BIENVENUE! - GUIDE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS - ESIEE PARIS

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BIENVENUE! - GUIDE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS - ESIEE PARIS
Guide for
   International
      Students

Bienvenue!
BIENVENUE! - GUIDE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS - ESIEE PARIS
SUMMARY
WELCOME           1
SEVEN
ESTABLISHMENTS    2
FINDING
YOUR WAY          6
PUTTING
TOGETHER
YOUR STUDY PLAN   7
FINANCING
YOU STAY         11
FINDING
ACCOMODATION
                 15
UPON RECEIPT
OF THE LETTER
OF ACCEPTANCE    19
BEFORE
LEAVING          21
THE FIRST
DAYS             25
THE FIRST
MONTH
                 29
TAKING ADVANTAGE
OF THE
CULTURAL LIFE
                 35
RENEWING
YOUR RESIDENCE
PERMIT OR
PREPARING        41
DEPARTURE

KEEP
IN TOUCH         45
BIENVENUE! - GUIDE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS - ESIEE PARIS
Bravo!
Like 6000 other international students that enrol each year, you’ll be
joining one of Université Paris-Est (UPE) establishments.

Vous faites le bon choix
With 50 000 undergraduates and 1450 postgraduates (including 45%
of internationally mobile PhD students), UPE is known as a major
scientific player.
Spread out within the Eastern Paris metropolitan area, the educational
establishments of UPE offer you an exceptional location, with
outstanding international student integration services in a human
scale environment. Twenty minutes by metro (subway) or RER train
and you are in the heart of Paris.

Bienvenue!
This guide for foreign students is designed to help you find your
bearings: preparation ahead of time, getting started upon your
arrival and guiding you through your new life in France.
A real aid to your integration, you will find here guidance and
practical information that will enable you to fully enjoy your stay
in France.

                                                                         1
BIENVENUE! - GUIDE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS - ESIEE PARIS
7 establishments

    belonging to Université
    Paris-Est have designed
    this guide.

                              UPEC

                              With its 7 faculties, 5 institutes and its
                              Observatory of Sciences of the Universe, the
                              Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne (UPEC)
                              has been present in all areas of knowledge since
                              1971. As a major player in the dissemination of
                              academic, scientific and technological culture,
                              the university offers a wide range of training
                              programmes in over 300 disciplines, spanning
                              from the bachelor to the doctorate level. The
                              international dimension of UPEC is manifested
                              by 9 offshore programs and 27 joint degrees.
                              Its recognition in areas of scientific excellence
                              enhances its attractiveness. The diversification
                              of its economic partnerships increases its local
                              integration while promoting the employability of
                              its students. Strengthened by its pioneering spirit,
                              UPEC also has at its heart to boost international
                              exchanges and encourage the mobility of both
                              students and professors. –

2
BIENVENUE! - GUIDE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS - ESIEE PARIS
UPEM                                                  École des Ponts ParisTech

A young university created in 1991,                   Since 1747, the École Nationale des Ponts et
the Université Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée (UPEM)       Chaussées has been training high-level engineers
is characterized by a culture of innovation,          capable of meeting the challenges of their
shaped by the development of close partnerships       time in key areas that affect the daily lives of
with the economic world, both in the spheres of       citizens and businesses: transportation, housing,
                                                      energy, environment, and urban services; as well
training and research. UPEM is a multidisciplinary
                                                      as public policies related to urban planning,
institution with 12 schools and research centres,     sustainable development, and environmental
including a university institute of technology (IUT   risk assessment and management. Today this
in French) and 16 research units. In pursuit of its   prestigious «grande école» offers a range of
assigned public service missions, the university      outstanding training programs: engineering
focuses particularly on two major objectives:         degrees, masters, doctorates (PhD’s), specialized
employability (qualified work placement) and          masters, MBA programs, and continuing
the development of research excellence. It also       education. Students receive a broad, well-
maintains collaborations and close relations          rounded education that is oriented towards
at both the European and international levels,        management - in an environment that is open
in the spheres of education, student mobility         to business and to the world at an international
and research. –                                       level - thus enabling them to quickly reach
                                                      executive positions. A rich, pluralistic
                                                      establishment for education and research that
                                                      is open to business and to the world; welcome
                                                      to the École des Ponts ParisTech! –

                                                                                                          3
BIENVENUE! - GUIDE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS - ESIEE PARIS
ESIEE PARIS                                          ESTP

