General information

Every year, the Court of Justice of the European Union offers a limited number of paid traineeships in the chambers of Members of the Court of Justice and the General Court of the European Union and in the administrative departments of the Court.

Traineeships in the chambers of Members of the Court of Justice and the General Court of the European Union last for between three and five months. They begin on the first or sixteenth day of the month during the two periods referred to below. Traineeships in the administrative departments of the Court last for five months and start on the first day of the first month of each of the two periods referred to below.

Traineeships in the Court's administrative departments are generally undertaken in the Directorate for Legal Translation, the Research and Documentation Directorate, the Communication Directorate, the Protocol and Visits Directorate, the office of the Legal Adviser on Administrative Matters, the Registry of the General Court or the Interpretation Directorate (for detailed rules regarding traineeships in the Interpretation Directorate, see below).

There are two traineeship periods:

- from 1 March to 31 July (applications to be made between 1 July and 15 September of each year)

- from 16 September to the end of February for the traineeships in the Members' chambers and 1 October to the end of February for the traineeships in the administrative departments (applications to be made between 1 February and 15 April of each year)

Applicants, who must hold a degree in law, political sciences, economics or an associated field or, for traineeships in the Interpretation Directorate, a diploma in conference interpreting, must apply using the EU CV Online application within the above deadlines. Applicants must have a thorough knowledge of one official language of the European Union and a good knowledge of another official language. In view of the nature of the working environment, a good knowledge of French is desirable.

Applicants must not have already undertaken a traineeship (whether paid or unpaid) in another institution or body of the European Union. The grant paid is €1493 per month.

Traineeships are not subject to the tax regime applicable to officials and other agents of the European Union. A contribution of €150 towards travel costs is also made to trainees whose place of residence is located 200km or more from the seat of the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Traineeships in the Interpretation Directorate, which last for between 10 and 12 weeks, are primarily aimed at newly qualified conference interpreters whose language combination is of interest to the Interpretation Directorate. The aim is to enable newly qualified interpreters to be supervised as they perfect their interpreting skills, particularly in legal interpreting, which involves the preparation of case-files, terminological research and practical exercises in a ‘silent booth’. The ability to read French is required. Applicant selection takes place once a year, around 15 September, covering the whole judicial year (applications must be made between 1 July and 15 September of each year). Please note that no hearings are held during judicial vacations.

There is an alternative scheme which makes it possible, in certain circumstances, to undertake unpaid traineeships in the chambers of a Member, at the latter’s initiative, outside of the two traineeship periods referred to above and without it being necessary to apply via the EU CV Online application within the deadlines referred to above. These traineeships are to form part of initial, professional or continued training the timeframe of which is incompatible with that of the traineeship periods. In order for that scheme to be available, trainees must receive a grant, allowance or payment in respect of a traineeship from another source.

 Traineeships at the Court of Justice of the European Union