Traineeship - Gender Equality Generalist

1. Introduction

The European Institute for Gender Equality [1] (EIGE) announces a traineeship opportunity lasting up to six months [2] for a graduate who is either a national of an EU member state or an EFTA country or an IPA qualifying country[3].

The traineeship shall be based at the Institute's offices in Vilnius, Lithuania. The registration of applications will begin on 29 October 2014 and will close on 28 November 2014 at 23:00 Eastern European Time (EET).

EIGE is a regulatory agency of the European Union (EU) entrusted with specific objectives related to the contribution and strengthening of gender equality promotion.

To achieve its goals, the Institute collects and analyses objective, comparable and reliable information at EU level and develops appropriate methodological tools for the integration of gender equality into all Community policies. EIGE fosters the exchange of good practices and dialogue between stakeholders and raise EU citizen awareness of this policy area by providing technical assistance to the EU institutions, in particular the European Commission, as well as the authorities of the Member States. In the course of its work to promote and strengthen gender equality EIGE also strives to eliminate gender discrimination.

The traineeship shall aim principally to:

• provide work-training experience in key areas of the Institute's work;
• extend and apply knowledge acquired in the course of studies or working life;
• provide practical working knowledge of EU agencies and institutions;
• enable the trainee to acquire work experience through the contacts s/he makes.

The Institute is an equal opportunity employer and accepts applications without distinction on the grounds of age, race, political, philosophical or religious conviction, gender or sexual orientation and regardless of disabilities, marital status or family situation.

2. Traineeship description

Objectives

The trainee shall provide assistance and support to ensure the smooth functioning of the Institute's work. The trainee shall be provided with relevant thematic work experience in the context of an EU agency.

Description of the work

Reporting to a supervisor, the trainee will be expected to carry out the following duties:

• Assist as required with specific project work in connection with the Institute’s research on various topics of gender equality; gender mainstreaming; gender based violence; the Resource & Documentation Centre (RDC) and stakeholders and networking;
• Assist in the collection and processing of data and information on gender equality and gender mainstreaming;
• Participate in the review, analysis and synthesis of results and conclusions drawn from studies and research on gender equality;
• Assist as required with the work to support the provision and management of knowledge and information on gender equality for the RDC;
• Support in the organisation of EIGE’s awareness raising and networking events;
• Attend relevant meetings in particular within the assigned area and support the organisation of meetings with experts.

Traineeship pre-requisites

The traineeship is open to applicants who have not previously undertaken a traineeship in another European institution or body and who meet the following requirements:

• a recognised university degree [4] in social sciences or humanities, evidencing completion of a full cycle of study.
• some initial experience in issues related to gender equality obtained either through specialisation as part of the applicant’s studies for a university degree, a dissertation or other research project conducted as part of their studies or in some other manner or through professional experience or a previous traineeship.

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.

3. Application procedure

There are two stages to the application process:

Stage 1 - Online registration

At the first stage candidates must submit their application electronically using EIGE’s application form.

EIGE Application form (.doc)

Applications must reach eige.hr@eige.europa.eu by not later than 23:00, Eastern European Time (EET) on 28 November 2014 and the subject title should include the reference number of the application.

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

Stage 2 - Submission of a full application (only for candidates invited to an interview and selected to start the traineeship)

At the second stage, should the candidate be invited for interview and be selected to start the traineeship, in order for the application to be considered complete candidates must provide photocopies of all the supporting documents (e.g. proof of nationality, diplomas, academic qualifications, employment certificates as applicable, etc.) needed to prove that they satisfy all admission conditions.

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. On the day of the interview the candidate must sign his/her application form and by signing the form the candidate certifies on his/her honour that the information provided is complete and accurate.

Candidates will be eliminated if:

• their application is received after 23:00, EET on 28 November 2014.
• they do not use and duly complete the official application form provided by EIGE.
• they do not meet the general conditions described in the pre-requisites section.

Eligible candidates shall be selected on the basis of their application. The Institute regrets that, due to the large volume of applications it receives only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.

Candidates must be prepared to submit proof of their qualifications upon request.

A Selection Committee shall oversee the analysis of the applications to assess and select those best matching the profile and qualifications required for the traineeship. On this basis the Selection Committee can invite the selected candidates for an interview.

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

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

4. Engagement & conditions of traineeship

Engagement for a traineeship will be decided by the Institute’s Director on the basis of a reserve list of candidates proposed by the Selection Committee. 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 Institute'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 €750. While a travel allowance will be provided, trainees however will have to make their own health insurance arrangements.

Applicants are advised to read Director’s Decision No. 42/2013 since it contains relevant information with regards to traineeships.

5. 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 shall be 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 in line with Regulation (EC) N°45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data.

6. 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 is Lithuania's capital with an estimated population of just over half a million citizens. Lithuanian summers are sunny and warm with an average temperature of +17 C. Winter is white and generally cold with average temperatures that hover around – 4 C.

In addition to ample green spaces, it 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. A university city since the Middle Ages, Vilnius 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. In addition to hosting a number of international schools, it has a well-developed infrastructure and ambitious future plans.

Further information is available here: http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/en/tourism.

^[1] Established 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)

^[2] The traineeship may exceptionally be prolonged by the Institute’s Director.

^[3]The countries that qualify are Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia which are eligible for all components of IPA.

^[4] For a list of minimum national diplomas see Annex 2 Decision No. 2011/765.