    ESIEE Paris, originally known as the Ecole           The École Spéciale des Travaux Publics,
    Breguet, was founded in 1904. From the               du Bâtiment et de l’Industrie (ESTP) has trained
    outset it distinguished itself as an Engineering     nearly 30,000 engineers since its foundation in
    School with a flair for innovation and               1891, the majority of whom have participated
    entrepreneurship. It still maintains this focus as   in the largest construction and development
    ESIEE Paris, the Engineering School of the Paris     projects - sectors of French excellence.
    Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry.             The objective of this private «grande école» -
    After graduating, students find positions in a       to train civil engineers to design, build, equip
    wide variety of fields such as Computer Science,     and maintain our quality of life - is a mission of
    Electronics, Telecommunications and Embedded         national interest. The ESTP has also always given
    Systems, with careers which are often at the         great importance to international openness.
    interface of Technology and Management. –            Specifically, the internationalization of the
                                                         school and its training is reflected today by
                                                         many tools and activities (mobility, language,
                                                         communication, etc.). –

4
BIENVENUE! - GUIDE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS - ESIEE PARIS
EIVP                                                 ENSAVT

The École des Ingénieurs de la Ville de Paris        L’École nationale supérieure d’architecture de la ville
(EIVP) is both a prestigious engineering school      & des territoires is one of the twenty French higher
and a research laboratory on urban issues.           national schools of architecture, administrative
It leads a double mission in training (initial and   public bodies under the aegis of the Ministry of
ongoing) and research. For 50 years,                 Culture. Its creation arose from a wish to establish
EIVP has kept sustainable urban development          a school of architecture at the heart of a suburban
at the core of its teaching and research.            university campus, a school of architecture with
To reinvent the city and contribute towards          an ethos of building design which would be in
training those who will make it change together      harmony with the understanding of territories and
constitute the mission of this grand school          their uses. The School, located in an environment
of engineering. –                                    embodying all contemporary issues, seeks to
                                                     awaken in its students an awareness of an ever-
                                                     evolving world as well as to nurture reflection on
                                                     current architectural practices. This school prepares
                                                     for the State Architecture Diploma. The Architect’s
                                                     licence to project-manage under one’s own name
                                                     is intended for holders of the Architecture Diploma,
                                                     either directly after their studies or in the context of
                                                     work experience accreditation. Following the launch
                                                     of the DSA “architecte-urbaniste” in 2005, a 2nd
                                                     post-Masters specialization, the DPEA Architecture
                                                     Post-Carbone, opened in 2013. –
                                                                                                                5
BIENVENUE! - GUIDE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS - ESIEE PARIS
Val d’Europe
                                                                                                                                 —>
                                          EIVP
             PARIS                                                         MA
                                                                                RN
                                                                                     E
                                         Bastille
                              Les                                                                      ÉCOLE DES
       E
      SEIN

                              halles          Nation                                          Noisy
                                                                                              Champs   PONTS PARISTECH
                                                                           ESIEE PARIS                     ENSAVT
                                                                                                  UPEM
                              Cité
                     Universitaire                                                            Cité Descartes
                          Arcueil                   Créteil                                               25mn
                          Cachan                 Université
               Cachan                  ESTP                   UPEC
                                                              18mn
                                       13mn
                                              Créteil
map                                                                      Sénart
                                                                     Fontainebleau

                                                                                         —>

                                                                                                                                        6
BIENVENUE! - GUIDE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS - ESIEE PARIS
Premier pas!
Putting together
your study plan

                   7
BIENVENUE! - GUIDE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS - ESIEE PARIS
WHERE CAN I RECEIVE
                                                           FURTHER INFORMATION?

                         V o i l à !

