Indre and Lelde were trainees with our team for six months from September 2009. Thursday, 25 February was the last day they were both with us. That morning, editors were surprised and disconcerted to receive a synopsis “for today” in their inboxes. “Hey, this wasn’t in the programme!” went up the cry. Then they read the synopsis and the light dawned. Goodbye and good luck, Indre and Lelde, it’s been great to have you around. (Future trainees read attentively…)

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Synopsis for Today

Meeting this week MEPs from TRAIN committee debated the European Commission proposals to modernize selection procedure of trainees in the European Parliament. They agreed with reporters Indre Liepuoniute (Social Singers Group, Lithuania) and Lelde Krasnā (Liberal Dancers Group, Latvia) that “we have to develop cooperation in the European level” to solve all the problems. We asked reporters to share their thoughts.

5 months in Montoyer building: starter‘s kit

Networking

• Networking. This is the key word we learned here. How? This is your creativity thing, guys…And we don‘t talk about the social networking on web (not yet), but the REAL contacts you make here…
• One office next to yours in the first floor, there are stagiaires of the Copy/paste Unit. Be happy you were not selected for copy/pasting.
• You are in the ground floor where you have neither supervisors, neither other colleagues, try to learn how to manage this freedom. What happens in the ground floor, stays here!
• Go clubbing with other EP stagiaires just if you want.  Choose officials’ parties. Stagiaires are all about fun, officials are about your future here.
• Thursday the Parliament goes to take A beer on place LUX.  No matter that there is no possibility to move, to talk or to breath, you go to PULLMAN. You can just say „Let‘s meet on plux this evening?“
• In Parliament there is one place you can really relax. This is the Library. We will let you find it yourselves. No networking there.

Lelde, Lady and Indre

Working

• This is not what it looks like: Copenhagen and Lisbon are not just the great ideas for travelling. Just the same about Tapas. Ask them.
• Stagiaires are not allowed to ask anything during committee meetings. But you can always try.
• “We must”, “we should”, “we have to”, “to combat”, “to develop” “to increase”, “to cooperate”   – magic phrases you will know by heart after following some debates. Use these as much as possible when communicating, it will always work.
• Another magic word „Strasbourg“(actually this is the city in Eastern part of France). Trip to Strasbourg means more than networking. It means trying to feel „plenary`s atmosphere“. Go to have some coffee in “flowers bar”, try choucroute and don‘t pay for your dinner (in this Unit „trainees never pay for their dinner in STR“).
• Don‘t use the phrase „we are JUST the trainees“, when something bad happens to you… it leads nowhere.
• There are million reasons to remember one’s name. Nice e-mail with your name and surname could be right in time. And sign your mails with your name not “trainee”.

We learned also other formula: 100 CV sent = 1 invitation for an interview.

Lunchbreak

• You are in Montoyer building, but that doesn‘t mean you are „outside“. You just do all the hardest communication work, no matter that you go for a lunch in the central Parliament building and you look like a visitor with your coat.
• In the Parliament canteen you have a reduction. If you want some advice how to manage five dishes for 2.5 Euros, do not hesitate to contact us. If you don’t want to pay at all, free food and drinks can be had at various receptions around Parliament. Check the schedule.
• After lunch you have to go to take a coffee not just because in your building there is no place to drink a real coffee, but more also to feel the atmosphere. Go to Mickey Mouse (it‘s a bar in the Parliament, don‘t ask why they call it like that).
• You don‘t have a kitchen in your floor, but you are always welcomed in the kitchen upstairs. Right, there are still 6 floors which have kitchen. Try first and second. In the first sometimes you have some sweets to „enjoy“. Enjoy!

Future

• Being a trainee doesn‘t automatically guarantee you a MEPs assistant place (think how it is stressful for these assistants to receive all these mails with your CV). But you can always try by sending your CV. We learned also other formula: 100 CV sent = 1 invitation for an interview.

The most important: things we learned about this Unit

• Say „tu“ for Thibault instead of „vous“. He insists.
• You are involved in very large scale of activities here.
• Work starts at 9 (at least) and finishes at 18 (at least).
• They say „write an article as you would write for your grandmother“.
• Face…what? Do not have a Facebook account? Create one, you can delete it after your traineeship.
• If the colleagues editors come to your room, don‘t panic and don‘t switch off your Facebook page. Surfing on Facebook means „working“here!
• At the beginning you could not know smth., but there is google translator..
• If you are really lucky, they could ask you to tweet. This is a sign they trust you. Not everybody can tweet!
• If you are asked to cover debates, this means they trust you even more!
• If your name appears in the editorial schedule, it is getting serious.
• You can always find how to be more creative, even if your task is to find friends in MySpace or to check if MEPs are on Facebook.
• Always take some sheet of paper and pen to the meetings to look professional.
• In the editorial meetings try to look as you understand everything even if some things pass near your ears (update the focus, embed the video….).
• BTW we also developed some specific language code downstairs…if you have any interest in shooting theory, we can help (only for guys).
• You missed the Christmas party at the Head of Unit’s house. Ha!
• People are really nice here. Be nice with them too.

Fact box:

• 5 month of traineeship
• 2 Euros for a beer on Happy hours in Place Lux
• 5 % of sunny days in Brussels
• 11 o’clock Editorial meeting on Fridays

Links:

Welcome to my country (Latvia)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RuNWWdhHSo

Welcome to Lithuania

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQUi2k4ek3E

Traineeship at the European Parliament.