What to pack

For those starting their traineeship next week, but still waiting to take their flights to Brussels, one thing must be on your mind (standing out from all the 4289472389 others): packing! Indeed, having to fit 5 months of your life in one suitcase is not easy, but we have to be practical and get things done efficiently. Here are some things I am taking into account:

• Take a big suitcase and a smaller one or a backpack with you. The big one you can check-in and the smaller one you can take with you as hand luggage. Then, while the big one can stay untouched under your bed for the whole time you're in Brussels, you'll always have a smaller suitcase/backpack to take with you on the trips or weekend getways you'll certainly do.
• Clothes (and shoes)! They will be 90% of my luggage. I am lucky enough to go living in a studio already fully furnished and equipped, so I basicaly will only have to take my personal stuff with me. As for now it is still cold in Brussels, but it'll get warmer every week (remember we'll finish the traineeship in the end of July), I'll go for the "onion technique": layers! Take light, short-sleeved tops and then on top of them put long-sleeved sweaters, wool cardigans and warm coats. Take skirts and dresses that for now you will wear with tights, but then you can wear them without. Take not only boots, but also shoes that you can wear now already when it's not raining. I am also taking some sportswear for enjoying Brussels' great green areas.
• No beauty products (or at least take just the essentials for the first day). You can easily go to the supermarket upon your arrival and buy them there, rather than filling your luggage with them (as they are heavy and occupy space), with the risk of them getting spilled all over your clothes. All supermarkets in Brussels will have the common hygiene or beauty products that you're used to buy in your country (at least if you're European), so take only with you something that is very special or that you know it's not easy to find everywhere.
• Some other things like a hair dryer, my camera, my computer, my ipod, a big purse, two cellphones (one for the Portuguese number and another for the Belgian one), a notebook and stationary for the French classes, the Moleskine, an umbrella and some photos to decorate a wall will be in my luggage.

Of course that you can always have plans of going back some days to your country and on those trips you can bring/take more things with you, but consider that you may not want to be always carrying things one way and back and that, if you travel low-cost, you'll always have to pay an extra for checked-in luggage, so try to plan things right and take the most of what you need now with you. Visitors may always be helpful to bring you stuff you have forgotten (or to take you that special treat from your country that you have been craving).

 

Another thing (specialy if you're a girl), be prepared for not having so many clothes and shoes with you in Brussels as you have in your home. But, hey, how many of us have a closet full of clothes and end up wearing the same favorites most of the time? This way you'll only take your favorites with you and with the luggage space you have you'll still have plenty of things you can carry along with you.

 

As for other things you may need when you arrive in Brussels, you'll always have the supermarkets and IKEA. The room/studio where you're be living may be lacking some stuff and for little money you can go there and find some things to fill it up or just to get it a more personal look. Some of the things you may even be able to carry with you back home when you return. Just try to think about the essentials for your stay in Brussels and remember you're there for enjoying a new working environment and having fun with the new people you'll meet... if that implies living with less material things than you're used to, just let it be!

After the lobbying: interviews

Further to my last post on lobbying, as mentioned, if you follow those steps (or any others that involve promoting your application next to the EC Units), that shall grant you some phone interviews. In my case, I had 3 interviews for 3 Units in 3 different DGs. For the first two, the procedure was the same: I received a call from an unknown number (please note that all calls from the EC will come from unknown numbers, so try to have your phone always next to you during that phase in order not to miss a call) made by the assistant of the Head of Unit, asking me if they could shcedule me a call with the Head of Unit for a suggested date and time. In both cases they suggested it for the day after in the afternoon.

Before answering the call, be sure to go to a place where there is not too much noise and where you can concentrate on the call, as, if you lobbied to several Units, you have to make sure you understand the first words from the assistant, which will be to identify the Head of Unit on behalf of whom they are calling. If you don't understand it at first (as you may be a bit nervous to know you're answering a call from the EC and sometimes it's difficult to understand the name of a foreign person, told by another foreign person - and all the mix of accents that arise from it), ask them to please repeat it (it's better that you do it rather than not knowing who will be interviewing you on the following day). In both my cases they also mentioned the name of the Unit, so that is easier to understand than a name (and when you have the name of the Unit, you can easily search again the name of its Head). In the third interview I had, however, I received the call directly from two members of the Unit which were calling me on behalf of its Head and the interview started right away.

