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My experience as a junior consultant at Afore Consulting was extremely enriching. It was the perfect place from where to start navigating in the world of European affairs.

It was my first job in the field of European affairs after I graduated, therefore it was very challenging at the beginning. I did not know the topics I was working on and I did not know the dynamics of the firm. What helped me a lot was the very nice team of colleagues I met: whenever I needed help, I immediately received it. This was the case at the beginning but also through the following months. The team is very international and young, which makes all the consultants easy to approach. The directors are also very helpful, they understand your errors and help you grow.

Afore Consulting’s areas of work are several: insurance, payments, tax, digital policies and sustainable finance amongst others. I was working on the sustainable finance agenda and the negotiations of the EU budget for the years 2021-2027. I was lucky, because I was very interested in these areas and I got passionate about them. If that had not been so, I would have had the possibility to change areas and work in a different sector. This demonstrates the flexibility of the firm, which encourages the junior consultants to find a field they are interested in.

As a junior consultant, after the first couple of weeks, I was not only assisting senior consultants, but I was in charge of my topics. This allowed me to gain confidence and expertise. I felt I was responsible and important for the firm.

The main tasks of a junior consultant are several and very diverse. I attended many virtual conferences, which allowed me to learn a lot on different topics. I attended calls with clients and thanks to the webinars I followed I was able to give debriefs and add my contribution to the conversation. I found the calls with clients very important, as I could learn from the senior consultants how to lead a call, properly present an issue and answer questions. I prepared many presentations for clients, an exercise that enabled me to understand topics more in depth. Finally, I followed the European Parliament Committees and the Plenaries, which was particularly interesting as it gave me the possibility to understand how the decision-making process takes place in practice.

Overall, my experience as a junior consultant at Afore Consulting was very motivating and formative. I felt valued in my work and I felt my contribution to the firm was important. I learnt so much: not only on the topics I was in charge of, but also on other policies of the European Union and on the decision-making process at EU level. I believe that this experience was a springboard for my career and helped me reach my current position as a trainee in the Cabinet of EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders.