Internships are granted for a minimum period of 3 months and a maximum period of 12 months. Internships, in principle, must be completed in an uninterrupted period with the possibility of a one-time extension, not exceeding 12 months in total.
Yes, interns receive a monthly maintenance grant during the period of the internship. The amount of the grant is determined by the Executive Director of Europol, in principle, on a yearly basis and depends on budgetary constraints and the cost of living in The Netherlands. You can see the current internship grant here.
Admission to an internship does not entail or provide any priority for employment at Europol. However, interns may be recruited as Europol staff members during or after completing their internship, provided they apply just like any other external candidate and successfully complete the selection procedure for the relevant position. Visit the vacancies section of our website for more information.
The internship program aims to provide interns with practical experience and knowledge of Europol's day-to-day work, contribute to their professional development, and promote European integration. Interns work on structured projects under the supervision of a designated mentor. Possible projects could be in areas such as Governance, HR, Finance, Data Protection, Communications, Project Management Support, ICT and many more.
- You must be a national of a Member State of the European Union;
- You must have reached the age of majority in your country of origin;
- You must have a level of education equivalent to completed university studies or vocational training relevant to Europol's tasks. Only diplomas issued by EU Member State authorities or recognised as equivalent by relevant EU bodies are accepted;
- You must possess a very good knowledge of English and a satisfactory knowledge of another official language of the European Union.
- You must not have already benefited from internships or employment exceeding six weeks' duration within any European institution, agency, or body, including Europol.
Note that internships shall not be offered to successful candidates placed on the reserve list who for more than six weeks have already benefitted from any kind of internship exceeding six weeks' duration within any European institution, agency, or body, including Europol or had any kind of employment within a European institution, agency or body (including Europol).
Yes, candidates who are not invited to participate in an internship selection procedure at Europol will receive notification via email.
Yes, all interns must possess sickness insurance throughout the entire period of their internship. Proof of insurance must be provided to Europol before the start date of the internship.
Europol doesn't offer relocation services. However, candidates selected for internship positions will receive a newcomer’s guide before joining Europol. This guide includes information on relocation that might be helpful, such as finding accommodation, understanding the local public transportation system, and other practical tips for settling in The Hague.
A mixture of teleworking (within a permissible distance from the HQ in The Netherlands) and on-site work may be possible depending on the nature of the tasks.
The selection process involves the submission of applications via the online e-recruitment tool on Europol's website. Applications for internships are evaluated based on merit according to the published selection criteria. Shortlisted candidates are invited to a remote interview with a selection committee of at least three members. In exceptional cases, they may undergo written and/or practical tests. The selection committee establishes a reserve list of successful candidates, which is approved by the Deputy Executive Director of the Capabilities Directorate. Interns are appointed from this reserve list by the Deputy Executive Director of the Capabilities Directorate. The reserve list is valid for one year.
Interns are granted two (2) days of leave per complete month of internship and shall benefit from Europol public holidays. In exceptional circumstances, the Head of the HR Unit may grant ad hoc additional days of leave to interns.
Yes. If an intern wishes to terminate their internship before the agreed-upon end date, they must submit a written letter indicating the relevant reasons two weeks in advance of the newly proposed termination date.
If you are placed on a reserve list, it means that your profile has been deemed suitable for the internship project, and you may be offered an internship position should one become available within the validity period of the list, which is twelve months.
In exceptional cases, only justified by the requirements of the internship project, the Deputy Executive Director of the Capabilities Directorate may grant authorisation for the intern to be sent on a mission, on the condition that the mission is of a technical nature and not a representative one.
It usually takes six to eight weeks to finalise an internship selection procedure. This is from the moment an internship project announcement is published on our website until the establishment of a reserve list.
Internships at Europol are planned on a yearly basis. The number of interns depends on budget availability and business requests. So far, Europol has offered an average of 30 to 50 internships per year.
No, there is no age limit.
The purpose of the interview is to assess your suitability for an internship at Europol against the selection criteria as described in the internship project announcement. We recommend reading them carefully before the interview.
At Europol, our internship program aims to provide participants with valuable hands-on experience to apply the knowledge gained during their studies. While our primary focus is on practical work experience, we also offer training opportunities to interns, subject to specific conditions and circumstances.
Europol offers full-time internships of 40 hours per week.
No, you must have completed university studies, i.e., a bachelor, or vocational training diploma, to be eligible for an internship at Europol.