At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. Using the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments, they study the basic constituents of matter - fundamental particles that are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives physicists clues about how particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature. Find out more on http://home.cern.

Welcome to the Spanish Trainee Programme FTEC (Formacion en Tecnologias Estrategicas del CERN)!

CERN and our professionals very much enjoy sharing their knowledge and expertise with recent graduates from university or higher technical institutes seeking further training in a wide area of projects and who are committed and passionate about their chosen field.

Selected trainees will join a team working at CERN and have the opportunity to broaden their knowledge through participation in the hi-tech activities of the laboratory in fields such as computer science, electrical, electronic and mechanical engineering, cryogenics, ultra-high vacuum, radiation protection, instrumentation for accelerators and particle physics experiments, development of conventional, super-conducting magnets, surveying, large scale metrology and positioning systems. 

There are many projects proposed in this round for you to review on the dedicated page (http://careers.cern/ftec-projects) with numbers to identify them. During the application process, you will be asked to provide your top 3 that you’d love to work on. Please note this is not a guarantee that your top projects will be the ones for which you are selected: you may be selected on another project that matches your profile.

In order to qualify for a place on the programme you will need to meet the following requirements as stipulated in the agreement between CERN and CIEMAT:

• You have your main residence in Spain at the time of selection.
• You hold or are about to complete an "Ingeniero Superior" or "Master’s" degree in one of the following fields: Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics or Computing Engineering, Applied Physics or similar. You are expected to have obtained your qualification by the time you take up your appointment at CERN.
• You can start your traineeship in June/July 2021 - in exceptional cases, a slightly later start date might be possible which would be subject to approval by all concerned parties.·        
• You have obtained your latest degree within the last 4 years
• Exceptions to the application of these criteria above can be envisaged if you hold a PhD degree or are in the process of obtaining it.
• You have not previously worked at CERN for more than 14 months.
• You have a good working knowledge of English or French (depending on the position you apply to)

CERN would very much like to benefit from your expertise, commitment and passion. In return, you will be provided with:

• A contract of association of one year, renewable for a second year;
• A monthly take-home pay of 4,156 Swiss francs;
• 2.5 days of paid leave each month;
• Health insurance cover from a Spanish Insurance company.

The selection process will be finalized in April by a dedicated panel of experts from CERN and CIEMAT. You can therefore expect to hear the result of your application at the end of April.

This is how you can apply (deadline is 12th March):

On this website you will find the available projects, which are proposed in the context of the FTEC trainee programme this year. Read them carefully and take note of your 3 preferred projects (FTEC2021-1, FTEC2021-2 etc.). You will be asked to indicate your preferred projects in the application process and we recommend that you also highlight your motivation for those positions. 

Moreover, you will need the following documents (in PDF format) to complete your application:

Please note that the documents have to be named as shown in the parenthesis, or they won't be taken into account:

• A CV. (Resume) 
• Your most recent relevant qualification/diploma if completed. (Degree)
• Academic transcript of your highest qualification giving an overview of your grades and studied modules. (Academic transcript)
• Optional but recommended: One or more reference letter(s): (Ref 1, 2, 3)
  • You can upload these letters at the time of application if you have them to hand. You will also be provided with a link as soon as you have submitted your application to forward to your referees to upload their letters confidentially. Please note this must be done before the closing date.

Please make sure you have all the documents requested to hand as you start your application. Once submitted you will not be able to upload any documents or edit your application. 

Please note that you must also complete the following questionnaire https://questionnaire-ftec.web.cern.ch/ and provide the relevant documents listed in the questionnaire to justify your answers by the closing date (12th March). This is required by CIEMAT in order to validate and evaluate your application. 

Whilst the screening of your application is mainly paper-based, a complementary means of evaluation may be used to assess better your skills and interests in general, or for a given project. You may therefore be contacted by our HR team or a hiring manager to set up a phone or video interview. Kindly note that any exchange prior to the selection committee is part of the selection process, and that any formal offer of a traineeship position can only be made by the HR Department after the relevant committee meeting has taken place in April.