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Saturday 27 February 2016

I Want to Work for … an International Organisation


You need to plan this career on a long-term basis: there are few opportunities for new graduates to work in this field other than as an intern or volunteer. Experience, built up in this way or through other public or private sector employers is essential. It is also useful to have lived, worked or studied internationally and to have a knowledge of other languages.
An “international organisation” may be “inter-governmental”, such as the UN or EU, or “non-governmental”, such as a charity or campaigning organisation.

Inter-Governmental Organisations

European Union Institutions

The European institutions employ around 50,000 staff (about 10% of the size of the British Civil Service). About 80% of these are based in Brussels or Luxembourg – many of the others are based in EU offices in member states and delegations in non-EU countries.
There are opportunities for recent graduates as Administrators, Linguists, Assistants and specialists (such as scientists and engineers).

Shortage of British applicants

British citizens make up 12% of the EU's population, but only 5% of the employees in EU institutions, giving good opportunities for UK candidates who meet the skills and second language requirements for these posts. They find it particularly difficult to recruit for law with languages. As much of the business of the EU institutions is conducted in English this means successful UK applicants on the 'Reserve List' (i.e. who have passed the computer based tests  and assessment centre) are 'snapped up' by the institutions and offered a position and hence don't need to lobby for a post.
In order to encourage UK Nationals to successfully apply, a small EU Staffing Unit has been set up in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office eucareers@fco.gov.uk . They give advice on: the assessment centre, preparing for the interview, facilitating groups of applicants who want to meet to improve their language skills, circulating the CVs of successful applicants within their Network etc.
Recruitment generally takes place on an annual basis and is similar to that of the Civil Service. For an outline of EU career opportunities and the selection process see:

Candidates for all vacancies must be competent at least two EU languages (A-level equivalent or above) although English and French are the two main working languages of the institutions. See http://europa.eu/epso/doc/faq_as_pdf_en.pdf for full details of language requirements.
The next general graduate competition will open in the Spring of 2014. As with the civil service fast stream, the application process is tough. However, the rewards are worth it – highly competitive packages, excellent career trajectory, and the opportunity to live and work in a truly international environment, for the most part in Brussels or Luxembourg, but with limited opportunities to work in other European countries and indeed across the world. http://europa.eu/epso/index_en.htm

PROFILE: Administrator - European Union

INVOLVES: Developing & implementing EU policies, involving research, drafting, negotiation, project management, budgeting, and people management.
EMPLOYERS: Principally the European Commission, but there are also opportunities for administrators in other EU institutions such as the Council of Ministers & the European Parliament.
RELATED JOBS: Civil Service Fast-Stream; local government posts related to policy & European affairs; political consultancy.
SATISFACTIONS: European outlook; Using language skills; Personal involvement in development of specific policy areas & decision making; high salary.
NEGATIVES: Bureaucracy; Long-term career prospects may be limited.
SKILLS: written communication, organising, cooperating, analysing & planning
ADVANCEMENT: Good promotion prospects in the early years. Opportunities to attain the highest grades may be slower due to factors such as nationality quotas.
DEGREE: Any, but European Studies, Politics/ IR, Law (especially four-year law courses) & language degrees useful
POSTGRADUATE STUDY: The one-year Master's courses in European Law, Economics or Politics at the College of Europe in Bruges or Warsaw are helpful - there are close connections between the College & the EU institutions.
VACANCY SOURCES: Competitions held annually. Traineeships are offered at six-monthly intervals, beginning in April & September. Apply six months in advance.
TIPS: A six-month traineeshipin a European institution gives valuable experience & helps you to make contacts. Practise for the assessment tests. Work experience outside the European institutions is seen as highly relevant.

Traineeships

The best way for recent graduates to get experience in an EU institution is through a traineeship (still often referred to by the French term, stage). Trainees (or stagiaires) are recruited twice-annually for paid or unpaid work experience placements of three to five months. These are not recruited for centrally through EPSO but directly by the Institutions. Applicants should consider less high profile institutions as many more candidates apply to the Parliament and Commission. Applying directly does mean you have to know what the institution you are applying to does!  If you join as a trainee you can then become a contract agent for up to 6 years and during that time apply for a permanent post as an official.  Another route is for graduates with experience to apply for 'an Assistants' post but it can be difficult to get promoted to an Administrator post.
  • These traineeships were formerly known as ‘stages’ the English word now seems to be more used;
  • Institutions recruit separately for these – there are traineeships in the Commission Parliament, Court etc.
  • Applications open in January each year for traineeships beginning in October and in July/August for traineeships beginning in March
  • Applicants must have their degree – final-year students cannot apply.
  • If you are a current postgraduate student, you can apply before you have completed this second degree as you already have your undergraduate degree
  • Paid traineeships offer €1000 a month plus travel reimbursement.
  • There may also be informal traineeships with the representation offices.
  • The following link can provide more information: http://europa.eu/epso/apply/how_apply/trainees/index_en.htm
  • For an unofficial but informative insight into the traineeship programme and the applications process, see EU Traineeships blog www.ectraineeship.info

