The ESA Young Graduate Trainee call for applications is just around the corner!
The call for 2023 Young Graduate Trainee opportunities is nearly open! Get ready to apply and prepare your CVs and cover letters ahead of schedule! Find out more about this year's call for applications below.
Open to students in their final year of a Master’s degree in engineering, sciences or business disciplines and to those who have recently graduated from a Master’s in one of these fields, ESA’s YGT Programme lasts for one year (with possible extension to a second year) and offers a unique opportunity to work on inspiring space missions at the heart of European space activities!
The launch of the new opportunities is coming up soon, so here are five important pieces of information on the YGT Programme while we wait for applications to open.
1. Who can apply?
To be eligible for the YGT Programme, you must be:
- a student in the final year of a Master’s degree or a recent graduate in engineering, science, IT or business services.
- a citizen of one of the following ESA Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Nationals from Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia, as Associate Members, or Canada as a Cooperating State, can apply as well as those from Bulgaria and Cyprus as European Cooperating States.
2. What the YGT Programme offers
- A unique professional experience as part of a team of scientists, engineers and business professionals from all over Europe, working together on inspiring space missions in an international environment.
- A great opportunity to gain extensive experience that could open doors to a long-term career within Europe’s space sector.
- A one-year contract (with possible extension to a second year) with 2.5 days' paid leave per month.
- Excellent employment conditions, including a monthly salary exempt from national income tax in ESA Member States.
- Reimbursement of travel expenses at the beginning and end of the contract.
- Expatriation allowance and/or an installation allowance on arrival if you move from another country.
- Comprehensive health cover under ESA’s social security scheme.
The YGT experience
What is it like to be a YGT at ESA? Read about YGTs and their exciting projects in this two-part article (part one and part two).
Join our live information sessions
We have three online information sessions in which you can learn more about the YGT Programme and submit any questions you may have. These sessions are free and open to all, so save the date and join us!
| 25 January 12:00 CET |
Hosted on CareerFairy This information session will look into the various entry-level programmes available at ESA with a focus on the YGT Programme. The online event will also include a Q&A session. |
| 7 February 20:00 CET Join us here (registration not required) |
Hosted on Twitch Current ESA YGTs will join former YGT and host, Corentin Buti, on his Twitch channel La Capsule to deep dive into what it’s like to work as a YGT and for ESA. Hop in the live chat and take part in the conversation. |
| 16 February 12:00 CET Join us here (registration not required) |
Hosted on Webex Join current YGTs as they share the work they do on ESA projects, their own personal experience of the application process and the tips and tricks they learned when applying to ESA. |
3. How to apply to the YGT Programme
- Explore our Young Graduate Trainee opportunities here.
- Select the opportunity that interests you the most and fits best with your academic background and aspirations. Due to the high number of applications received each year, we can only accept a maximum of two applications per person.
- Register and create your candidate profile with your CV and motivation letter.
- Apply! You will be able to track the status of your application throughout the process by logging into your candidate profile.
4. What is the timeline of the selection process?
The pre-selection and interview of shortlisted candidates will take place between March and May, with the final selection made by ESA in June. The date of the take-up of duty is mutually agreed upon by ESA and the successful candidate and usually takes place in September or October.
5. How can I know when the opportunities are published?
Keep up to date with our latest news articles. The quickest way to be informed about the publication of ESA YGT opportunities is to subscribe to our careers news or create a job alert on our recruiting website.
Want to learn more?
Find detailed information on the YGT Programme and answers to your most common questions on the dedicated FAQ page.
Share with your network!
Spread the word on social media by sharing our key visual, information card or flyer for the campaign together with a short text summarising the information (see sample below) plus a link to our careers website, recruitment website or this news article. If you would like to use hashtags, please use #ESArecruits and #ESAcareers.
Here is a sample social media post which you can use:
It’s almost time to apply for ESA’s Young Graduate Trainee Programme! In February, around 100 YGT opportunities in science and engineering, information technology, and business will open, offering recent graduates on-the-job experience in the development and operation of space missions. #ESArecruits #ESAcareers
