Benefits
At the Brussels School of Governance, we want to offer our students not only valuable academic preparation, but also the opportunity to test career options, gain practical experience and build relationships with professionals and organisations in their areas of interest, before they graduate.
We offer a variety of internship opportunities to students, both in our BA and MA programmes. Our internship partners are prestigious and internationally renowned organisations and companies, ranging from European agencies to small start-up businesses, from think-tanks to international corporations.
They provide our students with an excellent opportunity to implement what they have learned in the classroom and apply it to the real world, in a professional environment in Brussels, the ‘Capital of Europe’.
Our Internship Programme benefits both students and partners alike: whether having full responsibility for a project or working as part of a team in an organisation, our students apply their skills and provide the internship partner with valuable support.
Requirements
It is important to note that these internships are available exclusively for BSoG students and only during the time that they are enrolled in one of our programmes.
Degree-seeking students
Students can only apply for the Internship Programme if they meet the following requirements by the time of the application:
- they have completed at least 90 ECTS
- they have a minimum GPA of 2.7
- they have attended the Internships & Careers workshop and the individual session with the career consultant
Our students are allowed to complete only one credited and single internship during their Bachelor programme. The ‘single’ internship involves 150 hours of work over the course of the semester (roughly 12–15 hours per week). Students are also required to keep a daily log and write a 2000/2500-word paper at the end of the term. The single internship is evaluated with a letter grade and is worth 1 academic course, or 6 ECTS.
Students must check the Code of Conduct and Regulations and the Internship catalogue carefully and choose up to three internship offers.
Study abroad students at the Brussels School of Governance
For Study Abroad students, before applying for the Internship Programme, students must have obtained prior approval from their home university for transferring the internship grade and credits back to their home university transcripts.
Once students have formally accepted an internship, they may not withdraw from it except under extraordinary circumstances, and then only with permission of the Brussels School of Governance’s Study Abroad and Internship Coordinator (studentinternships_bsog@vub.be).
Before applying to the Internship Programme, Study Abroad students must submit the Study Abroad application for the term they wish to study and intern.
There are two types of credited internship programmes:
- The ‘single’ internship involves 150 hours of work over the course of the semester (roughly 12–15 hours per week). Students are also required to keep a daily log and write a 2000/2500-word paper at the end of the term. The single internship is evaluated with a letter grade and is worth 1 academic course, or 6 ECTS (equivalent to 3 US academic credits).
- Motivated Study Abroad students are also allowed to apply for the ‘double’ internship, which is offered by a selection of our internship partners. The ‘double’ internship is worth 2 academic courses or 12 ECTS (6 US academic credits). With the ‘double’ internship, students are expected to work 280 hours per semester (approximately 25 hours per week) and, in addition to the 2000/2500-word paper and daily log, are required to conduct an academic research project over the course of the term. Please note that the double internship is not available during the summer semester.
For Study Abroad students, the CV and cover letter must be reviewed by the home university writing centre before submitting them to the Brussels School of Governance.
Application & selection process
The internship application must be submitted by completing the online Application form.
Please note that late applications will not be considered.
Before completing the online form, please make sure that you have the following information and files ready:
- A CV
- Three cover letters (each tailored to a desired position/job description)
- A recommendation letter from a University Professor
- A signed copy of the Internship Code of Conduct and Regulations (linked below)
- The CV and cover letters must each be 1-page long
Please note: any documents (CV, cover letter, etc.) should be sent in the following format:
Last Name_First Name_Title of document
Ex.: Sanders_Peter_CoverLetterUNESCO
In addition to a thorough evaluation of the CV and cover letter conducted by the partners, applicants are subject to an online interview by the internship providers before a final selection is made.
Students must be aware that due to the highly competitive nature of the internship programme, there is no guarantee that they will be selected for the internship they have applied for. If selected for an interview, students must carefully prepare themselves for the interview.
Once students have accepted an internship, interviews previously scheduled must be cancelled by the student.
Once students have started an internship, they may not withdraw from it except under extraordinary circumstances, and then only with the permission of the Internship and Study Abroad Office.
Students are expected to behave in a professional and ethical manner during the entirety of the application and selection process, as well as during the course of the semester-long internship.
Online internship applications
Internship applications open when the Internship Catalogue for the next semester is published.
- Spring semester – late October
- Summer term – late March
- Fall semester – late June
For more information, please contact studentinternships_bsog@vub.be.
Internships outside our School's Programme
Students enrolled in one of the programmes of our School may request permission to undertake an internship as part of their Study Abroad programme. As with any other course taken abroad, an internship abroad must be preapproved by the student’s Academic Advisor as well as by the Internship Coordinator. The internship abroad must follow the general requirements outlined in the Brussels School of Governance’s Internship Programme Catalogue, especially with respect to the number of hours worked and number of credits earned, and must be supervised and evaluated by an academic supervisor at the host university.
Credited internships
If students independently identify an internship in the Brussels area and wish to earn credits for it, they must send a detailed description of the internship offered and contact details of their internship supervisor at the organisation to the Internship Coordinator. Once the Internship Coordinator has approved the content of the internship, students will be allowed to add the internship to their course schedule. Please note that the same process and deadlines relevant to the internship organised through the Brussels School of Governance also applies to the internship opportunities found independently. If an independently found internship is outside of the Belgian borders, students will need arrange their own private insurance.
Non-credited internships
While only one internship may be taken for credit during a student’s academic career at the Brussels School of Governance, the School encourages all students to undertake internships on their own.
Students of our School who want to undertake an internship abroad without earning academic credits can contact the Internship Coordinator for a university enrolment certificate or a ‘convention de stage’ (if needed and only valid until graduation date). The Internship Coordinator will provide the student with an internship agreement signed by the internship coordinator attesting that the student is enrolled in one of the Brussels School of Governance’s bachelor programmes. Students will need to be currently enrolled. Alumni who wish to receive a ‘convention de stage’, will need to enroll for additional semester(s).
Please note that non-credited internship are not covered by the insurance of the BSoG. The internship will not appear on the student’s transcript.
Partners’ responsibilities
Our Internship partners are required to provide meaningful and project-based assignments to interns. Each student must have an assigned internship supervisor at the work site. The supervisor is required to evaluate the student’s performance during the internship. An evaluation form will be provided by the Brussels School of Governance for this purpose. Upon completion, this evaluation will count towards the intern’s final grade. To ensure a successful collaboration, the Brussels School of Governance will contact the internship partner during the semester. A professor, assigned as Internship Advisor (often from the student’s major) will also contact the internship partner to discuss the intern’s progress.
Application process
- Students who wish to apply for an internship will have to submit their CV and cover letter online.
- After pre-screening, the Internship Coordinator sends the students’ applications to the internship partners.
- The internship partner reviews the applications and notifies the students they wish to interview.
- The internship partner then notifies the students directly if they have been accepted.
- The Internship Coordinator will issue the internship agreements closer to the start date of the internship period.
Student’s time commitment
Students must complete a minimum of 150 hours per semester. During the fall and spring semesters, students typically work 11–12 hours, or 2 days per week depending on the student’s course schedule. During the summer term, students will work 3 or 4 days per week for 5 or 6 weeks. Work schedules are arranged directly between the internship partner and the student.
Financial remuneration
Credited internships are unpaid. Students may not receive any financial remuneration, but, instead will receive the Brussels School of Governance academic credit for the internship.
Insurance policy
Students are covered by the School’s insurance policy, as long as the internship takes place in Belgium.
Contact us
Have a question? A remark? Want to know more about our internship programme? Reach out to us and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can: Internships Office