Traineeshipsare available at a number of EU institutions, principally at those listed below:

Career opportunities with other EU institutions

An outline of the recruitment process for recent graduates

There are three “Big Recruitments” held each year:

  • Spring: Administrators – policy work, law, economics, etc
  • Summer: Translators and interpreters
  • Winter: Support roles, mostly non-graduate, including finance, secretarial, communication
Final-year students – in any subject – who are EU citizens are eligible to apply for these competitions. The recruitment process takes 7-9 months.

Recruitment is competency-based, using the following:

  • Analysis/problem-solving
  • Communication
  • Delivering Quality & Results
  • Learning & Development
  • Prioritising/Organising
  • Resilience
  • Working with Others
  • Leadership
  • Candidates must also offer at least 2 EU languages. Their first language can  be any one of the official languages, but the second has to be English, French or German.

There are no minimum academic requirements.

All candidates who apply for the graduate programmes take a computer-based battery of numerical, verbal and abstract (=diagrammatic) reasoning tests. These are taken at any one of the EUs 40-odd test centres – candidates can choose the most convenient and don’t have to take them in their home country.
This stage of selection also involves a “situational judgement” test, which is taken in your second language.
The tests are followed by an assessment centre which includes:
  • A case study on the field in question – a two-hour policy exercise using a large quantity of information. The test is of skills, not knowledge and all the material provided is fictional.
  • An oral presentation – 20 minutes preparation, a 10-15 minute presentation with questions to follow. Previous knowledge is not assumed.
  • A structured interview “about you” – you are expected to give competency examples.
  • A group exercise involving discussion, negotiation and reaching a compromise. This is also taken in a candidate’s second language.
  • Practical language tests

The on-line tests are difficult mainly because of the time pressure than the content (they are seen as more challenging than the Civil Service Fast Stream tests). In the verbal reasoning tests it's important candidates don't look for one 'correct' answer as often the correct response is the one which is least wrong.
The assessment centre interview is competency based focusing on: analysis and problem solving, communicating, delivering quality and results, learning and development, prioritising and organising, resilience and working with others. Knowledge of the EU and its institutions can be beneficial. There can be a gap of about 6 months between passing the online tests (which are almost all, apart from the situational judgement test, conducted in the candidates mother-tongue and the assessment centre which is conducted in their second language so candidates have this time to improve their language skills. (For Native English speakers this means their assessment centre will be in French or German).
Most assessment centres are held in Brussels but the oral presentation and structured interview elements may be held in other countries for large-scale recruitments.

At the end of this process, successful candidates are put on a ‘reserve list database’. This is valid for at least one year and may be extended. The selection process aims to balance numbers recruited with anticipated vacancies, so most candidates should be placed within the year.

The database consists of the details of successful candidates (including their application form, which is not used at all by EPSO, and their ‘competency passport’, based on feedback from the assessment process) and is used as the basis for recruitment by individual departments.
‘Lobbying’ departments is officially no longer required, although many individuals still advise said that it is useful to phone the DGs where you hope to work (having done your research first!) to let them know that you have got through the recruitment process and are interested in working for them. Don’t oversell yourself as this can alienate people. The UK Permanent Representation in Brussels gives a lot of help and support to people on the reserve list to enable them to get picked for available positions.
EU also has many opportunities for 'seconded national experts' and are looking for mid career professionals to apply. Current civil servants can be seconded for up to 6 years and there are plans for EU posts to be added to the Civil Service Vacancy website.
The above information is available online at http://ec.europa.eu/unitedkingdom/images/eu_careers_presentation.ppt

Information and advice for British applicants

Other useful information on recruitment into the EU institutions

  • Arboreus Online EU training www.eutraining.eu free webcasts, e-books and advice on the selection process
  • A talk by a graduate working in the DG for Economic and Financial Affairs as part of a SECL “Using Languages” talk is at www.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm (sound file 2)

The College of Europe

The College of Europe, www.coleurop.eu , founded in 1949 and based in Bruges ( Belgium ) and Natolin ( Warsaw ), is a centre of academic excellence preparing individuals to work and live in an international environment. The College of Europe focuses on postgraduate European studies in the legal, economic, political, international relations and interdisciplinary domains. Teaching is through English and French and a good working knowledge of both is an essential condition for admission.

