Praktika

Belgien, Brüssel-Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus

A life-changing experience in the lovely and vibrant melting-pot of Europe

Viktoria S., Leisure and Tourism Management, 5. Semester, Belgien, Brüssel, Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus, August 2020 - Februar 2021

I spent the last half year in the lively heart of Europe as part of my mandatory internship. Even though Brussels was not spared from the Covid-19-pandemic and the accompanying restrictions, the last few months were amongst the best of my life. If you want to live and work in an exciting and international environment, I can sincerely recommend a stay in Brussels in general, and especially in the context of an Erasmus program. To get an idea of the life in Brussels, here are some insights into my time there.

MY STARTING POSITION

As for the destination of my internship, I was quite flexible at the beginning of the search. However, with the outbreak of the pandemic, it quickly became clear that I wanted to complete my internship within Europe. It was important for me to live in a large international city in order to bring my English and/or French, as well as my intercultural skills, to a higher level. In addition, I have been particularly interested in the fields of event, project and destination management/marketing for a long time now. I really enjoy working in a team and dealing with lots of different people, and I am especially thriving when it comes to organization and creativity.

HOW DID I FIND AND GET MY INTERNSHIP?

I searched for open positions on numerous portals and on company's own websites, but I also wrote speculative applications. Finally, I came across the internship I have been completing for the last few months via the job portal https://www.germany.travel/en/about-us/internships.html of the German National Tourism Board. I applied for the position in B2C-marketing & press, which was about the realization of events and conferences, organization of press trips, marketing via social media channels and the development of marketing campaigns and collaborations with Belgian media and influencers, as well as German tourism organizations. I sent a cover letter as well as my resume, which were required in this case just in German language, by email at the end of February 2020. After only a few days, I received the pleasant feedback that my profile sounds very interesting and was invited to an interview at the beginning of March, which took place via Skype for Business. I had the interview with the intern at that time and one of the department heads. The interview went very well - the atmosphere was relaxed, friendly and open. After a short introduction of both sides, there were some questions about my person regarding studies, hobbies, origin, work experience, etc. Furthermore, we talked about my motivation for the internship and two subject-specific questions about tourism in Germany rounded off the interview. Finally, I was able to ask the intern questions about her activities during the internship and we chatted a bit more about personal life, so that the interview ultimately lasted about 45 minutes.

About 3 days later I received the acceptance for the internship position, and it took around 1 month until the final employment contract and all required documents for Erasmus+ were prepared and signed.

WHAT TO DO BEFORE HEADING TOWARDS YOUR EXPERIENCE IN BRUSSELS?

Before starting this adventure, it was essential to check if I have all the necessary insurances and if they are fully valid abroad (liability insurance, health insurance, etc.). Another big point is finding an apartment - in Brussels it is very common to live in large flat shares, occupying not only one apartment, but entire houses. You can find your accommodation through various Facebook groups, for example:

If you search through Facebook, you should start looking for an apartment about 3 months before moving. However, many rooms become available only at short notice, so do not worry if you don't find something right away! According to my experience, depending on location and amenities, you need to budget around €450 - €700 for a room (+ deposit of two months’ rent). For my room - rented through the company ShareHome - in a renovated and well-equipped typical Brussels house close to the EU-Institutions (Schuman area,) with a private shower, balcony and about 15 qm², I paid 600 euros per month.

Living in Brussels is expensive in comparison to Germany's student cities. This concerns rent, but also food, restaurants, etc., so you should clarify in advance to be financially sufficiently “equipped“. In addition to the Erasmus funding of €495 per month, I also received foreign student grants (BaföG), child allowance and a monthly salary of €300 - I got by well with that.

Most shared flats are well equipped, so you do not have to arrive with too many things. Also, in regard to clothes, I recommend to not pack too much, since Belgium, with the cities of Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges, is a shopping paradise.

LIVING IN BRUSSELS

But Brussels is not only a shopping paradise - it is the heart of Europe! Brussels is home to 184 different nationalities, so you can look forward to face multiple worldviews every day. As one of the political and cultural strongholds of Europe, Brussels is the place to involve yourself politically, establish enriching private/professional contacts and visit countless museums and exhibitions. At "normal" times, there are also many festivals throughout the year and a fantastic gastronomic offer. There are 18 “districts” in Brussels - I love the city center, the area around the Parc du Cinquantenaire and Ixelles. To me, these areas are particularly charming and lively with numerous green spaces, great restaurants and bars and architectural highlights. In general, Brussels is architecturally simply amazing! No matter where you look, you will find an eye-catcher and fall in love with it. Due to the internationality of the city, I was confronted with German, English, French and Dutch in everyday life. In my shared house, we were 7 people with a total of 5 nationalities. Living together was accompanied by enjoying cooking together, doing movie/game nights, walks and little trips to other Belgian cities. It was totally great!

WORKING AT GNTB BELGIUM

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) represents Germany internationally as a travel destination. It develops and communicates strategies and products to further enhance the positive image of German travel destinations and promotes tourism to Germany. The foreign representative office in Brussels is responsible for the Belgian and Luxembourg markets. The focus for 2021 is on the topics of sustainable travel, nature and activity, wellness offers and city trips. Working on these topics in a young, familiar and motivated team was a wonderful experience, since you are seen and integrated as a fully-fledged team member. Some tasks were repetitive, others were weekly changing and challenging, so the range of tasks was quite varied and pleasant. Even though I worked in home office most of the time, the whole team made a big effort to maintain regular face-to-face contact through digital team meetings and gatherings in compliance with the regulations.

A FORMATIVE AND UNFORGETTABLE TIME

Mystay in Belgium as part of the Erasmus+ program was a full success. I was quite often challenged in Brussels, but I was able to reach my goals for my semester abroad. Every day filled me with joy and excitement! In the end I liked it so much, that I’m moving back in several weeks to start a part-time job while writing my bachelor thesis, with the aim of settling there for a longer period of time.