What makes Brussels so special?

Most people referred to this blog page through Google or any other search engine are fully aware of the benefits that Brussels has to offer to young graduates. EU institutions are among the most attractive employers all over Europe. Along with them, though, EU Council, Parliament & NATO headquarters had formed fruitful ground for various lobby organisations, NGOs & think-thanks. If you are advocating for human, women's, animal's rights, or even the rights of photovoltaic solar panels, Brussels is the place to be. With its wealth of job opportunities for (the extremely popular, but rarely useful) social and political scientists (like me), the Belgian capital has turned into a synonym of high class income and little work. And since demand outweighs supply, it is not unusual that for one position there are more than 400 applicants. Yes, you've got this right. Paid internships or general positions in administration, where no specific skills are required (or at least this is what the majority thinks), tend to attract hundreds of applications from wanna-be Eurocrats.

The ones that are already here seem to like letting off the steam every now and then. Young expats, paid and unpaid interns, MEPs assistants and various other groups have lately boosted the popularity of the night-life in Brussels. A drink after work, some networking (we are job hunting after all) or casual sex. The EU district has it all.

What makes Brussels unique to me though is the multi-culti environment. I love speaking English at work, French on the metro, Dutch on the train. The variety of nationalities, looks, ideas, languages, cultures, so unusual for Belgium, is mostly concentrated in Brussels. And that's what makes it the place I want to be!