Summer Internship in Brussels
Internship
Summer internships in Brussels give students the chance to experience an international professional environment and to gain insights into aspects of European life and culture that are not normally observable in the classroom. It 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.
After an initial week of orientation and interviews for internship placements, students intern for four days per week (Monday through Thursday) over six weeks. 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.