Earlier today I talked about the work I do as a Young Graduate Trainee (YGT) for the VMC @esamarswebcam on #MarsExpress. In this thread, I'd like to talk more about the YGT programme and other opportunities for early career professionals to get involved with/work for ESA!

So the YGT scheme ( https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Careers_at_ESA/Graduates_Young_Graduate_Trainees) is for people who have recently finished a Masters degree . The initial contract lasts for 1 year (although sometimes they can be extended for another yr, as mine was) and is a full time job working for the European Space Agency

You can apply for the scheme whilst still finishing your Masters, as I did. Every yr in November, ~100 YGT opportunities are published and remain open for a month. They are diverse- working for science, engineering, HR & more- but you can only apply to one, so choose wisely!

At the time, the advice I was given by a friend was to choose a position that I was excited by (so many!) but to make sure it was one that fit with my experience/skills, & I think this was good advice. I went into slightly more detail in this interview: https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Careers_at_ESA/Travel_to_Mars_with_Eleni_Ravanis_YGT_at_ESA

You have to be a citizen of ESA's member states to apply. Bc members each pay a contribution to ESA's budget, countries are assigned staff on the basis of that contribution. So there is a nationality component to hiring- as with any job, some things are beyond your control!

Applicants are then shortlisted & called for a video interview in which qs come up on a screen & you have an allotted time to record a response (this was nerve-wracking for me at first but don't worry, you have time to practise with the technology and get used to things)

After this, applicants are further shortlisted and called for a 2nd interview. When I applied, I was lucky that I got to visit ESAC in person! But I understand this has now switched to a video call interview, with the potential supervisor etc. Then if you're lucky...

in a few months time you'll hear you got the job! But if you don't, that's okay; there are other opportunities to be involved with ESA. If you're a student (from Bachelors up to PhD) you can apply for one of the (costs-covered) ESA training courses : https://www.esa.int/Education/ESA_Academy/Current_opportunities

For example, applications are currently open for the Ladybird Guide to Spacecraft Operations 2020 training course https://www.esa.int/Education/ESA_Academy/Call_for_applications_for_the_Ladybird_Guide_to_Spacecraft_Operations_2020_training_course

If you are currently a Bachelors/Masters student, you can also apply for an ESA internship. These last 3-6 months; they are unfortunately not paid (personally I wish they were, as that would be fairer), but they do provide a stipend to help cover costs. http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Careers_at_ESA/Student_Internships2

Finally, if you are looking for a PhD or a Post-doc, you can also apply to be co-funded by ESA for a 'novel' project idea you suggest. I'm sure many of you have some great ideas https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Careers_at_ESA/ESA_Co-funded_Research

So, tldr; I work as a Young Graduate Trainee at @esa and the YGT scheme is for young professionals who recently obtained their Masters degrees. ~100 jobs get published in November. There are several other ways to get involved with ESA as a student or postdoc (links in thread)!