    AT UPE MEMBER
    INSTITUTIONS

    UPE internationally mobile PhD students and researchers can be informed and guided by « acc&ss Paris-Est »,
    before their arrival or during their scientist stay in France. All information about Université Paris-Est is available
    on its website : WWW.UNIV-PARIS-EST.FR
    7 partner institutions web pages:
         − UNIVERSITÉ PARIS-EST CRÉTEIL                                  − ÉCOLE DES INGÉNIEURS
            (UPEC):                                                          DE LA VILLE DE PARIS (EIVP):
         http://www.u-pec.fr/etudiant-etranger/                           www.eivp-paris.fr
                                                                          (near the top-right of the homepage, select
         − UNIVERSITÉ PARIS-EST MARNE-LA-                                International > Incoming Students)
            VALLÉE (UPEM):
         http://www.u-pem.fr/international/                               − ÉCOLE NATIONALE SUPÉRIEURE
         etudes-a-lupem-entrants/                                            D’ARCHITECTURE DE LA VILLE ET
                                                                             DES TERRITOIRES (ENSAVT):
         − ÉCOLE DES PONTS PARISTECH :                                   www.marnelavallee.archi.fr
                                                                          (click on Affaires internationales on the left side
         www.enpc.fr/etudier-lecole
                                                                          of the homepage)
         − ÉCOLE SPÉCIALE DES TRAVAUX
            PUBLICS, DU BÂTIMENT ET DE                                    − ESIEE PARIS:
            L’INDUSTRIE (ESTP):                                           www.esiee.fr/International/Accueil_
         www.estp.fr/content/accueil-et-                                  desetudiantsenechange.php
         encadrement

8
But also at :

www.campusfrance.org                   www.service-public.fr
Campus France: the public              The internet portal of the French     Je par le
institution in charge of student       administration informs you about                     françai
mobility. Here you will find all the   your rights and about adminis-                                     s
information you’ll need for your       trative procedures.
mobility project: studying in France
(course catalogue, student funding),   www.cnous.fr
preparing your stay (administrative    Learn about scholarships, student
paperwork), living in France           residences, university restaurants,
(housing, health care, work,           cultural events on the website of
daily life).                           the National Centre for University
                                       and School Works (CNOUS).
www.enseignementsup-                                                           Good to know
recherche.gouv.fr                      www.letudiant.fr et
The website of the Ministry of         www.studyrama.com                       The Espace Campus
Higher Education and Research:         Two websites specialized in student     France located in
                                       life, student jobs, housing and
you will find here much information
about higher education in France.      orientation.                             i!?
                                                                               your country and
                                                                               the Department of
                                       www.etudiantdeparis.fr                  Cooperation and
www.diplomatie.gouv.fr                 The student association of Paris        Cultural Action (SCAC)
The website of the Ministry of         offers fact sheets dedicated to         of the Embassy of
Foreign Affairs provides indications   international students (visa, work,     France can help you
on the administrative steps you        budget, finding housing, etc.).         better understand the
should take when coming to                                                     French educational
France (addresses for: consulates,                                             system.
embassies, French alliances, French
government grants, etc.).

                                                                               tipS
 I speak and                                                                   To find French courses
 I learn French                                                                in your country, check
                                                                                i!?
                                                                               with the French cultural
                                                                               institutions:
A basic level of French is a           of Université Paris-Est (UPE). All
                                                                               www.institutfrancais.
factor of success. The «advanced       UPE establishments will help you in
                                                                               com or the Alliances
intermediate» level (B1, B2) is        this process: upon arrival, you can     Françaises:
recommended for anyone wishing         take courses in French as a foreign     www.fondation-
to enter one of the establishments     language (FLE).                         alliancefr.org

                                                                                                          9
I choose my training
     Bachelor, Master, Doctorate

     Training provided within establishments of                                                                         in our universities and have them validated in all
     the Université Paris-Est (UPE) is based on the                                                                     European universities.
     LMD system: bachelor, master, doctorate (PhD).                                                                     The three levels of training (bachelor, master,
     These 3 diplomas are recognized at the national                                                                    doctorate) are classified in four large fields
     and European levels.                                                                                               (arts, literature and languages; human and social
     Advanced masters (Bac+6: 6 years of higher                                                                         sciences; law, economics and management; science,
     education) and MBA’s are offered by some                                                                           technology and health). Short degrees (Bac +2),
     establishments.                                                                                                    bachelors and masters are subdivided into areas
     These degrees are converted into ECTS credits                                                                      of expertise (applied foreign languages, history,
     (European Credit Transfer System), which represent                                                                 international law, biology, etc.) in order to specify
     a «European exchange currency» for students. This                                                                  the syllabus followed by the student.
     system allows you to earn credits during your stay

     Understand the LMD system

           CREDIT                                                                                                                                                      YEARS
                               SPÉ

