Internship Programme 2023 | European Union High Level Advisers’ Mission

REGULATION OF THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME

INTERNS’ PROFILE

Internships will be available for:

last-year students of the first cycle of higher education (3^rd or 4^th year, depending on the specialty) who are in their final year of studies when applying to the programme, i.e. will have completed the first cycle by the time the internship starts;
master degree students (1^st or 2^nd year of master studies), and
recent graduates.

The age limit of potential interns is 30 years old at the time of application to the Programme.

Internships will be granted to citizens of the Republic of Moldova, regardless of the country where they undertake their studies – in the Republic of Moldova or abroad.

Other requirements the interns should meet, include:

Fluency in Romanian
Advanced knowledge of English (at least B2)
Active involvement in extracurricular activities, active civic position
Good academic results (based on the average of received applications)
Motivation for a career in civil service in the Republic of Moldova

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DURATION & PLACEMENT

The duration of the internship is of two months, indicatively July – August.

Interns will be placed in central level public institutions, indicatively those where an EU HLA is serving. They can also be allocated to institutions with no designated EU HLA, but still being under the mentorship of an EU HLA, should there be a confirmed interest on behalf of the institution and relevance to the EU HLA intervention sectors and/or EU – Republic of Moldova negotiation clusters topics.

Interns will be guided in their daily activities by the EU HLAs and the staff of the hosting institution. Indicatively, an EU HLA will be mentoring a number of 3 interns.

The internship is designed as a full-time activity, with an involvement of 8 hours/day, with physical presence. Part-time participation in the Programme is not accepted.

TOPICS OF INTERNSHIPS

The internships will be centered around the topics of EU – RM relations, and namely, this year, will be divided according to the Clusters of Negotiating chapters, as follows:

Fundamentals Cluster (Judiciary & fundamental rights; Justice, freedom and security; Public procurement; Statistics; Financial Control);
Internal markets Cluster (Free movement of goods; Free movement for workers; Company law; Intellectual property law; Competition policy; Financial services; Consumer & health protection etc.);
Competitiveness & Inclusive Growth Cluster (Information society & media; Taxation; Economic & monetary policy; Social policy & employment; Science & research; Education & culture; Customs union etc.);
Green agenda & sustainable connectivity cluster (Transport policy; Energy; Environment & climate change);
Resources, agriculture & cohesion cluster (Agriculture & rural development; Food safety; Regional policy etc.);
External relations cluster (External relations; Foreign security & defence policy).

Applicants will indicate 1 – 2 priority clusters in their application file; the Selection committee, should the places for a specific cluster be filled, has the right to propose the allocation of the intern to a cluster other than the one indicated by the applicant.

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SCHOLARSHIPS

Internship scholarships will be offered to a maximum number of 120 interns throughout the project implementation period , i.e. indicatively a max. of 60 each year (2023 and 2024, accordingly). Additionally, should there be a higher number of potential interns and a confirmed interest and availability of hosting institutions, cost-free internships can be granted.

The scholarship will not exceed the entry-level salary of a civil servant, indicatively, 200EUR/month, inclusive of taxes according to the local legislation. The payment will be performed monthly at the end of each calendar month in local currency (MDL) at the exchange rate of the National Bank.

The scholarship will be payable subject to a full-time involvement in the Internships Programme, proved by a filled-in Timesheet with a brief description of activities, signed by the Interns and the corresponding EU HLA (mentor). The scholarship for the second month will be payable subject to a Timesheet accompanied by a Final Report.

APPLICATION

deadline: 4 June 2023

The application will consist of a CV and motivation letter, including 1 – 2 priority topics, in English, as well as a proof of being enrolled in an academic institution (or diploma in case of graduates), submitted electronically to stagii@eu-advisers.md, with the word ‘Internship’ in the subject line, by the deadline: 4 June 2023. Applications submitted after the deadline and/or incomplete applications will not be considered. Short-listed candidates will be requested to provide proofs of their academic performance.

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SELECTION

The selection will be carried out in several stages.

The first stage will include a pre-selection process checking that the submitted applications are complete and correspond to the requirements set out in the ‘Interns Profile’. The pre-selection will be carried out immediately after the deadline for applications, in the period of 5 – 11 June.

The second stage of selection process will include an interview with the members of the Selection Committee, composed of representatives of the Delegation of the European Union, the Government, and EU HLA Mission. Interviews will be held in English and Romanian and be centered around topics related to EU integration. The indicative timeframe for the Interviews stage is 12 – 16 June. Interviews will be organised mostly with physical presence, but can also take place online. Members of the Selection Committee will fill in an Evaluation Questionnaire, marking in the grid their assessment of aspects like fluency in English, presentation skills, motivation, knowledge of EU – Moldova relations, knowledge of political, economic & social aspects etc.

Based on the results of the interviews, a ranking of applicants will be made starting with highest scores. Depending on the number of available EU HLAs at that time, the corresponding number of interns will be selected (number of EU HLAs * indicatively 3 = total number of interns selected). Alternatively, members of the Selection Committee can agree on a minimum score which is considered passing, and the number of selected interns will be determined by those reaching the minimum score.

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ALLOCATION TO HOSTING INSTITUTIONS

The Selection Committee will allocate the selected participants to the different hosting institutions, based on their priority topics as indicated in the application files and on their academic (and professional) background, subject to availability of internship positions in the hosting institution and mentor(-s). The Selection Committee cannot guarantee that the intern will be allocated to a specific institution/sector as indicated in the application profile, but will do its best to perform the ‘best fit’ allocations, taking into account the interns’ profiles and the needs of the hosting institutions.

After allocation to a specific institution, the interns may be involved in the activities of a different institution, coordinated by an EU HLA, should there be interest on the intern’s side and availability of mentor(-s) in the latter and provided that a written notification is submitted to the project staff.

ACTIVITIES

Interns will perform activities as requested by their mentor(-s), related to the responsibilities of their hosting institution. Interns cannot be involved in activities not related to the area of responsibility of the hosting institution.

Interns may be involved in joint activities with other interns participating in the Programme, organised by beneficiary institutions and/or project, like round tables, conferences, debates etc.

CONTRACTS

Interns will sign an Internship contract within the project ‘European Union High Level Advisors’ Mission’. In order to sign the contract, interns will provide a copy of their ID and academic record.

PAYMENTS

In order to receive the monthly allowance, interns will have a valid bank account in the Republic of Moldova, in the national currency. They will submit their bank details along with the signed contract at the beginning of the Internship Programme.

REPORTING

Interns will fill in monthly timesheets, briefly describing their daily activities, and will bring the originals of such timesheets, signed by them and counter-signed by their mentors, to the project office on the last day of each internship month.

At the end of the internship period, interns will fill in a Final Report, describing their overall experience and including feedback on its positive and negative sides, as well as suggestions for the improvement of the sector they performed their internship in.

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SCHEDULE

The 2023 edition of the Internship Programme will take place according to the following schedule:

4 May – 4 June – submission of applications

5 June – 11 June – pre-selection of candidates

12 June – 16 June – interviews with shortlisted candidates

19 June – 23 June – notification of selected candidates and signing of contracts

26 June – beginning of Internship Programme

25 August – end of Internship Programme, handing of certificates, festive ceremony

CERTIFICATION

Upon successful completion of two months of internship, and submission of a Final Report, interns will receive a Certificate proving their participation in the Programme.

VISIBILITY

Applicants and selected participants, by submitting their application, agree to be featured in materials related to the Internship Programme: press-releases, social media posts, pictures and videos, interviews etc.