Internship Q&A with Tran Dieu Mai Vo (Vietnam)
Internships offer students the chance to gain practical experience, build professional networks, and explore different workplace cultures. These opportunities prepare them for future careers—wherever that may be. Tran Dieu Mai Vo, a Vietnamese student from our Brussels Campus, shares her insights from her internship at Etex Group.
How did you find your internship position?
I found my internship through an event called Event for International Talent hosted by FEB on November 5, 2024. It was a great networking opportunity where I connected with companies, alumni, and peers. I shared my contact details with several companies that stood out to me, and one of them was Etex Group. Interestingly, I initially targeted roles in finance and data analysis, but most of those companies declined. Etex wasn’t on my radar at first – I thought they focused solely on construction. But they offered me a finance internship, and I gladly accepted.
Do you have tips and/or tricks for fellow students who are seeking for an (international) internship position?
Honestly, I don’t think there’s a magic trick. For me, I applied everywhere, even when I wasn’t sure I had a chance. At the time, my CV was almost empty - no real work experience, just my academic background. That’s why I believe the key is confidence: send your CV anyway and make sure to highlight your strengths.
What did you learn? Best experience? Worst experience?
I learned a lot during my time at Etex. I was fortunate to have an experienced manager, Mr. Gert Boutsen, and the whole Etex Business Services (EBS) supporting me. They guided me step by step, and treated me like the ‘youngest in the family’, which made me feel part of the team. I gained hands-on experience with systems like SAP, and strengthened my Microsoft Office skills. My best experience was when I reviewed and checked over 300 intercompany contracts across the Etex group in just two days – something my manager expected would take two to three weeks. He was impressed, and that boosted my confidence. Since I finished so quickly, I was given additional tasks, which gave me the chance to experience things beyond my original job description. Honestly, every day working with my teammates was enjoyable and engaging, so I didn’t have any bad experiences at all.
“Everyone on the team was very kind and willing to communicate with me in English. At the same time, this motivated me to start learning Dutch seriously.”
How did you combine schoolwork and your internship?
I was quite lucky with the timing and the setup. The EBS team at Etex works in a hybrid model, so I only had to go to the office on Tuesdays. That made it easier to balance everything: one day at the office, other days for school, and then I worked on company tasks from home. Another advantage was that my internship started around Easter. The university had a two-week break, while the company only closed on the actual holidays, so I used that time to get a lot more work done for Etex.
Why did you want to do an internship?
Honestly, my reason was quite straightforward: I wanted real-life experience beyond the classroom. I wanted to challenge myself, build meaningful connections with professionals and companies, and strengthen my CV, which at the time had very little practical experience. Doing an internship was the perfect way to gain hands-on skills and add solid experience to my profile.
What did you hope to learn during your internship?
To be honest, I didn’t have one specific thing I hoped to learn – I just wanted to absorb as much as possible. If I had to highlight something, it would be the opportunity to experience the difference between working in an industry environment versus the academic setting at university. I was also curious to compare workplace culture in Belgium, a Western country, with Vietnam, my home country in Southeast Asia. Bonus – about language and culture
On top of that, I felt extremely lucky because Etex Group has Flemish roots, so Dutch is their main language. However, as an international group, they also use English – and that’s the only reason I had the opportunity to intern there. Everyone on the team was very kind and willing to communicate with me in English. At the same time, this motivated me to start learning Dutch seriously, which I see as an 'intangible asset' for my future career in the job market.
Hilde Coppenholle