My daughter is completing a degree in politics and international relations, but doesn’t know where to begin. One option is a career within the EU institutions. What would you advise?
The good news is that there are a large number of opportunities for young people (and the not-so-young for that matter) to pursue rewarding careers in EU institutions such as the European Parliament or European Commission.
At the moment, there is a push by the Government to get more Irish people working within the EU institutions.
The work of the EU is wide-ranging, so it recruits people with a variety of skill sets and backgrounds such as law, science, economics, agriculture, languages and technology.
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As an employer, the EU says it emphasises lifelong career development, including language training. The roles usually come with an attractive compensation package and a healthy work-life balance.
Among the most important factors to consider when looking to work for the EU are language skills. Most recruitment competitions require candidates to be fluent in one EU language and proficient in another. Both English and Irish are official EU languages, so I would advise anyone interested in a career in the EU to brush up on their language skills and to keep up a language throughout university, if possible.
Now that your daughter is in her final year of studies, she might want to look at traineeship opportunities within the EU institutions, generally in Brussels or Luxembourg.
Different positions are available for graduates and non-graduates
These traineeships are usually paid and last anywhere from three to 10 months. There are now more and more pathways opening up for trainees to secure temporary or permanent contracts following their traineeship.
European Movement Ireland publishes an excellent guide to the EU traineeships, setting out how and when to apply, which is called the “Green Book”. It is available on its website where you will also find job vacancies open to Irish people throughout the EU institutions, agencies and related bodies.
A traineeship is not essential, however. Epso, the European Personnel Selection Office, holds regular recruitment competitions (called concours), which identify panels of qualified candidates who are recruited by the EU institutions as the need arises. These can be specialist competitions, where candidates will be expected to have a particular set of expertise, or generalist competitions, which are open to anyone to apply. Different positions are available for graduates and non-graduates.
Practical support is offered by the Government to those applying for permanent positions. These supports include information sessions about new competitions, practice test material, training webinars, interview coaching and a limited number of full scholarships for masters programmes at the College of Europe.
More information about EU careers and the support on offer can be found at www.dfa.ie/eujobs or by e-mailing eujobs@dfa.ie
Do you have a career or education query? Email askbrian@irishtimes.com
