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Courses in Belgium Remuneration: Usually, courses which come under the heading of studies are
A preferential trade and transit area in the heart of Europe, Belgium is
a federal State, subdivided into regions (Flanders in the north and Wallonia in the
south, with Brussels forming the union between these two main communities).
The presence of representative European Institutions has strengthened the
culture of exchanges and the use of foreign languages (especially Dutch, French
and English) in this country. On the political level, it is a constitutional monarchy. in the context of higher education. Work regulations are applied according to the
The characteristics of employment vary depending on the regions but mainly
concern the services: the sectors of transport and communications, finance and
distribution and the retail trade. The sectors which accept the most trainees in
Belgium are banking, health, the media and the social and legal services.
Name and legal framework
Legal status of the course
In Belgium, the course is always in relation to studies or a training course. The
trainee is defined as a learner who is actually carrying out a job with an employer
under conditions similar to the company's other employees in order to acquire
professional experience. These services must be performed on the employer's
premises and so, since no actual work is performed, observation courses and
visits to businesses are not taken into consideration.
Two Royal decrees governing the protection of trainees are imposed on the
employer, the trainee and the educational institution. They cover the following
points: the analysis of the risks involved, the exchange of information between the
different parties (employer, trainee, establishment) and the monitoring of health.
(Royal Decrees of 2004 and 2007)
Since 2008, Wallonia has encouraged firms with more than 250 employees to
accept a 4% quota of trainees and apprentices. Training courses in Belgium take on
significantly different forms. It is appropriate to differentiate between courses for
pupils and students from the courses followed by those in search of employment.
Details of the various types of courses available in French-speaking Belgium:
www.monstage.be/type-de-stage-et-status.html
Course contract: this gives details of the terms and conditions of the course,
with the activities and support which will be put in place. Several universities or
institutes of higher education offer an example of a course contract or convention
on their web sites.
For example, the University of Louvain-la-Neuve: www.uclouvain.be
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unpaid, in contrast to courses followed by job seekers in the context of specific
programs. However, some companies reimburse the costs of transport (bus or
train season tickets) or offer meals free of charge or at a reduced price to students.
These benefits should be negotiated by the student or trainee.
Legal Duration: there is no uniform duration for the courses which take place
age of the trainee. The duration of a course of studies in Belgium is one to four
months.
Specific requirements: Some institutions clearly stipulate how the evaluation
of the course is to be carried out in order to be officially recognised as part of
the initial training. It is important that the student trainee from another country
gives all relevant information to the business concerned as to the duration and
conditions of follow-up, support and assessment, so that he knows exactly what
the commitments are.
Title of stay: All universities and several high schools (HE) or Hogescholen offer
brochures with practical information for foreign students who come to study or take
courses in Belgium. For non-European foreigners, Belgian legislation provides for
the case of a stay to take a course in a company in the context of studies.
For more information:
The Federal Public Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue Service:
www.emploi.belgique.be
The Brussels Chamber of Commerce and Industry:
www.beci.be
Practical life
Language: as 'vous' (the formal second person in French) does not apply,
relationships are generally simple and unequivocal. In the north, in Flanders,
Dutch is spoken, with different accents according to the area. In the south, in
Wallonia, French is spoken with linguistic variations. There is also a small German-
speaking community on the east, near the German border. Brussels is a bilingual
community (French and Dutch).
Cost of living: prices are relatively stable, fairly close to those in France: 6 to 9€
for breakfast, 12 to 20€ for a main course in a restaurant.
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