Writing for (y)EU » traineeship

E-leap forward

Frank — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:53:06 +0000

It’s a simple story about now and then. Then it was early 2009 and I was doing my traineeship at the very same unit where I now, almost three years later, started to work in full position. During this period of time Web Comm has enlarged its grip of using online mediums and I feel that my luggage will be filled with some new expertise.

I can recall when the idea of promoting EP via social media was a new hot topic in the unit. Those days Obama had its successful web campaign and Web Comm was eager to follow.

Team of stagiaires, we were responsible for series of election stories promoting EPs elections of 2009 and one of the stories was even dedicated to social media networking and to Obama's campaign.

I think I’m not totally wrong when saying that the idea of creating EPs own Facebook account was then also quietly boiling. People were considering how to serve this idea on higher level to get permission.

Obviously EP has now its Facebook account and not only – there’s active Twitter in all languages, accounts in Flickr, Youtube, etc. And this blog was there already three years ago – being like an example of how up to date is Web Comm in a governmental system like EP.

Around 0,3 million likes in Facebook, frequent daily updates in Twitter, Flickr account with notable archive: I see progress. And I can hear people saying that we have to be in line with whatever modern social networks there will start flourish. (Another interesting question: is social media developed into a more stable phase or is it still going to grow and change in rapid way. But this is to be discussed for someone else.)

Today there's social media teams in the unit and more specialized people are dealing with special (web)projects. As the unit has gathered some expertise during the last three years I feel that I will get a sip from it. I modestly admit that I like it.

Is there life after a stage?

Evita — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:59:54 +0000

I have never been a trainee. Like many of us I “had” to do a stage when I was at university, but, as at that time I was already working, my working place also became my “stage” place. Not that it is a bad thing.. It was just that way things were. However I feel that I have never experienced the life that I see our trainees have – entering a totally different world, for most of them – in a totally different country, and enjoying it fully. Making new friends from all over the world and introducing everyone to their world.

What I wanted to know was how they saw this experience. And what were the next steps for them, what were the next adventures that they had embarked upon. That is why one day I sent out an email to all the trainees that we’ve had since I’ve worked in WebComm and received quite a few answers.

Here come their stories, all of which tell me that if you have a chance to do a stage outside your country, you should go for it. It makes you see the world from a different perspective.

Lelde

After getting married couple of months ago, she is continuing her path in private business. Her traineeship was a way of deciding whether she would like to work in a governmental institution or take the road of the private sector. She chose the latter and has not regretted that (that is not to say that she didn’t like being with us, of course… :)

For her the traineeship had the beauty of relationships: the people she had her traineeship together with and also the WebCommers, the moments shared were full of laughter, conversations, creativity and hard work. She said that even now the first thought she has in the mind when she thinks of us, is that WebComm has organized a surprise goodbye breakfast in a nearby coffee shop.

(ed. here’s a great post Lelde co-wrote about being a trainee in the Parliament published on the day she left.)

Roberta

She is Italian. She has red hair. And she can get into places when even experienced journalists could not and get that interview that nobody else got…Now she lives in Australia and is a freelance journalist. Just after the traineeship she got married (the proposal was done during her traineeship. Just like with Lelde, actually) and her husband was moving to Australia, so she moved together with him.

She wrote that: “the internship was very important to me and it allowed me to see how the EP works. In another life – without any Australian planning – I would have tried with all my efforts to stay there, maybe working for some politician as Brussels is a sort of heaven for journalists. You don’t have to move around following people or stories, because they are the ones coming to Brussels by themselves.”

Ivana

She is Slovak and gave us all (or at least some of us) nicknames (some of them are still stuck, by the way). After she left Brussels she got a job in Slovak Marketing Agency working on sports events, organizing them and taking care of VIP people such as: Anna Kournikova, Thomas Muster, Michael Stich and others and aiming to climb the career stairs in this area.

The traineeship has helped her to realize how important the social environment at work is, how important it is to have equality, respect and other crucial working values.

She is not saying that she’ll stay in Bratislava for ever. She is instead open to all kind of future possibilities.

Chiara

Half Dutch speaking Belgian, half Italian, fluent in at least 4 languages, Chiara is now living in Burundi and working for the Belgian Development Agency (BTC), as a junior assistant in Bujumbura. This was a choice made even before the traineeship in the Parliament, so the two have nothing to do to each other.

However, she said that “she has realised in what a luxury situation she was working in the WebComm. All the coordination, fluid cooperation among colleagues and leading capacities of a boss(es) are non-existant in Bujumbura. That makes working life quite difficult, and my patience sometimes exploding.

