Our trainees

Looking back, I see that coming to work at Frontex as a bluebook trainee was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

From day one I was really thrown in at the deep end and had to familiarise myself with a completely new topic for me – the maritime domain. During my traineeship, I was assigned to the Coast Guard Sector and worked on issues like European cooperation on coast guard functions, coordination of partnerships with Coast Guard Fora but also planning of meetings and preparing reports.

Doing a traineeship within the Coast Guard Sector at Frontex means lots of responsibilities and tight deadlines, but first and foremost - an exciting and empowering experience. The five months passed by so quickly! Bu they taught me so much about the work of the European Union at sea – detecting crime and illegal fishing, search and rescue and other activities.

I would recommend it to anyone. The combination of gaining first-hand work experience in European agency while meeting friends from all over Europe is just hard to beat.

I was thrilled when I received the traineeship offer from Frontex as I was familiar with the agency and had an interest in its activities. The experiences exceeded my expectations in every way.

As a trainee in the European Centre for Returns, I immediately got involved aligning the work of the agency to the changes brought about by its new regulation and the development of the European Border and Coast Guard Standing Corps.

Thanks to the inspiring work environment and a variety of tasks I was able to learn a lot about the area of return and improve my competences in report writing.

I'm glad that I am part of a cheerful ‘family’ of like-minded trainees from all around Europe with whom I never miss an opportunity to go out after work. Warsaw is a lively capital where one cannot get bored! I will definitely remember my time in Frontex as one of the most defining periods of my life and I encourage everyone who wishes to experience the unique atmosphere of a dynamic EU agency to apply.

I decided to apply for a Traineeship at Frontex because I wanted to experience what it was like to work for a European agency. I was selected for a traineeship in the Pooled Resources Unit, where I was given real responsibilities from day one. My main task was the distribution of surveillance equipment, ships and cars to the various Frontex operational areas. Working in the Pooled Resources Unit gave me the unique opportunity to improve my planning and coordinating skills and provided me with new perspectives for the future of my career.

The best thing about the traineeship was the people.

It was a wonderful experience to work with colleagues from various national and cultural backgrounds and it was great that they were always very supportive whenever I encountered any difficulties.

Living in Warsaw as a trainee was great. The city is very dynamic, with new bars and restaurants opening up every week. I especially appreciated how green the city was during the summer months and that it is still very affordable compared to other capitals in Europe.

I had a great time in Warsaw and I recommend a traineeship at Frontex to anyone who wants to gain experience in working for a European agency.

I have always been interested in international security and the fight against crime. Previously, I had the opportunity to be part of INTERPOL, which allowed me to expand my knowledge about human trafficking, people smuggling and smart border management. That is the reason I wanted to develop my skills in this sector at a European level, which lead me to apply for a traineeship at Frontex.

During my traineeship, I contributed to the work of the Risk Analysis Unit, assisting with a project focused on the strengthening of the Africa – Frontex Intelligence Community (AFIC). I was treated as an equal from the very first day and was assigned responsibilities related to the correct functioning and continuity of the project.

Warsaw is a vibrant city, constantly evolving with restaurants from all over the globe, a multitude of events, activities and nightlife. In addition, Warsaw is very well connected to other cities in Poland, as well as other Eastern European countries. Coming from southern Europe, I was a bit worried about the Polish climate, but I was surprised to find that winter is manageable, summer is pleasant and Polish people are warm-hearted and welcoming.

My traineeship at Frontex helped me clarify the path I want to take for my professional career and how I have to develop my skills to achieve it.

When I arrived in Warsaw it welcomed me with warm weather and a clear sky. It is my second time in Warsaw and it is astonishing to see how the city has changed during the last years. Its modern appearance is shaped by skyscrapers and new building rising every day. Still, the flavour of the old town is not lost and the spirit of a young dynamic city can be felt constantly. It is a wonderful experience to live in such multicultural place.

When I started in October, I was impressed and overwhelmed by the scope and size of the agency as well of the challenging tasks that all my colleagues need to face every day. I became part of a small and amazing team that had to tackle new challenges every day. I am happy to work in a multinational agency, striving for the benefit of the freedom and security of everyone in Europe.

I decided to apply for a traineeship at Frontex because I was studying political science and always wanted to work in an international and multicultural environment.

I worked as part of the Communications team, helping organise international conferences and events, managing social media, liaising with the agency’s stakeholders and event participants, and organising visits to Frontex by researchers, journalists and students.

The traineeship helped me work on my organisational skills. I wasn't just making coffee or spending the whole day at the photocopier - I was given real responsibility - and discovered I have a passion for organising events and am good at handling stress.  Working with people from different countries taught me to be more flexible and open-minded.  And I really loved the people I was working with - so much so it was very hard for me to leave. Now I'm working abroad, and I think it's thanks to my traineeship at Frontex that I'm not having any big problems adjusting.

I am from Warsaw so I will always love this city. It’s amazing how much it is developing, changing and modernising every day. Forget Paris or Berlin – Warsaw is really a place to be now!

The traineeship gave me more than I expected. I was hoping to gain some practical experience, but in addition to that I gained a wonderful friends that I am still in touch with.

I'm in Strasbourg where I work for the Polish version of the European cultural TV channel ARTE.  I manage social media and the website, ARTE’s participation in Polish film festivals, and liaise with journalists and other stakeholders.  None of this would be possible if not for my experience at Frontex.

I started my traineeship at Frontex soon after finishing my studies at the College of Europe in Bruges. As a trainee for the Frontex Situation Center, it felt like I was in the middle of the action from day one.  The working environment is incredibly dynamic, multicultural and every day comes with new challenges. In other words, you never have time to be bored, which is what I appreciated so much about this experience. 

The workload included a variety of tasks such as media monitoring, daily briefings on open sources, supporting in service operations, and the overall administration of team members and seconded team members, including deployments and trainings.

The traineeship exceeded all my expectations. To this day, I still come to work with a smile on Monday mornings, and leave with a smile on Friday evenings.

As a Trainee at Legal and Procurement unit, every day I worked with a wide range of issues related to EU law. This is the area of knowledge that I like the most and that I studied during my university years. I had a chance to apply my theoretical knowledge in practice, constantly grow and develop when faced with challenging legal questions. I was given a significant level of responsibility from the early stages of my traineeship which helped me to immerse myself in the work of Frontex. I have also gained thorough knowledge of the work of the European Union and its cooperation with EU Member States and non-EU countries in the area of Freedom, Security and Justice.

Frontex is a very vibrant place to work in. One of the highlights for me were the people coming from all over Europe. We share the same values and work hard to achieve common goals.

Taking up a traineeship at Frontex was a great decision. Every day I mastered my legal drafting skills, communications skills and learned how to manage my work and deliver within strict legal deadlines. I would recommend it to anyone who is ambitious and would like to get a taste of the EU environment.