Traineeships – Communications

The European Institute for Gender Equality¹ (EIGE) announces traineeship opportunities in its Outreach and Engagement Unit lasting six months² for graduates who are either nationals of an EU Member State or an EFTA country or an IPA qualifying country³. The traineeships are based at the Agency's premises in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The traineeship will offer the possibility to university graduates in areas such as  communications, public relations, international studies, European studies, politics, social policy or similar, to gain experience in the work of the EU in general and in the Agency’s work in particular.

The registration of applications will begin on 22 May 2024 and will close on 14 June 2024 at 13:30, Eastern European Time (EET).

Applicants shall note that the specific tasks assigned to them will be identified in the offer letter sent to the selected candidate. The tasks of the trainee might be further tailored after the start of the traineeship. The trainee may be required to assist in other areas of activity, depending on the needs of the service and his/her profile and experience. 

The selected trainee will have a traineeship supervisor for the entire period of the traineeship.

The traineeships aim principally to:

• Provide on the job training experience in key areas of the Institute's work covered by the Outreach and Engagement Unit;
• Extend and apply knowledge acquired in the course of studies or working life;
• Provide practical working knowledge of EU agencies and institutions;
• Enable trainees to acquire work experience in an EU agency context.

The Agency

EIGE is a decentralised agency of the European Union (EU) entrusted with specific objectives envisaged to contribute to, and strengthen, the promotion of gender equality.

The Institute collects and analyses comparable and reliable information at EU level and develops appropriate methodological tools for the integration of gender equality into all EU policies. It fosters the exchange of good practices and dialogue between stakeholders and raises awareness on gender equality. It also provides technical assistance to EU institutions, in particular the European Commission and the authorities of the Member States.

In the course of its work to promote and strengthen gender equality, EIGE supports policy makers with high quality data relevant to their work.

The Agency is an equal opportunity employer and accepts applications without distinction on any grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language religion or belief, political (or any other) opinion, gender identity, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation.

Moreover, EIGE is committed to promote diversity and inclusion in its working environment and organisational culture. This includes Reasonable Accommodation for applicants with a disability.

Traineeship description

The trainee provides assistance and support to the Outreach and Engagement Unit. Through a wide range of tasks, the trainee will get valuable experience in communications work in the context of an EU agency.

Reporting to a supervisor, the trainee can expect to carry out a variety of tasks from the list below:

• Contribute to the Agency’s social media presence and the development and implementation of thematic campaigns;
• Draft content for the Agency’s external news items and periodical newsletters;
• Support the development of infographics, videos and other audio-visual products;
• Identify gender-inclusive visuals to support the Agency’s communication products;
• Prepare PowerPoint presentations;
• Assist with the organisation of meetings and events;
• Support general media and stakeholder databases and related requests;
• Respond to general enquiries from the public;
• Monitor EU policy-making from a communication perspective;
• Assist with monitoring the outreach of the Agency’s work

The traineeships are open to applicants who have not previously undertaken a traineeship in another EU institution or body and who have a recognised university degree⁴ evidencing completion of a full cycle of studies.⁵

Applicants must have fluent English, both spoken and written, an excellent knowledge of at least one other EU language as well as computer skills applicable to a Windows environment.

Application procedure

There are two stages:

Stage 1 - Online registration

Candidates must submit their application electronically using the ’s provided application form. Applications must reach eige.hr@eige.europa.eu by not later than 13:30 Eastern European Time (EET), on 14 June 2024 and the subject title should include the name of the candidate and the reference number of the traineeship.

Candidates are requested to send their completed application in English, the working language of the Institute. All parts of the application form must be completed in full. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Stage 2 - Supplementary documentation (applicable only to candidates selected to start a traineeship)

Should a candidate be selected to start a traineeship, in order for the application to be considered complete, she/he must provide copies of all the supporting documents - e.g. proof of nationality, diplomas, academic qualifications, employment certificates as applicable, insurance policy for sickness and accident during the period of the traineeship, medical certificate indicating work fitness, etc. - needed to prove that they satisfy all admission conditions.

Candidates must be prepared to submit proof of their qualifications upon request. All documentary evidence of any professional experience must indicate start and end dates for previous positions and the start date and continuity for the current position held.

