Start your career

No. Start your career is for people at the beginning of their professional career. You may be coming straight from university or already have some professional experience behind you. If you already have experience, we build on what you have learned rather than treating you as if you are starting from zero.

No. You may already know which area you want to specialise in, or you may still be figuring that out. Projects, training, different technologies and conversations with colleagues can help you discover which type of work and environment suits you best. You don’t need to have your entire career mapped out before you start.

Not necessarily. The AE Apprenticeship is a dedicated starting point for Young Graduates who join through the programme. It combines an intensive learning journey, coaching, reflection and practical experience. If you already have professional experience, your starting point and guidance will look different. We build on what you already know rather than asking you to start again.

The Apprenticeship is an eight month programme with a shared start in September. It begins with an intensive two week kick off focused on both professional and technical development. After that, regular coaching, learning and reflection moments continue throughout the programme.

That depends partly on where you are in your career. Young Graduates can receive dedicated guidance from a personal mentor during their first years at AE. On a client project, your Short Term Coach is an important point of contact for your daily professional context, feedback and development. You also have people around you for longer term development, domain expertise and questions that go beyond your current project. The aim is to give you support without making every decision for you.

Learning at AE is closely connected to real work, but your exact start depends on your role and situation. For Young Graduates in the Apprenticeship, the programme is there to build professional foundations and prepare you for client work. AE then actively helps you look for a suitable first client assignment. As you gain experience, you take on more responsibility within that client context. 

Yes, within the realities of consultancy. When an opportunity comes up, you get information about the context and expectations and can discuss whether the role fits your expertise, interests and development. That does not mean every project, technology or client is available at every moment. It does mean your perspective is part of the conversation when we look for a good match.

You don’t need to arrive knowing every AI tool. What matters is being willing to learn how to use AI critically and responsibly. That includes understanding the problem before reaching for a tool, checking whether output is reliable and thinking about quality, risk and context. Strong professional judgement matters just as much as knowing how to use the technology.

That depends on your role and client assignment. AE has offices in Leuven, Antwerp, Ghent and Hasselt, while consultancy work can also involve spending time at a client location. For many consultancy roles, client presence is part of the job. Many of our clients are based in Brussels. In practice, that usually means two to three days a week on site, with flexibility around travel time, not a daily commute. Expectations around location and mobility are discussed during the recruitment process so you know what a role involves before making a decision.

No. Read the role and consider whether the work interests you and whether you have a relevant foundation to build on. You can tell us what you already bring and what you still want to learn. Starting your career means you are not expected to know everything yet.