Hi!

I was accepted to PILC program at VUB. I'm concerned about reputation of this program and job prospects after finishing it. Does anybody has any experience or thoughts?

Hi,

Regarding reputation there are several European universities that are better known, also in Belgium (Bruges). However, VUB is a good university and profits from its location in Brussels. Furthermore, the tuition fee is - compared to others - not expensive. As I heard, study trips to some European institutions are part of the programme, which can be also quite interesting.

All in all, I think VUB is a good choice to people who are mainly interested in European law and want to profit from the location.

Hi,
I'm more interested in International Law in general. But my main concern is job prospects after finishing the program. Is it possible to get a job in Brussels afterwards for foreign LL.Ms? I was also accepted to Maastricht and Groningen. The VUB tuition is indeed very attractive. I was also wondering why it's so cheap and how it affects the quality of program itself? As I've already said, my main goal is to get a good job.

Hi,

compared to Maastricht and Groningen, I would definitely choose VUB.

Regarding jobs: it depends on your whole profile whether you might be attractive for employers or not.

If you want to work in Brussels you could combine your studies with an internship and try to get a job offer afterwards.

The fact that the tuition fee is at such a low level only says that the programme is governmental funded and that is - in my eyes - an advantage.

Anyway, I would only do an LL.M. if I was really interested in the studies etc itself and not because of getting a job. There are many easier ways in getting a job than a one year postgraduate. Besides, an LL.M. will never give you "job certainty" - it can just improve your profile.

I think that one year program with impetus on international/european law would be useful for me (and not only from job prospects).
Why do you think that VUB is better. For me it's really hard to compare, therefore if you have any additional info, I would love to read it.
Originally I wanted to go to NYU, because their international law program is well-known, but I haven't recieved any fin aid there, therefore I'm inclined to choose european university.
How hard is to get an internship during your studies?

I'm afraid that any LLM in international law would not help you get a job in Europe or the US; you'd better concentrate on corporate or financial law, as international law jobs are extremely limited and the way to obtaining them are connections rather than academic credentials (there are exceptions, but they are extremely rare).

single-bilingual, I hate financial law:))))))) Seriously, if I could I would concetrate on tax law, because I know it is on demand. From the other hand i just love inetrnational. I chose it simply because I like it. Do you have some experience or evidence that it's very hard to get into international law firm or international organization?

I am working for an international law firm and I think it is realistic to find a job in Europe, also without connections. The most important thing is your CV and your academic qualifications. If one has an interesting CV and very good academic qualifications, she or he can easily find a job everywhere. Same with internships. You can try to contact international law firms in Brussels to ask for possibilities and what they are looking for. Without having seen your CV etc, it is impossible for me or anybody to say if it is realistic or not to find a job.

In Brussels, there are many jobs in the field of Competition law, since most of the international law firms have their competition law groups based in Brussels. Anyway, I would never choose to specialise on anything just because of getting a job.

Why I would choose Brussels and not Groningen or Maastricht: the city. I think you could profit from the international environment in Brussels. Regarding reputation: In my eyes (as I said before) VUB profits from its locations - Brussels sounds "better" than Maastricht or Groningen and if you do not study in Harvard, Stanford, NYU, Cambridge, Oxford... the exact ranking position is firstly not possible to find out and secondly not that important. Anyway, at the end of the day, I do not think that there is big difference between the three universities.

Hi!

I'm also considering coming to Brussels as I was selected.

Does anybody know when courses start there each day normally?

As I am planning to travel from another town.

I have studied in Gent university for some time and I liked the program, does anybody know if VUB is of the same level?


Thank you for your remarks!