Other internships

We sometimes offer internships to:

• students who have completed at least two years (= four semesters) of their studies at a university or equivalent higher education establishment
• recent university graduates

Aims

Interns work as part of a team under the supervision of an experienced tutor with a view to:

• learning about the department's activities
• building on the knowledge they acquired during their studies
• familiarising themselves with various aspects of the European patent system
• gaining first-hand experience of working in an international organisation

Current availability

We have the following vacancies at our different sites:

Munich

Internship in a legal field as a part of your Rechtsreferendarzeit (period of practical training between first and second state examination for law students in Germany)

The Hague

Internship in Internal Communication 

Internship in a legal field as a part of your Rechtsreferendarzeit (period of practical training between first and second state examination for law students in Germany)

Berlin

No vacancies

Vienna

No vacancies

Dates

Internships are generally for a period of three to six months, unless specified otherwise. Please state your availability in your application, if this is other than the dates mentioned in the vacancy notice.

Financial support

The EPO provides interns with a contribution towards living costs of between EUR 500 and 750 per month (on condition that they do not receive financial support from any other official or corporate source). The EPO does not cover any other expenses.

Insurance

Interns must provide evidence of having medical insurance. They will not be covered under employers' liability insurance. The Office covers interns only in its public liability insurance.

Requirements

Applicants must:

• either be enrolled at a university or equivalent establishment of higher education and have completed at least two years (= four semesters) of their studies 
• or have graduated no more than two years prior to the starting date of the internship
• have a very good knowledge of one of the EPO's official languages (English, French and German) and a good knowledge of one of the others
• be a national of one of the EPO member states
• Candidates are required to be in possession of a valid passport or national identity card and produce a certificate of good conduct from their country of residence, issued in the three months leading up to the start of their internship. All candidates are required to complete a security declaration and personal history form.

How to apply

If you would like to apply for one of these internships and you feel you meet our requirements, please use the online application form for the vacancy in question.

After submitting your application you will see a confirmation web screen. You will not receive a separate confirmation notification by e-mail.