Internship

Internships at the Delegation of the European Union to Japan: Autumn/Winter 2015/2016

The Delegation of the European Union to Japan offers internships torecent university graduates eager to gain working knowledge of the European Union and its relations with Japan.

There are positions available at the Political & Economic, Trade & Projects, Press Public and Cultural Affairs, the Science & Technology Sections and at the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation.

Section profiles of the European Union Delegation in Tokyo

1. Political & economic section

Job-description
The selected intern will work in the political and economic section of the Tokyo Delegation. He/she will make a contribution to reporting to headquarters on political and economic developments in Japan and the wider Asian region. Former examples of reported conferences include: "A desirable course for the new government" by prominent speakers from political, business and academic community, "Will Japan go nuclear", "Two Faces of Asia" by the Asian Development Bank and "Asian regional integration by Learning from Europe and the Euro: The Possibilities of the East Asian Community" by Osaka City University and the European Commission. Further the stagiaire will also have to assist in drafting speeches and papers by the Minister-counsellor.

Profile
- Excellent background in politics and economics, or a very strong proven capacity for one of those fields,

- Specific knowledge of Japan’s economy and/or foreign policy,

- Fluency in English and, if possible, at least a passive knowledge of French are required. Knowledge of Japanese would be an advantage.

2. Trade section

Job-description
Interns in the trade section will work on aspects of EU-Japan trade relations e.g. market access issues and/or Regulatory Issues. A work plan will be agreed at the beginning of the “stage” on the basis of the needs of the section at the time of the training period; this could include the possibility of a research project. The intern will also be involved in regular reporting on trade issues, attending and reporting on meetings, speeches and seminars, and providing research support to the section on the basis of need and personal interest/profile.

Profile
- General understanding of international trade and economics

- Awareness of the Japanese Market,

- Legal or economic background would be an advantage e.g. for dealing with rules and regulatory aspects of trade,

- Motivation to work in a team,

- Fluency in English. Knowledge of Japanese would be an advantage

3. Press, Public and Cultural Affairs (PPCA)

Job-description
The section has a broad mandate, dealing with Japanese and international press and media, public diplomacy, cultural activities (generally in close cooperation with EU member states) and academic cooperation. It manages the Delegation’s networks (universities, EU Associations, EU information centres etc.), its website and social media platform, the production of information materials as well as the planning and implementation of EU public diplomacy and awareness raising events activities in Tokyo and in the regions. An intern in this section will typically be expected to contribute to the conception, design and implementation of PR activities e.g. presentations, exhibitions, conferences as well as to reporting, research and survey activities of the section. . Interns may also be required to assist in the enhancement of relations with our various networks e.g. academic, media and EU Associations.

Profile
- Excellent communication ability with fluency in English and strong writing skills are necessary, mastery of other EU official languages and/or Japanese a definite asset;

- Experience working in a PR/media related environment as well as some background knowledge of Japanese society and culture would be an advantage.

4. Science and Technology section (S&T)

Job-description
The Section of Science and Technology is responsible to create technological and industrial cooperation between the EU and Japan in fields such as aeronautics, renewable energy, natural hazards, rare earth, nuclear safety, healthy aging, internet and cloud communication and many other topics more. The Section is holding monthly meetings regarding S&T and also on Nuclear Safety issues with the EU Member States. It is not necessary that the intern has a scientific background. It is more important to be able to quickly draft reports and minutes of meetings, to have strategic thinking and a quick understanding of complex situations. The selected intern will be expected contribute to notes and reports on research and innovation developments in Japan, to attend meeting at Ministries and Japanese authorities, accompany visitors from Europe, prepare speeches, the logistics of seminars, and provide support to the Section on the basis of needs and personal interest/profile.

Profile
- Interest to analyze research policy backgrounds and their impact in the context of global economic developments.

- Excellent writing and reporting skills

- Good oral communication and an open minded personality

- Fluent Japanese and English language in writing, reading and speaking is of advantage.

5. Internships at the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation

The EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation offers internships to university graduates eager to gain working knowledge in the following policy areas:

- Energy, environment and climate change: emissions trading, carbon capture and storage, green industries, environmental goods, hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles, renewable energies, energy efficiency in buildings, role of innovation and IT to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, etc.

- Trade and Investment: promotion of FDI in the EU and Japan, analysis of current investment flows and barriers, Corporate Social Responsibility, etc.

- Industrial Policy: competition law; development of converging standards; IPR issues; SME policies, innovation policy, etc.Selected trainees have the opportunity to work on the analysis of public policies implemented in the EU and Japan in one of the above mentioned field, with a view to identify best practices, areas for possible future EU-Japan cooperation, and to issue concrete policy recommendations for the European Japanese public authorities.