24% of alumni work in the European institutions, while an equally high percentage work in the services sector (i.e. banks, consultancies, law firms), with 10% working in each of the following: diplomatic service, national administrations and academia.

Around 70% of students at the College receive scholarships: many are funded by their national government: See www.coleurop.be/template.asp?pagename=admisscholar for scholarship information.  The application deadline is usually in mid-January each year.

You can download a prospectus at www.coleurop.be/template.asp?pagename=pubbrochure

EU Alternatives

There are many opportunities on the "Euro-fringe" - working in organisations, both public and private sector, who have a presence in Brussels to monitor EU activities and to have an input into the decision-making process. These include NGOs, local government, law firms, lobbying organisations, consultancies, charities, industrial and commercial organisations and many more. The following sites carry details of internships and job vacancies in these organisations.
  • EuroBrussels www.eurobrussels.com links to jobs available and vacancy information pages in most organisations and corporations located in Brussels including European institutions, international organisations, law firms, NGOs and political consultancies.
  • Brussels Jobs www.brusselsJobs.com focuses on non-political expert jobs in the international environment in Brussels . Lists IT jobs, business jobs, office/secretarial jobs, finance jobs, and other specialist jobs in Brussels , for the expat professional.
  • EurActiv www.EurActiv.com : search for EU related jobs and internships in Brussels and Europe . Includes European Commission, International Agencies, NGOs, consultancies, Industry federations, and think tanks.
  • Electus Start www.workinpolitics.com "the essential guide to a career in politics and public affairs in the UK and European Union”

The United Nations

Positions in the UN and its agencies normally require substantial experience and relevant professional qualifications. Although internships of up to 6 months are available throughout the year for graduates without experience, the UN has no provision in its budget to pay interns and all costs involved must be paid by the interns themselves.

Internships

  • International Maritime Organization www.imo.org,  also based in London , runs a small internship programme principally for postgraduate students in fields such as shipping, marine environment, international maritime and environmental law
  • The UN Volunteer Programme www.unv.org places qualified candidates (who must be aged 25 or above) in posts such as administration, agriculture, communication, community development, commerce, education, engineering, environment, health, human settlements, information communication technology, logistics, media and social sciences. Volunteers receive a living allowance, travel costs and other benefits.

NATO

NATO HQ runs an Internship Programme which aims to provide a small number of current or recent students with the opportunity to intern with the International Staff at NATO Headquarters in Brussels in the following areas:
  • Defence Policy and Planning
  • Executive Management
  • NATO Office of Security
  • Operations
  • Political Affairs and Security Policy
  • Public Diplomacy
Internships start in September and March and last for six months. They are paid: €800 per month in 2012. A working knowledge of both English and French is required. See www.nato.int/structur/interns/index.html for full details
For recruitment into NATO at other levels, see www.nato.int/structur/recruit/index.htm Most permanent staff come from a background in the armed forces or civil and diplomatic services of member states.

OSCE (Organisation for Security & Co-operation in Europe )

The OSCE offers unpaid internships, lasting from 2- 6 months, in Vienna and Prague.
See www.osce.org/employment/91 for full details.

NGOs offering internships

NGOs may also have paid positions, as the following ad from a recruitment agency, placed in October 2013, shows:

We are currently recruiting for several extremely high profile NGO clients. We need committed and enthusiastic temporary staff with a strong academic background and a minimum of six months relevant office based experience.
Roles that we frequently work on include:
  • Research Assistants
  • Campaign Co-ordinators
  • Policy Administrators
  • Team Assistants
We need high calibre candidates and are particularly looking for those with the following skills/experience:
  • A high level of IT proficiency
  • Experience of handling very sensitive information
  • A solid administrative background
  • The ability to work in an extremely fast paced environment
  • A second language would be an advantage
The following organisations have advertised internships for recent graduates in the past: please check their websites for current information before contacting them.
Many other NGOs will recruit interns or volunteers, regularly or occasionally, so use the “Useful Links“ below to find out more

Useful Links

Other useful pages on this site include:


International Organisations

 
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