Traineeships - October 2025 to February 2026

Traineeship opportunities for the 2025 October session are now available. A number of our teams are ready to host trainees!

Please consult the list of teams and traineeship descriptions and identify the one that suits you the most. At the end of the application process, you will be asked to indicate your choice. You can only choose one team.

You can find more information about the mission and work of the Council of Europe here.

Our traineeships focus on observing and assisting in:

• research work;
• preparation of draft reports and studies for meetings of experts;
• drafting of meeting reports;
• developing communication content;
• committee meetings organisation.

To make the best selection for you, please consult the task descriptions prepared by our different teams. 

While most of our traineeships take place at Strasbourg, there are a few options in our liaison offices (in Brussels and Geneva).

For a traineeship, you must: 

• be aged 18 or over;
• be a citizen of one of the member states of the Council of Europe;
• have completed a minimum of three years of university study and have been awarded a degree for the first cycle of the Bologna process framework of qualifications for the European Higher Education Area. In addition, traineeships at the European Court of Human Rights also require that you have completed a first year of a Master's degree;
• have a very good knowledge of one of the Council of Europe's two official languages (English or French).

All the above requirements must be met at the latest on the day this vacancy closes. If you do not meet the requirements by this deadline, your application will not be considered.

If you have already been a trainee at the Council of Europe (in Strasbourg or in one of our offices), you shall not be eligible for another traineeship in the Organisation.

• Operational - Planning and work organisation
• Operational - Concern for quality
• Operational - Learning and development
• Interpersonal - Teamwork and co-operation
• Interpersonal - Adaptability

This traineeship session will start on 6 October 2025 and will end on 27 February 2026.

The remuneration in the framework of the official traineeship programme is approximately €640 a month.

Your application will be reviewed by the team you chose and you may be contacted for an interview. You will be informed whether you are selected, on a waiting list or not selected approximately two months before the traineeship starts. 

The deadline for applications is 23:59:59 (CET/CEST) on the day indicated in the General information section of this vacancy notice (see above).

You may find out more information on how to fill in and submit an application on our Frequently asked questions page.

As an equal opportunity employer, the Council of Europe welcomes applications from all suitably qualified people, irrespective of sex, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic or social origin, disability, religion or belief. Under its equal opportunity policy, the Council of Europe is aiming to achieve gender parity in staff employed in each category and grade. At the time of appointment, preference between suitable people shall be given to the person of the gender which is under-represented in the relevant grades within the category to which the vacancy belongs.

Applicants with specific needs are encouraged to request reasonable accommodations at any stage during the recruitment process. Please contact us at [email protected], we will ensure that your request is handled.

The information published on the CoE’s careers website regarding working conditions is accurate at the time of publication of the vacancy notice. Any changes to these conditions during the recruitment process will be updated on our Portal and will apply at the time of the job offer. Our career's website is not intended to be exhaustive and may not address all questions you would have. Should you have remaining questions, please contact us at [email protected].