As for the interviews themselves, they all started with saying that they had received my CV and indeed thought it fitted the work done in that Unit, then they passed on to general questions about myself (what type of work I had been performing in my current job) and then some specific questions about the Unit (why I had applied to that particular Unit, if I had knowledge of the legislation related to that Unit, if I had worked in issues related to the work that Unit performs, if I was interested in working in this work they were developing at the moment - and then they explained me the work they would need the trainee to do). In one of the interviews they also asked me how was my French level and asked me some questions in French. They all finished saying I was on the selected list for that Unit, but that the interview was non-binding and that I had to wait for an official confirmation from the Traineeship Office.

So, while it is a good sign to have interviews, they don't mean you are selected yet and you have to wait for the end of the selection process and for that e-mail from the Traineeship Office which will say if you were selected and, if so, to which Unit you were assigned. However, as mentioned, if you are not called for any interview, do not despair and start thinking you're not going to be chosen: there are many Units that don't do interviews or reply to the lobbying e-mails, yet they read them and choose you without telling you anything about it. So you may even receive a great surprise in the end! The fourth Unit which selected me, informed me of that by response to my lobby e-mail, they didn't interview me.

Finaly, how to prepare for the interviews. From the moment that you choose the Units you want to lobby, it is assumed that for some reason your CV fits them and that you have some knowledge of the work there performed, so you shall be comfortable with answering some interview questions in case you are called without notice. But if they schedule you a date, you have more time to prepare: go to the webpage of the DG and try to find the sections related to the Unit which will interview you. Find about what they have been working on lately, the general resume of their activities, in case it is a law related unit, the legislation that enforms the work there performed, etc. Try to do a basic research on that Unit that allows you be prepared to cover most questions possibly asked in the interview. You can also print some of that information and have it in front of you during the interview, as they may ask you something you're not so sure about and that way you can look in the moment. And, most important of all, don't be nervous and do your best just being you! The Commission staff I met so far was really nice and friendly, so just be relaxed and answer their questions calmly and I'm sure you'll impress them the same way your CV did when you sent them the lobby e-mail.

Moleskine City Notebook: Brussels



Photo by Amazon

The first shopping wish that I had when I found out I was going to Brussels was this Moleskine City Notebook. I had bought the Barcelona one when I was there on Erasmus and thought it was a great catch: you have detailed maps of the most central parts of the city (along with transparent leaves that you glue on top of them and can write there whatever you want without damaging them... great for disoriented people like me to mark where the "supermarket" or a "friend's house" is), a page for the traveling you may do during that period, a diagram of the city's underground, pages divided by sections (such as restaurants, people, places) where you write down the things you find out during your stay and don't want to forget, as well as some blank pages in the end and a paper bag to hold little things (cards, receipts, papers). All of this fit into the usual moleskine black hard cover and the classic elastic. Excellent to keep in your purse and carry along everyday! I ordered mine through Amazon, where I found the best price and the only complaint I have is that it is an edition from 2008, so the underground diagram is not updated. But I printed the current one from the internet and glued it on top of the old one, so now it is as great as any new edition. I can't wait to fill its pages with the good things I'm sure I'll come across with while in Brussels!

Pardon my French!

Some of you, like me, may want to take the opportunity of being in Brussels to improve your French. However, as it is stated in the documentation provided to trainees, "Commission courses are only available to its permanent staff", so this means there is no chance of having language classes in some way linked to the EC.

Nevertheless, it is mentioned that "trainees usually organise language courses amongst themselves with the help of the Liaison/Stage Committee". Additionaly, "most Communes (town districts) and the ULB (Brussels Free University) also organise language courses which are either free or offered at very cheap prices".

