Frequently Asked Questions

When do internships usually take place? Internships mostly take place in July, August and September and this for a period of minimum six weeks, but internships outside the summer vacation period are also possible. Due to administrative reasons an internship is limited to one year. Who takes care of residence / work permits? All student trainees who go on an internship through IAESTE Belgium are exempted of a work permit. IAESTE Belgium can provide you with a certificate. Both IAESTE Belgium and IAESTE of the sending country offer the student extensive administrative support in obtaining visa. The company doesn’t have to take any initiative in this. Who takes care of insurance? The foreign trainee has to take care of the necessary insurance by him or herself and has to fill a form comfirming that he/she is sufficiently insured. Most often, the intern is insured by him/her university. How much is the typical wage for an IAESTE trainee? In Belgium, IAESTE trainees are payed on average 200 euro a week. The trainee has to take care of his/her own travel(costs). We only ask your company to pay the expenses for the trainee’s stay in Belgium. IAESTE Belgium imposes a minimum fee of 170 euro a week. The payement usually happens by expense forms. Preferably at least half of the expenses are payed in cash. The other part you can pay in ways of free meals or accommodation. What is expected of the content of a placement? We expect a challenging task for an engineering student, a bio-engineering student, architecture or science student. The required specialization as well as the level of the student, third bachelor, first or second master, can be specified by you. How can I be sure that the selected trainee will be qualified? With an offer form we will survey the requirements of your company. For every internship your company offers, IAESTE will propose a fully screened and motivated candidate, based on your offer. You can screen the student by reviewing his/her file. If you wish so, you could also conduct a telephone interview or ask the candidate to complete a selection test. This might help you to have a better understanding of the student’s level of knowledge.