In 2007, Dorothy Leys spent three months as a stagiare at the European Parliament in Brussels.

How did you get the internship at the EU?

I applied for a stagiaire position which became available in the office of Sharon Bowles, the Liberal Democrat MEP for Southeast England.

Was it something you were actively looking for, or did you just chance upon it and think, why not?

No, I was actively looking for an internship with a Liberal Democrat MEP so I was really pleased when the vacancy came up. At the time I was working in the EU department of the Department for International Development, and had also previously completed an internship with Liberal Democrat MP Jo Swinson in Westminster, so I wanted to build on both these areas of experience. And also to try living in another city for a while.

Have you always been interested in politics?

Yes, at least I’d had strong views about politics for a long time and I loved the political history I studied at university. But I didn’t always want to work in politics. When I was younger I always thought I’d be a teacher- I still think teaching is the most worthwhile thing you could ever do, but it turned out not to be what suited me. Now I love the fact I can incorporate what is a genuine personal interest into my working life.

Did you have an interest in European politics prior to living and working in Brussels?

Yes I found the EU fascinating but I was quite clueless about how it all worked, as I discovered when I started working at DFID- the EU systems are very complicated. I think perhaps the only way to completely understand how the institutions operate is to go and work in Brussels. Not that I am suggesting I understand everything now! Not by a long way.

What was your role as a stagiare? What kind of work did you do?

Sharon already has an amazing Assistant, as well as an office in the UK. My role was to handle Sharon’s diary in Brussels, including arranging meetings and events; to share the burden of casework with the UK office, corresponding with Sharon’s constituents, and to write press releases and liaise with journalists. I also completed some discrete research projects, including writing a Written Declaration (a bit like the EU equivalent of an Early Day Motion), creating briefing papers on various topics and writing a speech.

What were the best and worst parts of life as a stagiare at the EU?

I loved my time there, the work was varied and fascinating, I met so many lovely people and Brussels is an amazing place to live- its reputation for being boring is extremely unfair! I could easily live there long-term but I missed people back in London too much - that was the only downside to my whole experience I think.

What advice would you give to students or graduates looking in this direction?

I guess it can be hard, when you haven’t got experience, to get your first job – but that’s the same in all industries really, and you just have to keep trying! Certainly if you want to get a proper paid job in politics then it is almost a given that you have to do an internship (in my opinion). What’s good about being a stagiare is that you get paid while you do it – unlike the equivalent in Westminster.
I’d also advise people not to be worried! I found people in Brussels extremely helpful and friendly; the support networks are extremely strong! I didn’t speak much French, for example, but everyone was understanding and it really wasn’t a problem at all.