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General Information about Traineeships at the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)

1. Introduction
2. Selection Procedure
3. Timetable
4. Advice

1. Introduction

The Office organises traineeships twice a year, lasting five months each, for young university graduates of Member States of the European Union and for a number of nationals from candidate countries and third countries. These traineeships consist of work experience in one of the services of the Office. They commence on 1 February (Spring training period) and 1 September (Autumn training period) of each year. Each application should make reference to the training period immediately following the application. It is difficult to give an exact description of the type of work given to trainees, but the traineeships shall aim principally to:

• provide training in industrial property and more specifically in trade mark law;
• extend and apply knowledge acquired in the course of studies or working life;
• provide practical knowledge of the working of Office departments;
• enable trainees to acquire personal experience through the contacts they make in their everyday work.

Description of posts of the last selection procedure

Click here to obtain access to Decision ADM-06-26 on traineeships offered by the OHIM to young university graduates, which will give you some basic information.

For PDF files, a viewer (Acrobat Reader) can be downloaded free of charge from the Adobe Systems website.

Since the Office generally receives a high number of applications, but only has approximately 10 places available for each training period, it is important that you understand the selection procedures and fill in the application form correctly. Make sure you read Decision ADM-06-26 carefully, because all applications, which do not meet the criteria set out will be rejected.

It should also be observed that it is recommended that applicants have knowledge of Spanish since this will assist the trainee to integrate.

We hope that you will find the following information and advice useful.

2. Selection Procedure

Once the office has received your application form along with annexes you will exclusively receive an automatic acknowledgement of receipt specifying your candidate number. This should be quoted in all communications with the Office. Eligible candidates shall be selected on the basis of their qualifications and any previous professional experience and with regard to a degree of geographical balance.

For any further information regarding the selection procedure, please refer to article 3 of decision No ADM-06-26.

Please note that any application forms which reach the Traineeships Office after the submission deadline will not be taken into consideration.

3. Timetable

The timetable for this procedure is as follows, although there may be changes upon publication of posts in any particular period:

4. Advice

For logistical reasons, the Office is only able to accept applications made using the application form provided for you. It is therefore essential that you use the official application form.

It is very important to enclose scanned copies of university certificates with your application (for applicants who have not yet received their official degree certificate, a statement from their university confirming their degree result is sufficient). Failure to comply with this criterion is the main reason for the rejection of applications.

Please keep a copy of all documents sent to the Office. It is not necessary to send certified copies of your certificates.

It is important that you specify your preferences with regard to the department to which you wish to be attached.

We strongly advise you to read Decision ADM-06-26, which contains all the necessary information with regard to traineeships at the Office.

You can contact the Traineeships Office directly at Bureau.Stages@oami.europa.eu.

For more informal information about living and working in Alicante, you can also consult a useful practical guide created by previous trainees.