INTERN LIFE
Make your Presence Felt
Gabriela Belmar-Valencia
Two years ago, Gemma came to Brussels as a stagiaire. Having stayed on at the Commission working in a variety of roles, Gemma offers tips for stagiaires eager to do the same.
Name: Gemma Amran
Age: 30
Nationality: Irish
Current Role: Policy Officer (European Commission, DG Justice: Fundamental Rights Unit)
Previous Roles: Stagiaire (DG Justice: Procedural Criminal Law Unit), Legislative Officer (DG Justice: Procedural Criminal Law Unit), National Agency Desk Officer (DG Education and Culture: Coordination Unit) - Impact Assessment and Evaluations officer (Coordination Unit, DG Home)
What was your background before your stage?
I first studied Business and French at University, then I went on to study the law conversion course in the UK. I had been called to the Bar in the UK, but I wasn't practising as a lawyer. I had also interned and worked for a variety of organisations. I’d done internships at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the Hague, and the Independent Jamaica Council for Human Rights in Jamaica, which assists people facing the death penalty. Then I worked as a helpline adviser for two years, at an organisation called Public Concern at Work, which helps whistleblowers raise their concerns about wrongdoing in the workplace. Just before doing the stage, I was volunteering at a Law Centre in London working on employment discrimination and harassment cases.
What did you hope to gain from your stage at the Commission?
I have a fairly cosmopolitan background and was attracted to the international scene in Brussels. I was born in Ireland, but lived for a long time in the UK. I’m also half Malaysian and speak French. I was keen to work in an international environment like the Commission. I’m also interested in human rights and criminal justice issues, and had practical experience working in those areas which I was keen to develop further. A stage at the Commission seemed to be a good way of doing that, and, I was looking into how to get a job in the Commission afterwards. I was interested in pursuing opportunities with NGOs as well, but I realised when I got here that NGOs in Brussels tend to focus more on advocacy, whereas I wanted to do more policy work. I also felt that if I wanted to work for an NGO, I would prefer to work with them in the field.