Secretariat of the Committee on Culture and Education

The Directorate-General for Internal Policies of the Union (DG IPOL) is responsible for organising the work of the Parliament’s committees dealing with the EU’s internal policies, and for assisting Members in the exercise of the legislative, budgetary and oversight powers conferred upon the European Parliament.

As one of the European Parliament’s standing committees, the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) is responsible for:

• The cultural aspects of the European Union, and in particular: (a) improving the knowledge and dissemination of culture, (b) the protection and promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity, and (c) the conservation and safeguarding of cultural heritage, cultural exchanges and artistic creation;
• The Union’s education policy, including the European higher education area, the promotion of the system of European Schools, and lifelong learning;
• Audiovisual policy and the cultural and educational aspects of the information society;
• Youth policy and the development of a sports and leisure policy;
• Information and media policy;
• Cooperation with third countries in the areas of culture and education and relations with the relevant international organisations and institutions.

As an integral part of the Directorate-General for Internal Policies of the Union, the Secretariat is in charge of organising the work of the CULT Committee and assisting Members in the exercise and development of the Parliament’s legislative, budgetary and oversight powers.

In particular, the work of the Secretariat involves:

• Providing independent expertise and (policy) advice to the Committee and in particular its Chair;
• Assisting Members in drafting legislative and non-legislative reports and opinions;
• Organising and following up on Committee meetings, working groups, delegations and public hearings;
• Preparing information notes, speaking notes and letters for the Chair of the Committee and the President of the Parliament;
  Establishing and maintaining contacts with other Parliament services and other public bodies;
• Maintaining and further developing the relations with research institutes, universities, national parliaments, and Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs)/Non-governmental organizations (NGOs). 

During your five-month traineeship – throughout which you will be actively mentored by an experienced supervisor – you will be assigned a wide spectrum of assignments, allowing you to gain in-depth insights into the work and procedures of the European Parliament and the Committee on Culture and Education in particular, as well as hands-on experience in working in a multicultural and multilingual environment.

Your tasks will be both administrative-organisational and analytical and will include:

• Background research for and aiding the drafting of a policy study on “European historical consciousness”;
• Assisting in preparing briefings, background documents and other policy-relevant papers;
• Assisting in organising committee meetings, public hearings and other events and activities related to the work of the CULT Committee;
• Compilation of relevant literature and sources for various legislative dossiers;
• Assisting in preparing official letters;
• Formatting, editing and proofreading of different texts;
• Assisting in drafting legislative texts and voting lists. 

• A motivated and open-minded university graduate with a profound interest in one or more of the areas of competence of the CULT Committee, eager to get a comprehensive picture of both the political and administrative life in the European Parliament;
• You are committed and ready to engage in a mentored traineeship requiring not only a high level of independence and responsibility, but also critical thinking and judgment;
• Your personal skills should encompass accuracy, reliability, adaptability, versatility and a sense of organisation;
• You have a clear sense of responsibility and professional conscientiousness as well as thorough knowledge of English, both spoken and written;
• You are interested in an analytical work and research and keen to contribute to European policy-making as part of a welcoming team that looks forward to actively involving you in its work.