Candidates will be eliminated if:

• their application is received after 13:30, EET on 14 June 2024
• they do not use and duly complete the official application form provided by the Agency
• they do not meet the general conditions described in section 2 above

Eligible candidates shall be selected on the basis of their application.

A selection panel shall oversee the analysis of the applications to assess and select those best matching the profile and qualifications required for each traineeship. The selection panel can also assess any administrative experience obtained by the applicants either as part of their studies for a university degree or through professional experience. The panel can then invite the selected candidates for an interview. 

The work of the selection panel is confidential. Candidates shall not make direct or indirect contact with the selection panel or have anybody do so on their behalf. The Appointing Authority reserves the right to disqualify any candidate who disregards this instruction.

The Institute regrets that, due to the large volume of applications it receives only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.

All inquiries for information should be sent by e-mail to eige.hr@eige.europa.eu quoting the reference of the traineeship.

Engagement & conditions

The Agency operates from a modern and fully computerised office space based in the Old Town of Vilnius. Working time includes office-based working and telework.

The trainee shall work in a multicultural environment where social dialogue is considered very important. The Agency applies a participatory approach to its work and encourages an open dialogue between management and staff. Colleagues work closely together as much of the work is organised around cross-unit project teams. The Agency is committed to the principle of zero tolerance for harassment at work.

Engagement for a traineeship will be decided by the Agency’s Director based on a reserve list of candidates proposed by a selection panel. Candidates should note that inclusion on the reserve list does not guarantee selection. The established reserve list may be used for other similar traineeships depending on the Agency's needs and will be valid until the 31 December following the year of engagement.

The traineeship is supported by a monthly grant equivalent to 1,286.01 EUR. While a travel allowance will be provided, trainees will have to make their own health insurance arrangements.

Applicants are advised to read Director’s Decision No. 304/2024 since it contains other relevant information.

Appeals

Applicants can submit an appeal to the European Ombudsman at the following address or directly on Ombudsman’s website.

However, before submitting a complaint to the European Ombudsman, applicants must already have contacted EIGE about the matter and used all the internal administrative options for review.

Data protection

The purpose of processing of the data submitted by candidates is to manage each application in view of a possible pre-selection and recruitment as a trainee at the Institute. Unsuccessful application files are kept for two years following the closure of the selection procedure, after which time they are destroyed.

The personal information requested from applicants will be processed as required by Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October December 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data. This applies in particular to the confidentiality and security of such data.

Lithuania & living in Vilnius

Lithuania is a member of the Schengen Area and it borders Latvia, Belarus, Poland and the Kaliningrad region of Russia. Its western coastline - noted for its fine beaches, dunes and majestic pines - straddles the Baltic Sea.

Vilnius has an estimated population of just over 550,000 people. In addition to ample green spaces, it is beautifully situated on the banks of the river Neris, offering excellent opportunities for outdoor activities. Vilnius has impressive Baroque, Gothic, Renaissance and Russian architecture as well as one of Europe's largest medieval old towns, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1994. It has been a university city since the Middle Ages.

Today it is the centre of the country's politics, business, science, culture and entertainment and it attracts an increasingly varied assortment of local and international events. The city centre of Vilnius is compact, clean and safe. In addition to hosting a number of international schools, Vilnius has a well-developed infrastructure and ambitious future plans.

The city is easy to get around, has a good standard of living and an excellent working environment. EIGE’s premises are situated in the Europe House on the main thoroughfare of Vilnius City, Gedimino Prospektas, with easy access to amenities, both leisure and educational.

Further information is available on Invest Lithuania's website.

---

Footnotes

¹Established by the European Parliament and of the Council Regulation (EC) No 1922/2006 of 20 December 2006 (OJ L 403/9 of 30.12.2006).

²The traineeship may exceptionally be prolonged by the Institute’s Director for up to a further five months.

³The countries that qualify are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey.

⁴Only study titles that have been awarded in EU Member States or that are subject to the equivalence certificates issued by the authorities in the said Member States, shall be taken into consideration.

⁵For a list of minimum national diplomas see Annex 2 of Director’s Decision No 2022/261 on EIGE’s traineeships.