Giving these available options, I thought none suited my purpose, which was to give a significant improvement to my French level on the short period of time I'm going to be in Brussels, having the obligation of attending classes on a regular basis and obtaining an internationally recognized certificate in the end.

Therefore, I have decided to go for one of the Alliance Française courses. They have all types of courses available: intensive or extensive, during the day or in the evening, for all kinds of levels. Each session lasts for one month and the next will start on the 4th of March (so you can still sign up!). You have a discount if you book 4 consecutive sessions, which will allow you to take a level test in the end and pass on to the next level. You can easily register from abroad, by making the payment by means of an international bank transfer and filling in the registration form, which can be sent by e-mail. Beforehand, you have to take an assessment test online and the results informing you on your level are sent by e-mail.

Weather clash

In week I'll be moving from this... to this.

Looking for accomodation?

After you get the oh-so-waited official confirmation that you were selected for a traineeship, you will start thinking about the practical stuff regarding your move to Brussels. The most important thing will be the accomodation, which could  also be the one which will provide you some times of stress.

As mentioned, Brussels is quite an international city, full of foreign people living there and with a constant movement of trainees coming and going every six months throughout the year. So you'll have plenty of room/flat options, but a fierce "competition" of other people trying to get them.

Be prepared to pay anything from € 350 to € 600 for a room or a studio, if you're looking for a place close to the EU area (where most trainees live), as well as to pay one or two months deposit in advance. The most wanted comunes are Ixelles and Etterbeek, as those are the closest to the European institutions' buildings. If you're looking for a place from abroad, without having the chance to visit it beforehand (my case), I suggest you to look on the following websites:

• March 2013 Stage European Commission (the group for the current session of the EC traineeship, where room offers are posted daily, as well as where you can find people looking for flatmates)
• Flat board for EU stagiaires (a group where room offers are posted daily)
• BXL A LOUER - bouche à oreilles (a group where room offers are posted daily)
• Stage Committee (the webpage of the Stage Committee, where some room offers are posted, as well as more tips on accomodation)
• Expats (room offers are posted daily)
• Brussels rent (an agency with studios and flats for rent, a friend of mine rented her studio through it)

These are the websites I was consulting daily when I was looking for a place and where I saw the best and most reliable ads. Be aware because the most popular real estate websites are full of scams (such as alleged landlords from France or the United Kingdom which work far away in a boat and are allegedly renting their house from distance... the next step would be to ask you for a transfer of money in order to send you the keys... indeed I got some replies like this!). So, always get suspicious when you see great houses with magazine-like photos for a ridiculously low price.

My other advice on finding accomodation would be to tell everyone you know who is in Brussels or knows people in Brussels that you're looking for a place, because through these contacts you'll always find someone, who knows someone, who knows someone (etc...) that may be leaving a nice room or who has the contact of a landlord and then you found a place! Either such person may be keener in renting a room to someone they have a reference about, as you also have a reference about such person and are more protected from getting scammed or from having a bad experience. Even though you may get a reference from someone who is in Brussels but that you don't directly know, ask them for help anyway, as they probably passed through the same process like yours when moving and so will be glad to help. Also, if you know anyone who has been a student in the College of Europe, or who is working in the European Commission, ask them to forward you the room ads they receive daily in their mailing lists. You always find some great offers there as well.

Finally, don't be shy to ask your traineeship adviser/the assistant who called you to schedule an interview during the selection process/your file manager/the Head of Unit who you changed some e-mails with if they know something about rooms for rent or flats to share. Most of them are really nice people who are willing to help out a trainee and have many contacts in Brussels. And, guess what: that's how I found my place to stay!

A short guide on lobbying

Lobbying: to do, or not to do? That is the question.

Everywhere the traineeships are being discussed, the lobbying issue raises. In my opinion, don't hesitate, do it! I have done it during the selection process for the European Commission traineeship, everyone else commenting in the internet forae that I have consulted during that time was doing it, everyone I know who did this traineeship in the past did it... so, don't think too much about and just accept that you have to do it too. It's inevitable!

