The Schuman Traineeship is the European Parliament's paid five-month traineeship for university graduates. Two intakes run each year (March and October), with placements at the Parliament's seats in Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg as well as in liaison offices across EU member states.
Named after Robert Schuman, the programme is open to nationals of EU member states (and, on a quota basis, candidates from EU candidate countries) who hold a university degree of at least three years and have a thorough knowledge of one EU official language plus a working knowledge of a second. Trainees are assigned to a Directorate-General, a parliamentary committee secretariat, a political group, or a Liaison Office. Day-to-day work ranges from drafting briefings and policy notes to logistics support for plenary sessions and communication tasks. The monthly grant in 2026 is approximately EUR 1,500 plus a travel reimbursement and accident and health insurance. Selection is centralised: candidates apply online via the Parliament's traineeships portal during the published application window, are screened by an inter-DG panel, and are then matched to host services. The Schuman traineeship is the Parliament equivalent of the Commission's Blue Book and often leads on to a CAST, temporary-agent or EPSO route.
Frequently asked questions
- Can non-EU nationals apply for a Schuman Traineeship?
- The programme is primarily open to EU nationals. A small quota is reserved each year for nationals of EU candidate countries and a few other third countries. Eligibility is set out in each call published on the Parliament traineeships portal.
- Where do Schuman trainees work?
- Trainees are placed in Brussels, Luxembourg or Strasbourg at the Parliament's three main seats, or in one of the Parliament Liaison Offices in EU member states. You can express a preference but the final assignment depends on host service capacity.