Living in Brussels and Luxembourg-kick off your career in the EU!
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By Eliza Wojcik, 10 minutes.
If you are here reading this article, engaging with blue&yellow or the European Careers Association in any way, I am sure you have thought about pursuing a career in the EU. You probably considered which career opportunities there are, what potential qualifications make you an excellent candidate and what’s the salary like. But have you thought about where you are going to work and live? By where, I am talking about places – cities, countries and environments. Inevitably, your whole life will move to this place, so it is good to know some characteristics of your future home. If you’re planning on working closely with the EU, the place of your first job will probably either be Brussels or Luxembourg, as this is where most of the EU institutions reside. Today we will explore some details of living there while working for the EU. You will be able to see some pros and cons of both, compare them and explain what you can expect after making your first step into the EU career. Let’s dive in!
First things first - Working for, or with the EU?
It often happens that every single job connected to the EU is described as ‘working for the EU’. This is not always correct, though. Not in all cases the direct employer will be the EU. There is a difference between working for the EU and with the EU.
Working for the EU entails working directly in one of the EU institutions, bodies, or agencies. European Personnel Selection Office organises competitions for permanent and non-permanent positions in these institutions. Working for the EU as a non-permanent official encompasses, among others, contractual agents, temporary staff, and trainees. So, if you decide to apply for some of the traineeships or jobs that you saw on our blog in the ECA Job Hunter category, you would actually be the one having the EU as an employer.
Working with the EU differs significantly from working for the EU, as in this case, the employer is not the EU itself. Such positions usually entail being employed by a national government, but they may still require working with the Directorate General and having similar duties to the EU employees. The most prominent examples of working with the EU are diplomatic positions or working as a Seconded National Expert. The latter are international civil servants who work temporarily for the Commission. They aim to provide their experience to the Commission while acquiring the knowledge of Community issues.
Living in Brussels
Multiculturalism
The EU has not formally declared its capital but I think we all immediately associate Brussels, the capital of Belgium, with the EU. Brussels hosts various EU institutions, while the most prominent examples are the European Commission, Council of the EU and European Parliament. With such accumulation of crucial bodies, the international atmosphere and large percentage of the population being from different Member States is inevitable. So firstly, when moving to Brussels, prepare to revolve in an international, multicultural and multilingual environment.
Brussels is conformed by a Dutch-speaking minority and a French-speaking majority. As for other cultural groups in Brussels, the most prominent ones are Germans, Italians and Moroccans. Other nationalities that you may encounter are Turks, Portuguese, Spaniards, Poles, Greeks although this is obviously not an exhaustive list of nationalities present there!
It cannot be stressed enough that if you’re planning on moving to Brussels you should prepare yourself for cultural diversity. You will encounter multiple cultures, languages and behaviours. Therefore, openness and flexibility are huge assets, if not a base requirement.
The above does not only refer to the strictly EU-connected facilities but also other sectors – hotels, restaurants, media. Since Brussels hosts more than 1,000 business conferences annually, other sectors have to be present to serve the needs of the EU functionaries attending them. They also have to be prepared for loads of EU functionaries moving to Brussels for a longer period, often with their families. In fact, Brussels and its surroundings are housing more than 2/3 of all EU civil servants!
Green Brussels
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Brussels is the greenest capital city in Europe. Once you go there, especially from other, more ‘grey’ parts of Europe, you will immediately notice plants, trees and flowers everywhere. There is an endless amount of parks and gardens often with small lakes and ponds within. The two main parks are Parc Royal and Parc du Cinquantenaire. Not only are they a pleasure to look at and breathe in, but also during summer, you will likely encounter social clubs and sports meetings in them. Adeps is the central sporting body in Brussels, while VGC is a place to turn to when you’re looking for a Dutch-speaking team or a sparring partner.
Brussels goes a step further – there are numerous sustainable features across the city – royal library’s urban allotment, EU institution’s beehives, Slow Food restaurants, eco-certified areas and many more. This cannot be described accurately by words, this has to be seen with one’s own eyes, so you are welcome to discover it on your own.
Cons of Brussels
As idyllic as Brussels may seem so far, there are some cons of living there. The biggest problem which is most often described by people living there is the traffic jam. Especially during peak hours, the traffic can be a pain, with all the cars moving slowly and occasional aggressive drivers popping up in the streets. It may also be problematic to find a parking spot in Brussels, so eventually, you may be forced to rent a private garage or paid parking spot.
