Posted by Almost September, another group of students will come overseas to Belgium to study. It is a great thing to have dreams and goals. Many friends around me originally planned to come abroad to get a degree and then return to work in their own countries. However, a few years passed, almost time to return, and they realized that they liked the way of life here, they decided to stay and look for a job.
As a foreigner, looking for a job without preparation is usually quite a struggle.
Today we’re going to talk about how you can prepare for your future entry into the Belgian talent market while you’re in school, and no matter where you end up working, here are a few things that will help you in the long run.
Before getting into the topic, let’s talk about some basic concepts that you need to know about finding a job in Belgium.
Job search year residence permit
I remember back 10 years ago, I graduated in June, and my student’s residence permit was expiring in September of the same year. If I didn’t find a job at that time, then I had to go back to my own country, otherwise, my stay in Belgium would be illegal.
It is much easier for the students of today because, from August 16, 2021, newly graduated students can apply for a one-year job-seeking residence permit, during which they can legally live in Belgium while looking for a job.
This is also a wise decision made by the Belgian government to retain outstanding talents.
Work Permit/Single Permit
If you did not have a permanent residence in Belgium when you just graduated, nor did you have legal cohabitation with a local, then you need your employer to apply for a work permit for you to work and live in Belgium.
If you find a job during the search year, you can start working with your existing job-seeking residents, but you need to apply for your work permit as soon as possible.
At the beginning of 2019, Belgium implemented the single permit application process from the European Union directive. Your work permit and residence are with the same application process, and your residence is also directly bound to your work card, when you change jobs, you need to apply for a new single permit too. After five years of work, you can get permanent residence.
Minimum wage
The minimum wage before tax for work in Belgium is 1842,28 EUR (May 2022).
To ensure that local people are given priority to be considered by employers, the Belgian government has set a minimum wage required to apply for a work permit, as shown in the table below.
For those who have just graduated, if calculated by 13.92 months of salary, they need to get an offer of at least 3,168 euros per month before tax (Brussels, Wallonia) or 2,591 euros per month (under 30 years old in Flanders) before tax to get a work permit.
*The minimum wage for nurses in Flemish is also 36,076 a year.
Now that you know a bit more about how disadvantageous it is for foreigners to find a job in Belgium, let’s get to the point of this article. I hope you can find a job with the best offer when you graduate.
1. Learn the local languages
It goes without saying that if you plan to stay here, you must learn the local language, the sooner the better. The more you master the language, the more space you gain for your future career development.
Most companies have mandatory language requirements for non-technical positions, and knowing the languages for technical positions is also an invaluable asset. Therefore, I suggest that the newcomers sign up for an evening language class as soon as they arrive in Belgium. Learning languages in Belgium is really cheap. Don’t waste your time and resources!
You might ask, should I start with Dutch or French? Based on my experience, both languages are equally welcome ( In Brussels, French is more commonly spoken, while Dutch-speaking people are more scarce), and most companies require (non-technical positions) to know at least Dutch or French, plus English.
For simplicity, I suggest you learn the official language of the city you live in. The language school in Belgium focuses a lot on the actual application, so normally after a few months, you should be able to communicate with the people around you.
2. Start your LinkedIn account
If you don’t have a LinkedIn account yet, not only should you register immediately, but you should also connect with me (please make a note that you come from my blog).
Whether you have work experience or not, having a completed LinkedIn profile is the first step to entering the workplace.
When you meet classmates or people you know from the workplace, try to connect with them on LinkedIn. By the time you graduate and start looking for a job, there will already be some connections who can refer you for open positions (many companies in Belgium give referral bonuses, so others will be happy to help you too).
If you’re looking for a job, you can use LinkedIn’s “Open to” feature, which will make it easier for your friends to keep an eye on the job you want and make it easier for headhunters to find you.
3. Follow the markets
Since you want to prepare for the workplace, you should pay more attention to business-related dynamics and in-depth analysis. I recommend subscribing to a professional business journal, such as The Economists, Financial Times, etc. I love reading The Economist thanks to its wording and article categorizing, their Youtube and podcast channels are also freely accessible.
Following the markets for a while will greatly improve your international and business horizon. Reading is also a time to calm yourself immensely, much better than watching Netflix.
4. Communicate more with people from the workplace
The easiest way to enter the workplace is to build relationships and obtain relevant information.
You may be thinking that during school, all the friends around you are students, how can you build relationships in the workplace? Expanding your social circle is the first step. For example, you may have friends in your language class who are working and share the same educational background!
There are many other ways, such as sports clubs, or going to some meetups that interest you. You can find many topics on the Meetup.com website, there must be some topics that interest you.
If you don’t find anything interesting, I recommend joining the Toastmasters event, which is a great platform for practicing your communication skills.
5. Improve non-technical skills (soft skills)
Students spent lots of time acquiring technical knowledge, finalizing reports, passing exams, and so on. However, at work, there is something as important as (if not more than) the technical skills, which are called soft skills, such as communication skills, presentation skills, visualization skills, team-building skills, and so on.
Once you enter the workforce, these skills are a people distinguisher and immediately make you visible. I will perhaps have a separate article dedicated to soft skills. Also check my previous post: 10 tips to improve your professional communication, and How to deal with unprofessional emails at work?
The above 5 points are some of my suggestions to current students, and these are also the guidance that I hoped someone would have given me 13 years ago.
Of course, if your major is very scarce in Belgium (such as engineering, IT), etc., you probably don’t need to do the above 5 points to find a job in Belgium, but how far you can go in the workplace is another matter. .
I sincerely hope to see more foreign talents move from technical positions to more influential positions.
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