult, long, and uncertain the path is. Don't get me wrong—I know it’s normal to face challenges, to need to gain experience, and to constantly keep learning. However, it sometimes feels like not only are there hurdles in building the career path itself, but that even with all that effort, it might not be enough. I’m 25; my only international experience is a two-week stint with the European Solidarity Corps, and I speak English at a B2 level, with B1 proficiency in French and Spanish. I’ve thought about doing internships, but the fierce competition is discouraging. I’ve read that internships alone aren't enough to get noticed, you need actual work experience, yet I’ve seen people with years of professional experience who still can't get in. Sorry if I sound like I’m complaining too much; I know I should accept that it’s a grueling process, but I have to ask: is it really worth it to wait years, potentially without ever achieving that goal? I had considered the think tank route as an alternative, but even then... I’m not sure if that’s a better path in terms of stability, the likelihood of getting hired, and salary.

Hi guys, I know it's a lot to ask for but I just found out I got rejected for the Blue Book Internship and as I kinda expected it I'm not too mad but could anyone tell me what was lacking from my profile ?

I'm 23, French, I just finished my M1 ( First Masters year in France ) at EDHEC BS in Lille after a Classe Prépa, I currently am a trainee for 6 months at a public policy think-tank in Paris for my first gap-year's internship, and I speak English, German, Spanish C1 and Russian and Italian B2. I also did an internship by the French financial Newspaper Les Échos. I applied for Blue Book as a potential second gap-year's internship.

Thanks in advance for your answers, I hope It will be useful to others too !

Guys results are out!

And I finally got pre-selected at the third attempt, so for everyone who applied for the first time, just keep trying in the future :)

The traineeship positions will be posted in one month; how does it work then? To how many positions one could possibly apply? I also guess that each DG follows a different hiring process.

Can someone help me understand why recent grads would choose a traineeship over being an interim in your dream EU institution?

I'm asking because there seems to be a strong preference for Blue Book, Schuman etc., but in my experience for fresh grads becoming an interim through a temporary workers agency gives more advantages in selections and (much) more frequently leads to winning a selection, particularly in EU agencies.

Why? Because:

- You show that you can do the work and decrease overall workload for others (with trainees it's hit&miss, some are good, but some/most waste regular staff's time).

- You show you can fit in.

- You learn and follow procedures.

- You build networks and have people who can vouch for you.

Is the aim to experience something fun or actually get an EU institutions job later? Are internships considered more "prestigious" than being an interim?

I hear that most (all?) people actually want an EU job sooner rather than later.

So -

do people just don't know about the interim ( French - intérimaire) path & its benefits, or is there something I don't understand?

I'm interested both in general comments, but also individual experiences.

Curious to find out your opinions on this.

The results are out and I didn’t get selected on my first time applying bc I didn’t reach the threshold- as I kinda of expected.

Is there a way to know what my score was and all the thresholds per nationality? If that ain’t possible, is there a way to try to calculate my score (like, is there a metrics table we can see to try to calculate it ourselves)?

I am a freelance cybersec expert with a social science and philosophy background. Where should I look for freelance roles that can use my combination of skills?

I’m a recent graduate and I’m trying to make my way towards EU traineeships. Aside international experience and internships, I held numerous side jobs (all of them can be categorized as receptionist/front office).

When I fill out applications I usually include only one of these side jobs, just because it’s the most recent and I worked there for more than just a few months.

I understood that the blue book application for example gives candidates “scores” based on what they include in the form — would it be in any way beneficial to include more side jobs entry in the applications? Or they aren’t counted at all and they just clutter applications?

Thank you so much and good luck to everyone!!

Hi all,

My girlfriend and I both applied to the AD5 competition in March. Until tonight we had no issues: we could access our accounts and had been receiving EPSO emails normally.

Tonight we tried to upload our eligibility documents. When we logged into the Single Candidate Portal, it asked for our personal information as if we had never registered. After we got into the portal, our application wasn't visible.

Has anyone experienced the same thing? Any advice on next steps, or on how EPSO can help, would be appreciated.

Thanks!