Thread by @People_Of_Space

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 (esa.int/About_Us/Caree…) 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: esa.int/About_Us/Caree… 🔴

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 🚀: esa.int/Education/ESA_…

For example, applications are currently open for the Ladybird Guide to Spacecraft Operations 2020 training course 🛰️🎮esa.int/Education/ESA_…

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. 🌌esa.int/About_Us/Caree…

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 😀🚀 esa.int/About_Us/Caree…

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)! 🚀