Another disadvantage of Brussels and Belgium as a whole is the weather. You are prone to experience ‘dark days’ with heavy clouds floating above your head all day. The climate here is humid and rainy with the daylight hours being significantly reduced here. This means that if you want to catch some sun, you may be forced to do some ‘sun hunting’ instead of just going out whenever you feel like it because the sun will not be waiting there for you!
Now let’s move on to unveiling the perks of living in Luxembourg but if you think that will be the end of the article, there is a little surprise waiting at the end, so bear with me!
Living in Luxembourg
Multiculturalism
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Similarly to Brussels, Luxembourg is one of the many crucial places in the European Union. It is sometimes called the power centre of Europe with European Court of Justice, Secretariat of the European Parliament and parts of European Commission located there. If you are at the start of your EU career, the chances of ending up in Luxembourg are high.
Luxembourg is a unique mixture of cultures, languages and nationalities. Almost 46% of its population are foreigners. In the country, there are 3 official languages: Luxembourgish, French and German. But obviously, you will most likely be able to communicate successfully in English as this language is widely spoken and accepted, especially in business environments. This makes Luxembourg another international and multilingual centre filled with people from different backgrounds. So just like in the case of Brussels, openness, tolerance and curiosity to engage with different cultures are a necessity for people planning to work there. In addition, multilingualism will be an asset while trying to move your life there.
Quality of life
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Even though Luxembourg is a small country, it should not be underestimated. It is a very comfortable and pleasant place to live in. Multiple surveys have shown that the population is satisfied with salaries, cultural life offered, acceptance of foreigners and a small degree of criminality and corruption. While choosing a country to work with one of the criteria usually looked at is the size of the gender pay gap and it is important to remember that Luxembourg is the EU state with the lowest gender pay gap standing at the level of 1.3% in 2019. Therefore, everyone can expect to be paid fairly and equally for their work. Another characteristic increasing the quality of life in Luxembourg is life expectancy. People living there are expected to live a little over 82 years. All of the mentioned qualities make Luxembourg a comfortable place to settle in which will let you both focus on your career and establish a European network of contact as well as provide you with places to relax, disconnect from work and enjoy the facilities of this beautiful country.
Cons of Luxembourg
One of the disadvantages of Luxembourg, which can be annoying especially right after moving in, is the fact that Luxembourg is expensive. Even if you manage to find an affordable place to live, other daily expenses can be a bit of a burden when you are at the beginning of your professional career. However, once you get a stable job there, and in Luxembourg, jobs are relatively well-paid, this becomes increasingly less problematic.
Another thing that people in Luxembourg tend to complain about is, just like in Brussels, the weather. It can be a bit rainy and grey, with a high percentage of cloudy days in a year. Also, the ‘wet season’ in Luxembourg lasts around 8 months. Such weather can make people stay inside their houses and, as a result, the city can look a bit sad and empty.
Where do we go now?
Both of the places described today have many advantages and are similar to some extent. You should expect multiculturalism, multilingualism and culture mixture in both of them. As already mentioned, openness and curiosity for other cultures and traditions will make your experience in Brussels and Luxembourg even more exciting. Moving on, both of them are green places to live in, but Luxembourg probably being the calmer one. Considering the size, if you are ready to encounter your work colleagues often outside work just simply while running errands, then Luxembourg is perfect for you. On the other hand, if you like to separate work and free time, Brussels would be most likely a better idea since the probability of running into your work colleagues in your free time is significantly lower.
Small bonus
Do you still feel after reading this article that you don’t know where to go and it didn’t help you in deciding? Worry not, I come to you with an alternative option being… Strasbourg!
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Strasbourg is a charming French city with a little bit of German spice. The seat of the European Parliament is located here, alongside other institutions like Council of Europe and European Court of Human Rights. There are multiple job opportunities there, all while enjoying a pretty view and charming atmosphere of the city. The pace of life can be sometimes hectic but mostly it is pretty slow and relaxed considering the romantic canals and architecture which are responsible for creating this unique atmosphere. And lastly, let’s not forget about French food. It cannot be described well, it just needs to be tasted, enjoyed and remembered for life. Once you try it, almost surely you will fall in love with it and want to stay for longer.
To sum up my deliberations I want to underline that all three places are amazing, modern and multinational places to live. The job opportunities in all of them are diverse, opening up their doors to young interns as well as for more experienced ones. The most important differences are obviously regarding the size, but this is a personal preference. I sincerely hope this article helped you understand the perks of living in Luxembourg and Brussels, what to expect and what traits are going to make your adaptation process easier. I hope you enjoyed a little bonus about Strasbourg and you will keep this comparison in mind while moving to one of those beautiful places!