Objective of internship

The aims of the official in-service training with the Delegation of the European Union are:

to provide young graduates with a unique experience about the daily work of an EU Delegation while learning about the representation of EU interests and values outside of the EU;

 to offer young graduates the possibility of discovering directly the multicultural, multilingual and multi-ethnic working environment of an international organisation such as the EU;

 to offer young graduates the possibility of applying the knowledge acquired during their studies or their early professional life;

 to create a group of young people with direct experience in the work of the EU outside of its borders and who could become future collaborators of the EEAS or other EU institutions;

 to allow EU delegations to benefit from young and dynamic collaborators that can bring new ideas and questions, a renewed enthusiasm and a fresh and candid view about the work of the Delegation;

 to enhance the connection between the EU Delegation and the local academic and University world when trainees are recruited locally;

The European Union, through its official traineeships scheme:

• benefits from the input of young enthusiastic graduates, who can give a fresh point of view and up-to-date academic knowledge, enriching the everyday work of the Delegation of the European Union;

• creates a pool of young people with first-hand experience of and trained in European Union procedures, who will be better prepared to collaborate and co-operate with the European Union in the future;

• creates long-term "goodwill ambassadors" for European ideas and values, both within the European Union and outside.

Period of internship

The indicative period of internship for the autumn/winter 2015/2016 is from 1 October 2015 till 31 March 2016.

These periods may be modified of a case-by-case basis taking into consideration the needs of the Delegation and availability of selected candidates.

How is it organised

Each trainee will have a mentor, who may be responsible for one trainee only per training period. The mentor must guide and closely follow the trainee during his/her internship.

A traineeship agreement will be signed by the trainee and his/her supervisor before the start date of the traineeship. This traineeship will include educational objectives (learning and training objectives) and tasks assigned to the trainee in order to attain these objectives.

Purpose of the training:

• To contribute to the work of the Delegation by applying his/her specific skills linked to his/her educational and university background.

• To acquire specialised knowledge and practical experience of EU policies and the mission, rules, procedures and activities of the Delegation, especially within the field of the section assigned.

• To participate in meetings at different levels and assist with organisational, information, documentation and logistic tasks of value to the Delegation and to the trainee.

Tasks

• Assisting with administrative and logistical tasks, such as organising working groups, forums, public hearings and meetings, compiling information and documentation, preparing reports and answering queries, etc. (excluding any responsibility for financial management, official negotiations and representation).

• Carrying out tasks similar to those which any "Administrator"-category official performs as part of his/her daily office work in order to deliver results, such as participating in unit or team meetings, document handling, word processing, data searching, filing, following up tenders, checking texts, etc.

Specific modalities applicable to the Delegation of the EU in Japan

• Internships are non-remunerated

•Trainees have no contractual or employment relationship with the Delegation.

•Trainees may under no circumstances represent the Delegation in meetings or in any other events.

• For visa requirements please consult the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan ( ). In general the Delegation does not intervene in the applications for visa to enter Japan. In exceptional cases, the Delegation can support an application of Certificate of Eligibility for Cultural Activities to facilitate the visa application.

• The insurance coverage (including medical insurance), travel costs and accommodation are to be paid fully by the intern.

• The intern must register with his/her respective embassy in Tokyo in case of emergency and/or natural disaster

• The duration of an internship is minimum three and cannot, in principle, exceed six months

• During the internship, an intern may have maximum 2 days of leave per month

• At the end of the internship, a report by Head of Section will be prepared for the intern.

• You can apply for an internship in more than one of the Sections of the Delegation, however you will be offered only one position.

Your application

Who is eligible?

•young University graduates who have limited professional experience, which cannot exceed 1 year, or who are starting a professional career. Exceptionally a traineeship may also be offered to students in their last year of University, in particular when the traineeship can be complemented to their academic training.

• you must not have already benefited from previous in-service training (including Blue Book stagiares) or employment (paid or unpaid) with any of the European institution or bodies.

• you must have a very good knowledge of English and preferable of Japanese.

• candidates should be nationals of Member States, pre-accession States or nationals of country where the Delegation is accredited. On a case-by-case bases and when it is deemed to be in the interest of the Delegation a traineeship can be offered to a national of another third country.

Applications

For the autumn/winter 2015/2016 internship period applications must have been received by the Delegation not later than 17 July 2015. Applications received after this date will not be taken into consideration.

How to apply

• Candidates are to select for which section they wish for their internship and submit their application form (enclosed) and Europass CV (model enclosed) to the Administration section of the Tokyo Delegation via e-mail:

• Only application made using the application form will be considered..

The selection process

Eligibility checks

Candidates’ application files are checked on receipt to ensure that they meet the defined eligibility criteria.

The objectives of the eligibility checks are to verify that all declarations made by the candidate are or can be supported by the required documentation;

Any wrongful, false or incomplete declaration will result in the rejection of the application or in the termination of internship.

Interview

The application of the candidates who pass the eligibility checks will be presented to the sections in the Delegation who might invite candidates for an interview (this can be by telephone).

Successful candidates

Successful candidates will be notified and invited to submit the following documents in order to verify that all formal requirements are met:

• copy of passport

• copies of relevant university degrees or certification of the stage of their studies

• evidence of sickness/accident insurance which covers expenses in Japan.