Internships at the AEC Office
Short description of the organisation
The European Association of Conservatoires (AEC), founded in 1953, is the leading voice for higher music education (HME) in Europe, representing a dynamic European cultural and educational network with almost 300 institutions for professional music training in 55 countries (conservatoires, music academies and universities, Musikhochschulen, etc.).
As the leading voice for HME, AEC sees professionally focused arts education as a quest for excellence in three areas: artistic practice; learning and teaching; research and innovation. It seeks to foster these elements and to encourage the diversity and dynamism with which they are pursued in different institutions, countries and regions through the organisation of European projects, congresses and seminars, exchanges, research and by representing the interests of its members on European, national and international levels.
AEC understands and supports music and arts education, together with cultural participation, as central contributors to quality in human life, and inclusive societies founded on democratic values.
Each year the AEC organises, in a different European country, the Annual Meeting for International Relations Coordinators of European Conservatoires and the AEC Annual Congress, with the aim to discuss relevant subjects in the field of higher music education in Europe and exchange information. There are also events with specific themes, such as the Pop and Jazz Platform in February, or the European Platform on Artistic Research in Music.
As far as projects are concerned, the AEC coordinates the Creative Europe project Empowering Artists as Makers in Society which addresses – among other themes – diversity, sustainability, and digitisation; AEC is also involved as a partner in various other projects.
Description of the internship
Throughout the year, AEC has two intern positions available, for a period of at least five months. Depending on your skillset and your willingness to learn, you’ll get a chance to develop knowledge and skills in multiple fields. You will:
- have the chance to assist in the organisation of seminars and conferences in various countries in Europe. This is the opportunity to meet the European network that the AEC represents;
- assist in the day-to-day running of the organisation. You will learn about the different aspects of AEC’s work and collaborate with the entire team;
- get your own project linked to the work of AEC and also to your own interest. This project can include qualitative and quantitative research, be linked to the organisation of a certain event or to assisting one of AEC’s expert working groups with their work.
Next to the tasks above that are shared between both interns, you can choose between two different profiles with distinctive tasks. The profiles are flexible and adaptable to the applicants’ profiles.ECSA regrets that it is unable to acknowledge all applications received.
Communication intern
You will gather news, data and information from our members and shape it into content suitable for publications, our website and social media. You will assess how to share content from within and outside the network through different communication channels. You will assist with the implementation of the communication strategy and with its improvement, for example by monitoring statistics. To improve our visibility to partners and policymakers, you will also monitor important developments in the policy field on different levels (e.g. European Commission, European Parliament, EACEA, national governments, partners). As an intern, you will also be involved in our expert working group meetings of the AEC Artemis Project. Depending on the application period, the intern will also travel to AEC events (Congress, PJP, EPARM, IRC Meeting) to take care of communication.
If you are interested to put your creativity to the test and deal with social media and other communication channels, this is the position for you.
Project and Membership management intern
You will work and communicate with experts and people throughout the entire AEC network all over Europe, including the AEC Council which is responsible for the long-term strategy of the AEC. You will assist our expert working groups with organising meetings, preparing publications and reports. Moreover, you will assist the AEC Office and Project Coordinators with the overall management of the office and of the various projects. This includes contributing to the financial administration of the project, AEC and of the membership. If you feel at ease with dealing with 300 institutions, coordinating projects, asking the right questions and bringing people together, this is the position for you.
General Requirements
Becoming an intern at AEC means an international work environment in Brussels, which requires an open and communicative approach. An intern should be able to adapt quickly to different situations, and feel comfortable dealing with a wide range of tasks and with working in a team. A high level of English is required; knowledge of French, German or Italian is an asset.
This internship is highly suitable for students/alumni of cultural management courses, European studies, social studies, or related humanities programmes, wanting to have experience in working in a cultural organisation on a European level and in working with European funding programmes in education and culture.
Other information
Candidates can contact the AEC directly by sending a short CV and a motivation letter (written in English) via email, with the subject “AEC Communication Internship” or “AEC Project and Membership Internship” depending on the position you are applying for.
The ideal length of the internship is 6 months, but this is up for discussion. The position is full-time and requires presence in/relocation to Brussels. We offer an internship contract based on the Belgian Convention d’immersion professionelle.
At the moment, the AEC Office has two interns who will be finishing their internship period in early February 2025.
We have now concluded the selection process for the next two interns.
Contact person: Ashkhen Fixova, AEC Office and Project Coordinator
Email: applications@aec-music.eu
AEC regrets that it is unable to acknowledge all applications received.
AEC welcomes applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds and strives to provide equal opportunities to advance diversity and inclusion within its representative network.
Join us!