The European Space Agency (ESA) is offering an internship in its Communication Department, focused on audio-visual archiving, at ESRIN in Frascati, Italy. You will join the ESA Video team and help set up its new video storage system, and applications close on 30 November 2026 at 23:59 CET/CEST. At Youth Works Hub, we reviewed the full vacancy and set out every task, requirement and eligibility rule below.
The Internship at a Glance
The internship sits within ESA's Director General's Services. These are the formal details of the vacancy:
🆔 Job Requisition ID: 20942
🎓 Type of appointment: Intern
🏛️ Directorate: Director General's Services
📍 Workplace: Frascati, IT
🗺️ Location: ESRIN, Frascati, Italy
📣 Publication method: External Only
📅 Closing date: 30 November 2026, 23:59 CET/CEST
Where You Will Be Based: ESRIN, Frascati
The internship is located at ESRIN in Frascati, Italy. The vacancy lists Frascati, IT as the workplace for the role within the Director General's Services.
The Mission of the ESA Communication Department
The ESA Communication Department's overarching goal is to raise awareness and understanding of ESA's programmes and activities, and to highlight the concrete benefits these activities provide to every citizen.
Its content is inspiring through science, technology and innovation, to attract or retain the best talent for European space programmes. The department aims to demonstrate the value of space activities to ESA's Member States and their taxpayers.
Your Team: The ESA Video Team
Within ESA's Communication Department, the Digital Products and Channels Office is responsible for carrying out and coordinating the planning, technical management, implementation and publishing of ESA's digital media and online channels. As an intern, you will join the ESA Video team, which falls within the Digital Products and Channels Office.
What the Video Team Produces
The video production team produces a wide range of corporate audiovisual productions, from video shoots to live streams and a wide range of video products:
🎬 Editorial videos
💡 Explainer videos
🎙️ Long-form interviews
📣 Short promotional videos
📱 Support for short-form content
🎞️ B-roll footage for external media and productions
These products are made for various platforms: the ESA website, ESA social media and outreach events.
Your Role: Supporting the New Video Storage System
As an intern, you will be part of the video team and support the implementation of its new video storage system by carrying out the tasks below.
Your Tasks: Testing, Metadata and Storage Architecture
The vacancy lists the following tasks:
🖥️ Testing the server: sustained read and write speed, upload/download speed, network utilisation, simultaneous utilisation, latency
🔗 Ensuring that the metadata system is linked to the relevant media
🗂️ Developing a storage architecture, including structuring folder hierarchies and transcoding files where necessary
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Your Tasks: Indexing and Transferring Video Files
The remaining tasks are:
🏷️ Following the pre-established metadata system and keyword thesaurus, maintaining continuous collaboration with the video editors to ensure that indexing is aligned with media searches on the server, and updating the keyword thesaurus when necessary
💾 Transferring video files from archived hard drives to an ESA server (XMAM/NAS)
📥 Ingesting video files from day-to-day shoots to an ESA server (XMAM/NAS)
A Chance to Work with the ESA Archiving Project
You will also have the opportunity to collaborate with the ESA archiving project to develop a similar architecture/AI-assisted data management system.
How Long the Internship Lasts and When It Starts
According to ESA's announcement of its 2027 student internships, an internship lasts between 3 and 6 months and starts from February 2027. The exact start date is agreed with the ESA tutor.
Behavioural Competencies
The vacancy lists the following ESA core behavioural competencies:
🏁 Result Orientation
⚙️ Operational Efficiency
🫱 Fostering Cooperation
💬 Relationship Management
🔄 Continuous Improvement
🔭 Forward Thinking
For more information, the vacancy refers to the ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook.
Who Can Apply: Education
You must be a university student, preferably in your final or second-to-last year of university course at Master's level. In addition, you must be able to prove that you will be enrolled at your university for the entire duration of the internship.
Language Requirements
The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another ESA Member State language is an asset.
Additional Requirements and Assets
During the interview, your motivation for applying to this role will be explored. The following is considered an asset:
🎥 Knowledge and background in video editing and data management
Eligible Nationalities
Applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States:
🌍 Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
🍁 Cooperating State: applicants from Canada can apply as well
🇪🇺 European Cooperating States (ECS): applicants from Bulgaria, Croatia and Malta can apply as well
Selection Process
During the interview, your motivation for applying to this role will be explored. During the recruitment process, the Agency may also request applicants to undergo selection tests.
Application Limit
According to ESA's announcement of its 2027 student internships, one candidate can apply for a maximum of 2 vacancies.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness
ESA is an equal opportunity employer, committed to achieving diversity within the workforce and creating an inclusive working environment. It welcomes applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics.
At the Agency, diversity is valued and people with disabilities are welcome. Whenever possible, ESA seeks to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support at the workplace. The Human Resources Department can also provide assistance during the recruitment process, and you can contact ESA by email using the address in the Links section below.
Important Information
The information published on ESA's careers website regarding internship conditions is correct at the time of publication. It is not intended to be exhaustive and may not address all questions you would have. The vacancy does not state a stipend or allowance. You can find more opportunities like this in the internships and traineeships section of Youth Works Hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the ESA Audio-Visual Archiving internship based?
The internship is based at ESRIN in Frascati, Italy, within ESA's Director General's Services. The vacancy lists Frascati, IT as the workplace.
What is the deadline to apply?
The closing date is 30 November 2026 at 23:59 CET/CEST. Applications are submitted through the ESA careers website.
What will I do as an Audio-Visual Archiving intern?
You will join the ESA Video team and support the implementation of its new video storage system. Your tasks include testing the server, linking the metadata system to the relevant media, developing a storage architecture, indexing with the keyword thesaurus, and transferring or ingesting video files to an ESA server (XMAM/NAS).
Who can apply for this internship?
You must be a university student, preferably in your final or second-to-last year of university course at Master's level. You must also be able to prove that you will be enrolled at your university for the entire duration of the internship.
Which nationalities are eligible?
Applications are only considered from nationals of ESA's listed States, which include Italy, France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and 22 others named in the vacancy. Applicants from Canada as a Cooperating State, and from Bulgaria, Croatia and Malta as European Cooperating States, can apply as well.
How long does the internship last and when does it start?
According to ESA's 2027 student internships announcement, an internship lasts between 3 and 6 months and starts from February 2027. The exact start date is agreed with the ESA tutor.
Which languages do I need?
The working languages of the Agency are English and French, and a good knowledge of one of them is required. Knowledge of another ESA Member State language is an asset.
Do I need experience in video editing or data management?
Knowledge and background in video editing and data management are an asset. Your motivation for applying to the role will also be explored during the interview.
How many ESA internship vacancies can I apply for?
One candidate can apply for a maximum of 2 vacancies, according to ESA's announcement of its 2027 student internships.
What happens during the selection process?
Your motivation for applying to the role will be explored during the interview. ESA may also ask applicants to undergo selection tests.
Deadline
⏳ 30 November 2026
Links
🔗 Full vacancy and application (Apply now): https://jobs.esa.int/job/Frascati-Intern-in-the-Communication-Department-Audio-Visual-Archiving/1452919333/
📘 ESA Student Internships 2027 announcement: https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Careers_at_ESA/ESA_Student_Internships_2027_are_now_open
🌐 ESA website: https://www.esa.int
📧 ESA student internships contact (diversity and accessibility questions): ESA.Student.Internships@esa.int