As for the European Commission traineeship, here's a step-by-step description of what I personaly have done:

1st step: once you have sent your application, there's not much you can do until the selection phase approaches. But you can prepare the lobbying which you are supposed to do once you know you have been pre-selected.

2nd step: go to the EC website and check all the DGs that exist and, within them, all of its Units. As you you will see, there are plenty of them, so check the organizational chart for each DG that appeals to your interest.

3rd step: choose the Units that interest you and find the contacts of their Heads of Unit / Deputy Heads of Units. In the organizational chart for each DG you will normaly find these persons' names and then it's easy to find their e-mails (even though they are not displayed online). All e-mails from the EC are construed the following way: firstname.surname@ec.europa.eu. You can also google the person's name followed by @ec.europa.eu and usualy you'll find an official document from the EC which will have their complete e-mail address among the results.

4th step: prepare an e-mail adapted to each Unit, to be sent the persons mentioned above. The e-mail that I sent had the following wording:

Dear Mr. *,

I was pre-selected as a Blue Book trainee for the traineeship in the European Commission starting in March 2013 and am very interested in taking part of it in the * Unit. I am a * years old *, with interest in *, having worked in that area of practice for the last * years in *. As such, a traineeship in your unit would be of great interest for me and I believe I can contribute to it with both my academic knowledge and my previous professional experience, both of which perfectly suit the work there performed.

Please find enclosed my CV for your reference and let me know if you need any further information. I am available for a phone or Skype interview, as you may deem convenient.

My contacts are:

E-mail: *

Telephone: *

Candidate number on Blue Book: *

I really look forward to hearing from you, as it would be a privilege for me to work in your team.

Thank you and best regards,

Mariana

5th step: attach your CV. In this case, I have made a shorter version of my CV (just one page), I didn't send it in the European format.

6th step: have all those e-mails saved in the "drafts" folder and ready to be sent immediatly after you receive the confirmation from the Traineeship Office that you were pre-selected. It is quite important that you are fast to send them after being pre-selected, as many Units are very quick on choosing their trainees (and you have to imagine that hundreds of other candidates are doing the same as you).

7th step: wait :) for answers and phonecalls. In case you don't get an answer from an Unit within the first or second weeks, you can insist with an e-mail of this type (I did so):

Dear *,

I wanted to confirm that you received my e-mail below and ask you to consider my application for the selection process, in case your Unit is hosting a Blue Book trainee for the next session. Do not hesitate to contact me regarding any clarification you may need.

Thanks and best regards,

Mariana

Et voilá, that's it! With some luck in the middle everything will work out and soon enough you'll have some contacts and interviews. But, if you don't, do not despair and start thinking you're not going to be chosen: there are many Units that don't do interviews or reply to these e-mails, yet they read them and choose you without telling you anything about it. So you may even receive a great surprise in the end!

As for me, I selected several Units in which I was interested to lobby and 4 of them told me I was on their selected list (with 3 I had phone interviews and one only an e-mail reply), but that I should wait for the official confirmation from the Traineeship Office. Apart from that, I got many nice answers from other Units, either saying that their Unit was not going to host any trainees this season, or that they had already picked another trainee. I would say I got a reply from 90% of the Units I lobbyied to and everyone was quite nice, so I haven't got any single bad reaction to the lobbying.

In the end, I was selected by the first Unit which interviewed me (just one day after I got the confirmation that I had been pre-selected, so also just one day after I sent the lobbying e-mail). The rule here is "first come, first served", so whichever Unit reserves you first on the Blue Book, that's the Unit which will "take" you.

Good luck to everyone who is applying!

Filling the application

Every twice a year, when the period for submitting applications for the EC traineeship opens, lots of people eager to get a trainee placement will log in to try their luck. Here's my experience about this moment and how I have handled that process.

