Thinking about an internship at FH Brussels?

Since 2006, Fleishman-Hillard in Brussels has undertaken a successful undergraduate internship programme with a range of academic institutions in the UK and Ireland. This 10 month, paid programme is aimed at penultimate year undergraduate students who wish to spend an academic year in business as part of their degree. So if you are crazy enough to willingly trade a year of skipped lectures and questionable kebabs for a year of hard graft at the political heart of Europe, this post will provide all the info you’ll ever need.

What do you get out of a year in Brussels with FH?

You’ll be provided with numerous great opportunities including:

• A year working in a multinational and dynamic office of one of the world’s largest communications agencies
• The reality of working with the European Union’s politics, policies and institutional processes on a daily basis—putting theory into practice
• The ability to gain practical experience of the disciplines of public affairs, corporate and internal communications in one of our largest offices in Europe
• An environment to grow and hone business skills. Mentors at consultant and senior consultant level are assigned to provide guidance throughout the year
• You may even get a proper, grown up job out of it. Two members of our intern alumni, (David Turier and Ed Ratcliffe), are current members of staff and others remain good friends of the firm.

Day-to-day, what will I do?

As an FH intern, you’re a proactive member of the team. You’ll be responsible for:

• Attending public deliberations of the EU institutions, press conferences and policy workshops
• Desk and phone research with institutions, monitoring of policy developments
• Drafting of briefing notes and analyses of EU policies
• Participating in internal brainstorms and strategy sessions
• Planning the Christmas Party (perhaps your toughest challenge)

So, who should apply?

There are no prerequisites with regard to degrees or disciplines but an ideal candidate should have:

• A “can-do” approach to life and the ability to produce work to high standard, including attention to detail
• An interest in the politics, policy and people of the European Union and how it impacts the business environment
• Excellent computer and internet research skills: Word, PowerPoint, Excel, knowledge of European Union institutional websites
• Initiative and creative flare
• The capacity to deal with conflicting priorities, work under pressure and to deliver for deadlines
• Excellent communication skills and networking ability
• An ability to work in an innovative environment, with a proactive and multi-cultural team
• Fluency in English (oral and written) with an ability to use at least one other European language

How do I apply?

You should submit a Curriculum Vitae and a letter of motivation to Fleishman-Hillard via your course leader at University by Wednesday 30^th January 2013. Interviews with selected students will take place in w/c 18^th February and successful candidates will subsequently be informed of their selection by the end of February 2013.

Want to know more?

Well you’ve obviously stumbled upon this blog – well done for making it this far. But should you want some more FH info, take a look at our website. And – a window into FH as an intern – check out our Fleishman-Hillard Brussels Intern Alumni Facebook Group. Our current crop of 8 interns/rockstars are all settling in, so some personal insights into ‘all things FH’ are almost certainly in store for the coming weeks.

Jack, University of Warwick, 2012-2013 intern