Air and Space Law (Advanced LL.M.)

Career preparation

Career orientation

During the programme, you will visit air and space organisations to learn about their work and to expand your professional network. Examples are KLM, Schiphol, the International Court of Justice, Airbus and ESA-ESTEC. Furthermore, you will take a study trip to visit the European Commission, EUROCONTROL and other bodies in Brussels. You will also be offered the opportunity to attend part of the session of the Legal Subcommittee of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in Vienna.

Our teaching staff has an extensive international professional and academic network, and can help you in your career orientation, and practitioners and professionals are regularly invited to teach as guest lecturers. This allows you to interact with them, build your network and learn about their work and the latest developments in the field.

During the moot court competition, you will receive training and gain experience in research, analysis, legal writing, and pleading and arguing a case. You will gain additional professional expertise by doing an internship at an institution that deals with either air or space law.

Career services

One of the biggest assets you will have in your career is your professional network. Through your interactions with professionals in the classroom, as well as during your internship, study trip and site visits, you will begin to build your international network. These contacts could greatly enhance your career prospects, as they often help with job leads and recommendations.

What the Law School and Institute do

• Career workshops organised by the Office for International Education for all advanced master students after consultation with the students representatives of all programmes (topics: PhD in Leiden, Internships & Search Year, Finding a job in The Netherlands, CV & Cover letter, LinkedIn and Job Interviews).
• Workshops on various topics and skills organised by Leiden University Career Zone.
• Workshop on how to prepare for an (international ) career organised by Leiden Law School for all master students and young professionals (usually in April or May).
• Alumni café organised by the Marketing department of Leiden Law School where alumni share their experiences on the job market (1-2 times a year).
• WhatsApp group for alumni, and LinkedIn page for anyone interested, where we share information on research, conferences and job vacancies.
• Sharing opportunities for internships and/or jobs when they are brought to our attention via BrightSpace.
• Orientation Year residence permit enabling you to extend your stay and do an internship or gain professional experience after graduation.
• Brightspace page on careers for all advanced master programmes with information, links, announcements on opportunities, fairs, links on how to find an internship.
• Career advisor at Leiden Law School

What students can do

• Update your LinkedIn profile, engage and post on things that interest you; make yourself visible, and share that you are open to work;
• Communicate to others that you are searching for a job or internship & maintain connections with your network;
• Check job search engines;
• Bookmark organisations that you are interested in or make a spreadsheet of organisations that came up during the master (e.g. guest lecturers) and check their websites regularly for vacancies;
• Explore Leiden University Career Zone for information, workshops, events, alumni network and tips;
• Network with staff, guest lecturers and alumni;
• Manage your expectations (you will not land a ‘dream job’ immediately; be flexible and start another job in an organisation where you would like to work; when rejected, self-reflect or seek feedback when possible so you can learn from your mistakes);
• Send open job applications to organisations where you would like to work;
• Apply for an Orientation Year residence permit (if required); and
• Check current vacancies to get an idea of salaries that are paid.