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- Finding a Job in Brussels
Looking for a job in Brussels (or Belgium)? Well, that makes two of us. We have some good and some improvable news for you: There are a lot of positions! But applying will take both effort and zen. To help you, we've compiled a quick guide packed with practical tips, useful resources, and strategies to land you a job that suits your profile and makes you smile every day. 1. Fine-Tune Your LinkedIn Profile Don't skip over this section! While many of you have already entered your impressive CVs on your LinkedIn -profiles, we're sure you're not using the platform's full potential! LinkedIn is a really powerful tool for job seekers, but it’s up to you to make the most of it. Keep it updated: Otherwise, it's outdated! Craft a strong title: Your LinkedIn headline is the first thing potential recruiters see, so ensure it highlights who you are and what you offer. Don’t be afraid to be creative, and remember that you can change it as many times as you want! Experiment a bit and get over that first cringe that comes with promoting yourself online. We've all been too cheesy here at some point. Write a compelling summary: Use this section to showcase your experience, skills, and what makes you stand out. Keep it concise but engaging, maybe even fun (but not clownish). Engage actively: Like, share, and comment on posts related to your field. When connecting with someone, especially recruiters or potential employers, add a personalized note to introduce yourself. A simple message such as "Happy to connect" can go a long way. Open to work: Use the functionality to indicate that you are “Open to work” in your profile picture - this shows potential employers that you are looking for a job and that you're are available on short notice. 2. Create a Europass Profile Europass is an initiative of the European Union designed to help individuals communicate their skills and qualifications in a clear, standard format across Europe. It provides a set of documents that individuals can use to present their educational and professional experiences. The main components of Europass include: Europass CV : A standardized curriculum vitae that allows you to highlight your skills, work experience, and education in a structured way. Europass Language Passport : A self-assessment tool for you to outline your language skills and related competences. Europass Mobility Document : A record of experiences gained during mobility periods (like internships or studies abroad) in another country. Europass Certificate Supplement : An accompanying document that provides more information about any vocational education and training certificates you might have. Europass Diploma Supplement : A document that supplements any higher education degrees, providing details on the nature of your qualifications, their level, and their content. The Europass framework aims to enhance transparency and comparability of qualifications across different countries, facilitating mobility for study and work in Europe. It's really cool! 3. Use Specialized Job Boards and Websites Here are some key platforms tailored to job opportunities in Brussels and Belgium: EU Careers : The European Personal Selection Office (EPSO)'s site for jobs with the EU. EURES : The EU's job mobility portal. Euractiv JobSite : Jobs related to EU affairs. BrusselsJobs : A go-to site for international experts and expats. Jobs in Brussels : Covers roles in EU institutions, NGOs, and Think Tanks. Additionally, you should check out the two articles below that go into even more detail regarding finding a job in Belgium specifically: Guide to finding a job in Belgium in 2025 | Expatica How and Where to Find a Job in Belgium | by Kimy | Medium 4. Explore Popular Job Platforms and Recruitment Agencies For general job searches, these platforms are widely used in Belgium: Indeed Stepstone LinkedIn Monster XING It’s also worth creating profiles on recruitment and interim agency websites. These agencies often specialize in matching candidates with the right opportunities, and they can really help you score a match! 5. Hone and leverage your language skills While it’s very possible to find a job speaking "only" English in Belgium, knowing French and/or Dutch can significantly increase your chances. Employers value candidates who can navigate Belgium’s multilingual culture. Sometimes it even makes a difference to be able to speak just a little bit of french or dutch, so employers can trust you to order pizza for the team with a local delivery service. Depending on your industry, fluency in multiple languages can really make you a standout applicant. We know this is easier said than done. We hope that these tips were helpful. Good luck!!! We believe in you!!!
