Paid Internship Russian Speaker

Parliamentary Assembly - Council of Europe

Strasbourg, France

Purpose of the internship programme

1. An internship for graduate students is available at the European Conservatives (EC), a centre right-wing political group at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. This internship intends to:

a) increase the intern's understanding of current human rights issues at the international level and give him/her an insight into the work of the Council of Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE); and
b) provide the EC with the assistance and contribution of an outstanding graduate.

2. The relationship between the EC and the intern is one of mutual benefit. He/she is involved, inter alia, in: researching human rights and political issues, drafting analytical papers and reports, providing technical, translation and interpreting servicing of small-scale meetings and general secretarial & administrative support.

Qualifications required

3. The intern will be selected from graduate students or recently graduated students in disciplines related to the work of the Council of Europe. Applicants must have a very good command of Russianand a very good level of English.Knowledge of additional languages, in particular French and/or Ukrainian, will be considered as an asset. The intern must be able to work both independently and as part of a team and possess excellent research-skills. He/she must have proven ability to work in a multicultural working environment and must be able to multitask under pressure. Experience with photography, web design and/or large events is an asset.

Internship dates and duration

4. The EC will only employ one intern at any one time. The internship starts approximately on March 30th 2015 until April 30th 2015, a second term from June 1st till June 30th 2015 and a third term from September 1st till October 2nd 2015.

Conditions of service

5. According to the prevailing French legislation, asylum seekers are not permitted to seek any form of employment, whether paid or unpaid, including internship.
6. Interns are assigned to work with a supervisor who is responsible for providing him/her with a description of duties and a work plan.
7. Internships with the European Conservatives are remunerated. The fixed remuneration is €860/4 week period. Weekend work and overtime (especially during the Assembly week) may be required. No additional payment and/or compensation will be awarded. Interns are not considered officials or staff members of the
European Conservatives Council of Europe. Travel costs arising from travelling at the start of the internship and returning at the end of the internship will be refunded with a maximum of €250 if the intern comes from within the Schengen-area and €500 if the intern comes from out of the Schengen-area. The European Conservatives Group is unable to assist you with acquiring a Schengen visa.
8. Living expenses in France must be covered by the remuneration proposed as outlined in point 7. Any additional costs must be covered by the intern him- or herself or by a sponsoring institution. Interns are themselves responsible for obtaining visas and for finding accommodation.In Strasbourg, interns are provided, upon arrival, with a Council of Europe access pass and general information about the Council of Europe and PACE.
9. The European Conservatives Group nor the Council of Europe accepts any responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness incurred during an internship. Interns must have their own health insurance.
10. There is no expectancy of employment at the end of the internship.
11. Interns are expected to work full-time and to carry out the duties assigned to them. They do not accrue annual leave during the period of the internship. Otherwise they are bound by the same duties and obligations as regular staff members; in particular, all confidential and (un)published information obtained during the internship may not be used by interns without the written authorization of the European Conservatives Group.

Procedure for applying

12. Applicants should submit the following documentation:

• a covering letter in English stating the reason for applying to the internship programme and how the internship fits in his/her future career goals;
• a detailed curriculum vitae in English;
• a standard passport photograph and a copy of the picture page of the passport.

Please indicate in your application if you have or do not have a valid Schengen-visa for the period March-October 2015.
13. Incomplete, late and/or too large (see below) applications will not be considered.
14. Closing date for the application is February 22nd 2015.No acknowledgment will be given. Interviews will take place in Strasbourg, France and possibly in a CIS-Member State (dates and place TBC) Travel costs to and from the place of interview cannot be reimbursed.
15. Due to the large amount of applications, only selected candidates will be contacted.

Address for applications

Mr. Tom VAN DIJCK
Secretary-General
European Conservatives - Council of Europe
Palais - Office 5117 F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex - FRANCE

Or please click here.

Applications are preferably submitted via regular post.
Those submitted electronically should not exceed 2MB.
Larger files will be automatically refused by the mail server.