Getting a taste of Brussels at the UM campus

28 May 2018

How do you familiarise students with the reality of working and living in Brussels? By taking them on a day-trip to the UM Campus there. Master Yourself, the project that helps master’s students prepare for entering the job market, recently organised such a ‘field trip’. “I never guessed that the Brussels bubble is like a country by itself, with its own very distinct customs”, says Rutger van Mierlo, one of the students taking part in the trip.

36 Master’s students participated in workshops

The coach to Brussels was well filled with 36 UM master’s students, all eager to learn more about job prospects in Brussels and the reality of living in the capital of Europe. The day’s progamme included a workshop on how to perfect your CV and write the ultimate motivational letter for a position in Brussels. Another session dealt more in general with ways to successfully navigate the job market in Brussels and gave a realistic picture of job opportunities and internship possibilities open to master’s students in the Belgian capital.

Rutger gained helpful insights

“The workshops-gave me the feeling that I was doing some things the right way in my previous applications, but I also learned that there is still room for improvement when it comes to finding the right job”, Rutger van Mierlo says. Rutger studies Health, Education & Promotion at Maastricht University. “I never guessed that the Brussels bubble is like a country by itself, with its own very distinct customs. I started to wonder if this would be the place for me. It would be great to be part of this community, but it seems very difficult to get into that bubble.”

Networking with Brussels-based UM alumni

The second part of the visit consisted of networking opportunities and exchanging experience and tips with a dozen UM alumni who currently work in Brussels. Rutger: “Most of these alumni have started an internship in one of the workplaces on offer in Brussels, and they told us about the busy lives they’re leading. This gave us insight in what we might expect in Brussels if we choose to live there.”

More trips

The Student Employability Initiative, organiser of the Master Yourself sessions, says the trip “was very valuable and succesful”. With an average evaluation grade of 8.8 by the participants, the pilot provides a solid base for closer collaboration between the Brussels Campus and Master Yourself.