Experience a bit of Estonia

Liina Viies from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs writes that young Estonians living abroad will once again have the opportunity to come to Estonia for a professional traineeship. The deadline for applications is 2 April, so hurry up!

Last year, 16 young Estonians from all over the world were supported by the traineeships for youth with an Estonian background. There were young participants from the Netherlands, Finland, Austria, France, Sweden, Australia, the US, Germany, Poland, Ireland, Canada and the UK. As the programme ran from May to November: most of the participants were in Estonia during the summer months, but at the request of the traineeship places, some young people were in Estonia also in May, three in September and a couple also in October and November. The feedback I received from the mentors was overwhelmingly positive this time, praising the young people’s vision, hard work, quick adaptation and ability to learn. This is also confirmed by the fact that some young people received special offers from the same employer after completing their traineeships and stayed in Estonia longer, and today one young person has moved from Canada to Estonia. We will certainly continue to organise meetings for the young people participating in the programme this year, which will allow them to meet other young people who will be doing their traineeships in Estonia at the same time.

In addition, we offer young people personalised advice to help them find a suitable traineeship in Estonia. Last year, 26 young people took part in the consultations. A big thank you goes to the young people themselves, but also to all the traineeship places and their mentors all over Estonia who did not hesitate to open their doors and “labs”. Young people were able to practise in: the Ministry of Education and Research, the Integration Foundation, the Social Insurance Board, the Estonian National Museum, the Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom, the Green Movement, the Human Rights Centre, the Brotherhood of Adventurers, the Main Committee of NGO ESTO, the University of Tartu, both in the Institute of Chemistry and Physics, the Tartu University Hospital, Peninukk Gin Distillery, the Tallinn Language School and in the field of engineering and ICT: in Fusebox, ASV Agro, Peretec.

Young people can submit their scholarship applications for this year’s round until 2 April 2025. We hope to be able to help around 15 young people participating in the programme with their costs, depending primarily on the length of the traineeship chosen and the need for travel support. I would like to urge young people to not wait until the last minute, you must also submit the mentor’s confirmation when you submit the application. You must also think about the elements of your cover letter so that you are noticed and taken seriously. As always, it is possible to do the traineeship in either Estonian or English, but the latter makes it a little more difficult to find suitable mentors.

And if the chosen company doesn’t respond, or if you have any other questions, we’ll continue to offer advice support to young people at diasporaa@mfa.ee.

Apply here: 

https://www.globalestonian.com/en/event/stipend-estonian-compatriots-co…