Big in Brussels: The art of working and living in the EU Bubble

The Brussels “EU Bubble” is a high-pressure, fast-churn and competitive environment where career success can often come at a high personal cost. Drawing on his own experience and the collective wisdom of many Brussels insiders, Jeroen Reijnen explains “the art of working and living in the EU Bubble” − in other words, how best to achieve a positive work-life balance in a city where people come and go, and burnout, rootlessness and loneliness are all too common.

As Jeroen explains: “Where ‘Big in Brussels’ started out just as a book about making a career, it evolved into one about how to live the ‘Good Life’ in the EU Bubble.” His advice is practical, realistic and engaging. If your own road leads to Brussels, make sure to take this book with you on your journey.

PART I: HOW TO GET IN

Living like a Sultan

From idealists to careerists

Endless summer

The rule of at least two internships

Some reading and watching tips

To Bruges or not to Bruges?

Sex in the city

The Blue Book

PART II: HOW TO LAND A REAL JOB

Making a life choice

When a good sense of humour pays off

Are you red, yellow, green or blue?

How to get in and how to fit in the Holy Trinity

The powerhouses: the cabinets

Best first job ever: “APA”

Create your own dream job

Lobby is my hobby

The dynamics between the Commission, the EP and the Council

Girl Power is on the rise

Off the beaten track

Where’s the money?

From hero to zero

Softies have the future

Revolving doors?

#MeToo in Brussels

Qatargate

PART III: HOW NOT TO GO NUTS

Be ready for some bitching about the EU

Should I stay or should I go?

No nine to five

Burnouts are on the rise

The Brussels Happiness Curve

Challenges you will face if you choose to stay in Belgium

The six basic needs of every human being

Why do many guys behave like assholes in Brussels?

The loneliness

How to feel less stressed

In a midlife crisis? It will only get better!

Get in the flow

PART IV: HOW TO MAKE BELGIUM YOUR NEW HOME

Don`t get stuck in the Golden Cage

The “CCP”

Make an effort to integrate

Are your children becoming “citizens of nowhere”

or super-Europeans?

Nine tips to stop bitching and start loving Belgium

La Belgitude

The Belgians rule

How to become “Big in Brussels

Afterword

ANNEX: SOME (FUN) FACTS

Why Catholics like the EU more than Protestants do

How the “Whim of the Gods” replaced Brussels’ last brewery

Many James Bonds in Brussels

Is the EU a Catholic conspiracy after all?

Why Brussels became the EU Capital

The troubled birth of the European anthem

How Politico made Brussels sexy

Where does it happen?

Author: Jeroen Reijnen has almost a quarter of a century of experience in Brussels, including lobbying, the Commission “stage” and jobs in two European institutions. He did multiple internal and external concours (entry exams to become a European civil servant), passing some and failing others. All while ending up managing a family of four children with three nationalities, mixing four different languages. In short, he played Brussels by the book; now he has written it.