European Privacy Foundations
Build a structured foundation in European privacy
A 4-week expert-led programme for professionals who want to understand the GDPR, explore the privacy profession and prepare for practical privacy work or the Privacy Career Bootcamp.
Who this is for
A clear starting point for European privacy
This programme is designed for:
No prior privacy or GDPR knowledge is required.
- Beginners and career changers exploring privacy as a professional direction
- Legal, compliance, HR, IT, product, operations and business professionals newly exposed to privacy responsibilities
- Professionals who need a structured understanding of the GDPR before applying it in their work
- Future Privacy Career Bootcamp participants who want to build the foundation first
Outcomes
What you will learn
By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:
- Understand the structure and logic of European privacy law
- Recognise personal data, privacy harms and when the GDPR applies
- Explain the GDPR principles and reason through lawful bases
- Distinguish controllers, processors and other key roles
- Understand data subject rights, accountability and the DPO role
- Recognise the basic logic of DPIAs, security, breaches and international transfers
- Understand where European privacy connects with ePrivacy, workplace privacy and the EU digital regulatory landscape
- Identify realistic next steps in privacy learning and professional development
The learning journey
Four-week learning journey
Week 1
Privacy foundations, legal architecture and scope
Understand what privacy protects, how European privacy law is structured, when the GDPR applies and what counts as personal data.
Week 2
GDPR principles and lawfulness
Learn the seven GDPR principles, purpose and risk-based reasoning, lawful bases, consent and legitimate interests.
Week 3
Roles, rights and accountability
Explore controller and processor roles, transparency, data subject rights, records of processing, privacy by design and the DPO function.
Week 4
Risk, DPIA, security, transfers and next steps
Build a foundation in privacy risk, DPIAs, security, personal data breaches, international transfers, enforcement and professional routes into privacy.
How you learn
Live learning with structured independent work
- 8 live online sessions across 4 weeks
- 2 sessions per week · 90 minutes each
- 12 live teaching hours in total
- Recordings of all live sessions available to enrolled participants
- Recognition drills with explained answers
- Document teardowns covering a privacy notice, RoPA, DPIA and processor clauses
- The Foundations Workbook and glossary
- Final scenario-based assessment
- Certificate of Completion after passing
- Cohort group access for the duration of the programme
Foundations or Bootcamp?
Choose the right starting point
European Privacy Foundations
European Privacy Foundations helps participants understand the professional landscape, build the core GDPR foundation and decide on the right next step.
Privacy Career Bootcamp
Privacy Career Bootcamp goes further into applied privacy work, practical documentation, portfolio evidence, certification readiness and career positioning.
Foundation builds knowledge and readiness. The Bootcamp builds applied capability and evidence of practical work.
Price and upgrade credit
Start with Foundations. Continue when you are ready.
Programme fee€490
If you continue into the Privacy Career Bootcamp within 6 months, 100% of the European Privacy Foundations fee will be credited toward the Bootcamp.
Registration open
Your instructor
Meet your instructor
Programme Expert · Privacy & Corporate Training Instructor
Nastassia Parkhimovich
CIPP/E · LLM in International Law of Contracts
Nastassia is a privacy professional and experienced corporate training instructor. She previously worked at Data Privacy Office, which she joined in 2021 as a Senior Consultant and trainer of corporate educational programmes, advising clients on privacy laws across the EU, Belarus and Central Asia. She has extensive teaching experience, including training delivered for the data protection regulator in Belarus.
At BestDPO, Nastassia teaches European Privacy Foundations, helping participants build a structured understanding of European privacy through clear explanations, practical examples and expert-led discussion.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do I need prior GDPR knowledge?
No. The programme is designed as a structured entry point into European privacy.
How much time should I plan?
Plan for approximately 5–6 hours per week. This includes two 90-minute live sessions each week and independent work with drills, workbook tasks, review and the final assessment.
Is the programme fully live online?
Yes. The first cohort includes eight instructor-led live online sessions across four weeks. All sessions are recorded and made available to enrolled participants. Independent work is completed between sessions.
Will I receive a certificate?
Yes. A Certificate of Completion is issued after passing the final assessment.
Is this the same as the Privacy Career Bootcamp?
No. Foundations builds core knowledge and professional context. The Bootcamp focuses on applied privacy work, practical documentation, portfolio evidence and career development.
How does the upgrade credit work?
If you continue into the Privacy Career Bootcamp within 6 months, the full €490 Foundations fee is credited toward the Bootcamp.
Does the programme prepare me for a privacy job?
It provides the structured foundation needed to understand the field and choose the next step. It does not claim to make a participant job-ready as a privacy practitioner on its own.
Next step
Start your path into European privacy
Build the knowledge, language and professional context you need before moving into applied privacy work.