First, you should simulate you're going to apply, just to get a look at how the application form is, to then plan how to fill it. You should then think carefully at what parts of your CV are more relevant to this traineeship opportunity and plan to include them in the form. Also, regarding the questions you can elaborate on, you'll have limited characters for your answers, so you should better draft your answers first on a Word document, correct any mistakes and compose an answer already fit for the space limitations you're imposed.

Nevertheless, as for the motivation itself, I wouldn't worry so much about it. I have been told that those sections of the application form are just for the EC staff who is assessing the applications to see if the candidates have a good level of English and if they can articulate their ideas right. The pre-selection for the Blue Book is made by nationals of each country, that assess all applications coming from that country and that will rank them based on academic background, languages and professional/international experience... not caring so much about what you wrote as motivation. This part may only have some relevance once you're in the Blue Book and are being searched by the Units (it may happen that they search for a word that comes up in your motivation answer... or that they find your profile any other way and want to read what you wrote there). 

During the application phase there's not a lot you can do, except putting most of your CV into the application and hope that you can be among the "best" of your nationality in that session. Once you are pre-selected and get into the Blue Book, you can increase your chances by following the lobbying tips I suggest.

As a reference only, I am posting below my answers at the time (August 2012) to the questions you can elaborate on (bear in mind these made sense giving my profile).

General reasons for applying 

Currently, I am preparing my admission to the Portuguese Bar Association, which I expect to successfully conclude in the end of 2012. During my lawyer’s traineeship I have been working in one of the leading law firms of Portugal, where I provided legal assistance to several international companies and dealt with the daily issues that arise from their business practice. In several operations and activities I participated in, I had to deal with European issues (namely, while drafting contracts, performing research, analyzing documents and advising clients) and that is an area in which I would like to focus more and improve my knowledge. Through my previous international experiences and given my love for traveling, I always learned something new from the contact with a different reality and with people from different backgrounds, always feeling I was being more challenged in those situations than if I had stayed at home in the environment I am already comfortable with. So I would certainly enjoy the opportunity to live abroad again and gain work experience within and European institution, related to my field of study and work, but that would allow me to have a change from what I have been doing professionally over the past two years, so as to broaden my horizons while enhancing my career profile and improving my language level. This would be an opportunity for me to explore different working methods, dealing with different people from various nationalities and practice the knowledge I gained at university and at the work experience I already have, improving it in all possible ways. Plus, I am very fond of the European Union and the ideals inherent to its creation, so it would be a honor to work in one of its “hearts” – the European Commission – and be able to participate in some way in one of the centers where everything happens and where the “bricks” for a more united Europe are set upon each other everyday by everyone involved, with me being one of those persons. 

Type of traineeship 

I am applying for an Administrative Traineeship 

Preferred employment area: 

Legal 

Motivation for the choice: 

I have a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in law and have been working in the past two years in one of Portugal's top leading law firms. Currently I am preparing my admission to the Portuguese Bar Association, which I expect to finish in the end of 2012, so when the traineeship starts I will already be a qualified lawyer. So, given my academic and professional background, I understand the Legal area of the European Commission is the most adequate one for me to perform this traineeship. 

Suitability for the profile: 

I have a solid academic background achieved in Portugal's top Law Faculty, with an one year experience in a Spanish Faculty as well. I have relevant professional experience in the area by working in a law firm. Additionally, I have great soft skills such as good communication and ability to present my ideas in a fluent and confident manner. I relate to people easily and am able to adapt quickly to new surroundings and situations. I have learnt to work towards, and achieve my aims with great commitment and perseverance. I am very organized and able to handle multiple projects at the same time. I feel comfortable both working within a team environment and on individual tasks

Welcome!

Welcome to my website about all things trainee! Here you will find personalized insight from a current trainee in the European Commision about how to get your traineeship in Brussels, how to prepare your move to the European capital, what can you expect from your new life and what can you do in Brussels in your free time.

For more detailed day-to-day info about life in Brussels (restaurants&bars, shops, events, traveling, parties, culture, music, fashion, photography... and much more) please check the topics of this website in the column on the right.