ELSA Traineeships

The Structure of ELSA Traineeships

Job Hunting

Job Hunting (JH) refers to the acquisition of new Traineeship Providers (TNPs) as well as the maintenance of existing cooperation within the programme. These activities are carried out throughout the year at the local, national, and international levels. Each Traineeships Cycle includes one designated Job Hunting Deadline. 

Although ELSA Traineeships must be offered in a law-related area, the TNPs do not have to be law firms. The general rule is that the TNP must be able to provide legal work of some kind to a trainee. 

PD Officers can freely contact organisations that are located in their respective territory. If you wish to approach an “international contact”, you must, according to the External Relations section of the ICM Decision Book, first request permission of ELSA International. The same applies if an organisation is located in another country, then you must first request permission of the National Group active in that country or ELSA International.

Creating and maintaining a database of organisations and contacts on a national level that is shared with the Local groups is strongly encouraged for proper and sustainable knowledge management purposes. The information included in the database should cover inter alia whether the organisation has been contacted already (when, by whom, what was the outcome), the area in which the organisation is active, etc.

Student Hunting

Student Hunting (SH) refers to the promotion of ELSA Traineeships among law students and young lawyers, as well as to encouraging participation in the application process. These activities are carried out at the local, national, and international levels. Each Traineeships cycle includes one External SH Deadline and one Internal SH Deadline. 

For that, is is beneficial to create a strong ELSA Traineeships promotion strategy with your Marketeer at the beginning of the term in advance of the most intense SH period. Please feel free to use the materials provided by ELSA International in the ELSA Traineeships Marketing Kit.

Matching

Matching refers to the process of verifying applications and pre-selecting those that satisfy the criteria established by the respective TNPs. 

The Matching process is conducted by ELSA International after the Internal SH Deadline. Each Cycle includes one designated Matching Deadline. During Matching, the applicants meeting the criteria of the TNPs are shortlisted and eventually forwarded to the TNPs to do the final selection. 

Once Matching is finalised, the lists of qualified candidates appear in the TPI to which each TNP has their own login details. These login details are sent by ELSA International first to the respective National Group which shall forward the details to either the TNP directly or the responsible Local Group. 

Selection

Selection refers to the process of ranking the matched applicants and making the final decision regarding which applicants will receive a traineeship offer. The Selection process is conducted by the TNPs through the Traineeship Providers’ Interface (TPI). Each Traineeship Cycle includes one designated Selection Results Deadline, after which at latest the selected applicants are notified by ELSA International.

Please remind the TNPs that they can rank even more candidates than they would like are are able to take, since by that the TNP can have a waitlist of candidates securing against any potential cancellations. 

Reception

Reception refers to the preparation for the trainees’ arrival and their integration throughout the traineeship period. The Reception process is conducted by the Hosting Group, namely the ELSA Group responsible for communication with the respective TNP. 

Therefore, the PD Officer of the Hosting Group is the main responsible person for Reception, acting as the contact person between the trainees, the Hosting Group, and the TNP. The STEP Officer of the Hosting Group shall refer to the Reception Quality Standards in order to prepare their Reception Strategy and be aware of their responsibilities. Furthermore, for any questions or requests for advice, please contact your National and/or the Director for Reception and Visa of ELSA International.

Evaluation

Evaluation refers, firstly, to the expression of the future trainee’s expectations through the Pre-Traineeship Evaluation Form (Pre-TEF), and secondly, to the final assessment of the traineeship experience by both trainees, through the Post-Traineeship Evaluation Form (Post-TEF), and TNPs, through the TNP Evaluation Form. The Hosting Group is responsible for reminding the respective trainees and TNPs to complete the final evaluation forms, while ELSA International is responsible for providing the Pre-TEFs to the selected applicants. ELSA International also issues certificates directly to trainees and TNPs who have completed both evaluation processes. 

More detailed information on the different stages, including step-by-step guides, tips and tricks, and frequently asked questions, can be found in the ELSA Traineeships Handbook. You can also find further helpful resources, such as guidelines, manuals and forms for each phase on the Officers' Portal.