- Finding a Place in Brussels
This is the first post on our new ECTA blog! And it’s about one of the most important issues for new Blue Book trainees arriving in Belgium: Housing in Brussels. Finding a good place to stay in Brussels for five months (or longer!) is not easy, and certainly not cheap. But typically, everyone manages to find something that works for them eventually. And we’re here to help (: 1. Strategy First a few strategic points to consider: Try to be early . Finding a good place to stay is sometimes just a matter of being first. And while some trainees start looking only shortly before their traineeship starts, having housing fixed early does not only increase your chances at something nice and cheap, but also takes away a lot of the initial stress. Activate any contacts you already have in Brussels and ask them about their experiences from when they moved here. They might have useful contacts themselves or access to networks in Brussels that they could share your search request with. Don’t be shy, almost everyone has asked for help in finding apartments here at some point. Apart from which kind of housing opportunity you are looking for (own apartment, co-living space, shared flat, etc.) try to go through a trusted intermediary first, like well-known online housing platforms. This typically makes things much easier and more secure. Directly contacting and doing business with a potential landlord works, but can be burdensome, legally complex and in some cases even dangerous – please look at our tips about how to avoid scammers below! If you don’t manage to find anything at first, don’t panic, but do act . Some trainees initially rent a place for a shorter amount of time – like a few weeks – in order to look at apartments when the traineeship has already started. However, this typically adds a lot of stress at the beginning of your traineeship, which is a time that is much nicer spent on getting to know people instead of getting to know the Belgian housing market. But if nothing else opens up for you, this opportunity is available and has worked for a lot of Blue Book trainees in the past. 2. Scammers Remain vigilant and watch out for scammers . To do this, and to avoid other bad experiences, here are a few tips. Talk to your potential landlord(s) – not only via email – and make sure their story checks out. It is better to be safe than sorry. Try to contact current flatmates to check if they are real (not just a make-believe social media profile with no pictures or activity). View the room , either in person or online. If needed, potentially ask a friend in Brussels to do it for you. Do not trust a whole bunch of pretty pictures in an email! If they refuse or make up excuses why a viewing is not possible online, there is a decent chance it is a scam. Same if they arrange a viewing and do not turn up. Google the name of the landlord. Perhaps some people might have posted or commented if someone is a scammer. Check the payment methods . The landlord should be using a real bank account. However, keep in mind that even a regular bank account can be that of a scammer. Trust your gut feeling! Talk to others, show them the details, perhaps hold an online viewing with a family member or friend, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Remember, if it sounds too perfect, it may just be too good to be true. For instance, the supposed flatmates may magically have the same nationality as you, same interests etc. – scammers try to learn everything about you by googling you and charming you into renting a room that way. Be weary of this. Consider going to the police if you get scammed despite all this. The more people who report scammers, the more likely it is they will be found, charged and prosecuted. 3. Useful sites To give you a bit of a helping hand, we compiled a few links to short-term-rental websites as well as to some useful Facebook groups below. 3.1 Our t-card partners First of all, we want to highlight our beloved t-card housing partner companies . If you get a (very cheap) t-card from us, you save 20% to 25% on the booking fee when booking on their platforms. It’s absolutely amazing, go for it!!! Currently (as of January 2025), these are: https://www.spotahome.com/ https://housinganywhere.com/ 3.2 Other platforms The following other platforms regrettably do not (yet) offer t-card discounts, but still somehow manage to survive financially and might be of help if you find nothing at our t-card partner platforms at all: https://airbnb.com/ https://bnb.brussels/en/ https://www.brukot.be/en/ https://www.immoweb.be/en https://www.immobrussels.be/ https://www.livecolonies.com/ https://findallrentals.com/ https://www.colochousing.com/ 3.3 Social media groups Not all housing is done via platforms in Brussels, quite the contrary! Many landlords try to find new lessees via social media. Some are both very kind and very professional landlords, and some are ruthless scammers, so again, beware! Here are a few Facebook links we compiled that might help: flat board for EU stagiaires BXL A LOUER - de bouches a oreilles Bxl à Louer - de bouch à oreille (II) Bxl à Louer - de bouche à oreille ( II ) Bruxelles à Louer - Brussel Te Huur - Brussels For Rent IMMOBILIER A VENDRE & A LOUER A BRUXELLES BRUSSELS FOR RENT Wonen in Brussel Colocation Bruxelles Colocations Bruxelles - Brussels roomate Colocation Brussels & Flatsharing Bruxelles House Sharing, Brussels, Bruxelles, Brussel Brussels Apartments & Rooms for Rent Kots à Bruxelles - Kot in Brussel You can also ask or search in Facebook groups with people from your country living in Brussels or for expat-groups in general (like Expats in Brussels ) 3.4 Blacklist Lastly, we also have a list of housing platforms and landlords previous generations of Blue Books have made bad experiences with (of course, none of the housing platforms listed above). If you want to check, whether your housing platform or landlord is on the list, feel free to contact us. We hope this helps! All the best of luck with your search! We’re sure you’re going to find a beautiful place to call your home here, eventually (-; Your ECTA team