I try to cheer up myself by thinking “it’s all part of a learning process”. However, I don’t always succeed. In short, please treasure your unit and keep it dynamic and enthusiastic like I found it!”

Dan

When Dan was leaving us, our editorial coordinator Thibault was sure that we don’t have to worry about him. And he was absolutely right. Dan had got tired of being “just” a journalist – 12 years have been enough for him. So, he invented a new occupation for himself which was hiding under a name “Media Strategic Consultant” (he is full of ideas, indeed) which in practice meant that he offered fresh ideas on how to catch media attention (being a journalist helps a bit, I guess…)

He had no plans to go back to Brussels and yet one day he was offered to do so. Now Dan is back with us in WebComm (a fact that he loves) but only now his title is “social media producer”. Fancy, right? He says that the title alone in the social media world has put him on a level where he is getting invited to all kind of groups, forums and places where the conversation takes place. But above that he is happy to be a part of the WebComm again.

(ed. Interested in Dan’s back story? We loved this post he wrote during his traineeship)

Rafaela

As the first thing Rafaela mentioned that she remembered how persistent she had to be to get the traineeship- her application was not accepted twice and only the 3rd time had the lucky charm. Rafaela was in the WebComm in the period when the 2009 European Parliament’s elections took place and she feels happy that she was there when the EP started using the social media platforms as she is a strong believer in “informing the citizens about their rights and opportunities in order to increase the level of conscientious participation in civil society”.

Rafaela says that: “Translating complex EU policy jargon into a form that the “common citizen” understands brought altruistic rewards. But after this experience it was clear to me that I wanted to stay in Brussels! Portugal is nice, I know… once you “taste” this “European-multicultural-life-and-work-style-atmosphere” it is difficult to ever turn back … So, here I am… still in Brussels and working for a political communications consultancy as a Senior Consultant in Media Relations. My career is already reaping the rewards for the experience that I had.”

Lyuben

Self-Presentation Tweet: Lyubo Tyulekov, an ex WebComm trainee, last year law student.

After the end of the traineeship he went back to the academic life in the Netherlands – “back to school, back to reality”, as a friend of his likes to say. Lyuben says that “the time spent in the Parliament… gave me the chance to meet a lot of new and interesting people, work in an international environment, but most importantly – get more familiar with the decision making process at a European level from inside, something every European law student (like me) would get pleasure from.”

“In a “self-presentation” blog that I published more than a year ago I wrote that it was a matter of honour and privilege for me to be part of … the Parliament and a cool, fresh unit like Web Communication. Now, almost one and a half year later, I completely stay by my words!”

10 things (and more) we learned doing this traineeship

Indre — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:03:02 +0000

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…)

************************************************

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.

Make your step on an unknown path

Martina — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:08:50 +0000

A few days ago I was discussing with my colleagues about how and why we came to Brussels. I filled in my application for auxiliary agent (temporary limited employment) the very last evening before the deadline. I found it by accident on some Czech government page.

One little paper can change your life

Few weeks later I received a phone call from the personnel service of EP asking whether I want to come to work in Brussels for a WHOLE year! And I hesitated. My law studies were just at the halfway stage and I was having one of the best times of my student life. In the end I have decided to come for a “trial” year. A “stage” in the EP would always look good in my curriculum, n’est-ce pas?

I made this decision 6 years ago. Did those years bring me anything special? Hmm, let me think! I have settled my home in Belgium, got married and had a child, finished my studies. I worked in 3 different services within EP and always learned a lot and had a great boss. I met two presidents and a Pope. I have seen the Dalai Lama, the UN Secretary General, the Queen of the Netherlands and tens of other personalities from all over the globe. I have touched a Stanley Cup trophy. But most important I meet and talk literally daily to colleagues and friends from 27 different European countries. And doing this everyday for so many years just has to open your eyes, unlock your heart and enrich your soul.

I have touched a Stanley Cup trophy…

We posted on Tuesday an article on EP front page about Parliament’s traineeship programmes and how they influence the stagiaire’s life and career. The other day I met a guy who used to be a trainee in our unit few years ago. Well now he works as an expert in president Buzek’s cabinet. I always knew he is the bright and intelligent one, but this in not a bad start of career for a 30 years-old guy at all!

It’s time to make my point. What I am trying to say here. It’s always worth it to fill in some application for whatever you want or dream of. You never know how thing will end up and where a brave step on unknown paths might bring you.