Benefits | Regulations | Application and selection process | Deadlines | Internship outside the BSoG Programme | Contact
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.
Degree-seeking students
Students can apply for the Internship Programme only if 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
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 both the Code of conduct & 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 on time (please refer to the deadlines below) 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:
- Skype ID
- 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 regulations and Code of conduct
- A certificate of no criminal conviction (if required and indicated in the internship description)
- 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_FirstName_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 a Skype 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 will be cancelled automatically.
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.
The deadlines for Summer and Fall will be published in late January. For more information, please contact studentinternships_bsog@vub.be.
Internship 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.
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 the students are responsible for finding non-credited internship opportunities in Belgium or abroad.
Students who take a non-credited internship abroad are not insured via the Brussels School of Governance (formerly known as Vesalius College). The internship will not appear on the student’s transcript.
Information for internship partners
The Brussels School of Governance Internship Programme provides students with a supervised work experience enriching their academic experience through the application of skills and theories learnt in the classroom. In exchange, internship partners receive the assistance of enthusiastic young workers with creative ideas and energy.
At the Brussels School of Governance, we have a diverse, multi-lingual and open-minded student body coming from over 50 countries around the globe. Thanks to their background and education they are comfortable working in an international environment and accustomed to adjusting their work style accordingly. Our students have solid foundations in 4 areas of study: Communication and Public Relations, Business & Entrepreneurship, International Affairs and International & European Law. Only students in good academic standing are allowed to join the Brussels School of Governance Internship Programme.
The Internship Office has been working on expanding potential internship partners in the Brussels area. If you wish to welcome our students, please contact us at studentinternships_bsog@vub.be.
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 (for more details, please see Application & selection process ). After pre-screening, the Internship Coordinator sends the students’ applications to the internship partners. The internship partner reviews the applications and notifies the Internship Coordinator of the students they wish to interview. The coordinator schedules the interviews, which is subject to the partner and student availability. The internship partner then notifies the Internship Coordinator of their decision to accept or reject each of the candidates interviewed. Candidates are notified by the Internship Coordinator, who will issue the internship contract and other documents to both interns and partners. Partners could potentially welcome one or more students.
Student’s time commitment
Students must complete a minimum of 150 hours per semester. During the fall and spring semesters, students typically work 13–15 hours, or 2 days per week depending on the student’s course schedule. During the summer semester, 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.
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 - T: +32 2 614 81 70
