European Union Program
Internships and Professional Development
Internships combine academic learning with a two-day per week professional volunteer work experience with a public or private office in Brussels. The internship complements the other European Union Program courses by enabling students to apply lessons learned in class to "real world" situations. By doing so, students gain insights into aspects of European life and culture that are not normally observable in the classroom. The internship also allows students to learn more about a particular career path, to sort out career interests and goals, to develop new work skills and to sharpen existing work skills.
During the European Union Program, students intern for two-days per week, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, for a minimum of 16 hours. The internship opportunities available reflect the nature of Brussels itself. Previous students have interned for Members of the European Parliament, EU lobby firms and consultancies, multinational corporations, law firms, print media organizations, trade development offices, and non-governmental organizations. All internships are on a volunteer, non-compensated basis and form part of the students’ academic coursework in Brussels .
Internships in Brussels are competitive. Before coming on the program, students fill out an internship skills/survey form and send their resume, called a CV in Europe, to the Internship Coordinator in Brussels. Based on this information, the coordinator sends the students’ resumes to the appropriate internship organizations, and the organizations decide which students they will interview. When students arrive in Brussels, a schedule of internship interviews is waiting for them. The actual internship placements depend upon the results of these interviews. Although every student has an internship, the specific internship that a student has depends solely upon the results of these interviews.
Internships at NATO are also possible for students who are in ROTC or have a previously existing security clearance by virtue of working for a department of the US government like the State Department or CIA. However, to be eligible for an internship at NATO, students must have an already existing security clearance. American University is unable to obtain a security clearance for students or help students to attain a security clearance.