                                                                                                                                                                                      *(HMONP, STATE DIPLOMA ENABLING THEHOLDER TO MANAGE BUILDING PROJECTS IN HIS OR HER OWN NAME)
                               +2
                               ANS
                                                                                                                                                                           — BAC +8
                                                                     PHARMACIEN SPÉ
                               MÉDECINE GÉNÉRALISTE

                                                      DENTISTE SPÉ

                                                                                                                                                    DOCTORATE
                                                                                                                                                 IN ARCHITECTURAL
                                                                                           DOCTORATE                                                  SCIENCES

                                                                                                                                                                           — BAC +6
                                                                                                                                                  DIPLÔME D’HABILITATION
                                                                                                                                 « MASTÈRE        À LA MAÎTRISE D’OEUVRE
                                                                                                                                 SPÉCIALISÉ »     EN SON NOM PROPRE*
     300    —                                                                                                                                                              — BAC +5
                                                                                      MASTER’S DEGREE

                                                                                      M2    PROFESSIONNAL
     240    —                                                                               RESEARCH                                                                       — BAC +4
                                                                                                                                  DIPLÔME
                                                                                                                               D’INGÉNIEUR -
                                                                                      M1
     180    —                                                                                                                 MASTER’S DEGREE                              — BAC +3
                SAGE-FEMME

                                                                                                              PROFESSIONAL
                                                                     PHARMACIE

                                                                                      BACHELOR’S DEGREE                                                STATE
                               MÉDECINE

                                                      DENTAIRE

                                                                                                               BACHELOR'S                           ARCHITECT’S
                                                                                               L3
                                                                                                                 DEGREE                               DIPLOMA
     120    —                                                                                                                                                              — BAC +2
                                                                                                                                SECOND YEAR
                                                                                               L2                 DUT          SCIENCE COURSES
     60     —                                                                                                                                                              — BAC +1
                                PACES                         :                                L1                                 FIRST YEAR
                             FIRST STAGE OF
                             MEDICAL STUDIES                                                                                   SCIENCE COURSES

                                                                                                            BACCALAURÉAT

10
Mon porte-monnaie
  financing your stay

                        11
Planning
                                                            my budget
                                                          In order to study under acceptable conditions,
                                                          you must have adequate financial resources to
                                                          face the costs of living in the eastern Paris region.

                                                                  Monthly budget

                                                                  Sample budget*:
                                                                  Housing
                                                                  (water and electricity included):                             E 500
                                                                  Insurance
                                                                  (home, public liability):                             E 20 to 45
                                                                  Health insurance:                                           E 30
                                                                  Food:                                                     E 200
                                                                  Transport:                                                  E 30
                                                                  Telephone & Internet:                                       E 20
        Je fais
                       mes com                                    School supplies:                                            E 40
                                   ptes                           Hobbies & outings:                                          E 40
                                                                  *This financial estimate will vary depending on your particular situation
                                                                   (your type of accommodation most significant).

                                Budget upon enrolment

                                Additional fees should also be                      − Upon entering your
                                anticipated upon arrival. The first                    accommodation, you will need
                                month you will have to pay for:                        to pay, in addition to the first
     important                  − Your tuition fees: check the sum                    month’s rent, a security deposit
                                   and the terms of payment on the                     equal to one month’s rent
     Students who must             website of the establishment you                    (excluding taxes).
     apply for a visa, at the      want to study at.                                − Settling in costs (sheets, towels,
     consulate must submit      − If you come from a non-European                     kitchen utensils, etc.).
     proof of sufficient           Union country, student social security           − Various sign-up fees (sport,
     financial resources to        is mandatory: around E 200.                         electricity, telephone, etc.).
     pursue studies in the      − The OFII tax (French Office for
     i!?
     eastern Paris region.         Immigration and integration):
                                   about E 50.

12
Financial aid & other resources
Applying for a scholarship

Financial aid you can apply for:            Find out more from:
− Scholarships from your                   − The educational establishment
   government.                                 you are coming from.
− Scholarships from the French             − The office for cooperation and       important
   government.                                 cultural action at the French
− Scholarships from the European              Embassy in your country of origin.   Closing dates for
   Union.                                   − The Campus France website,           scholarship applications
− Scholarships from international             which lists all scholarship          are very early. Many
   organizations, for example.                 programs available:                  applications must be
                                               www.campusfrance.org.               ready by October/
                                                                                    November in order to
                                                                                    i!?
                                                                                    begin the following
                                                                                    September.
Completing your budget:
Students jobs

Labour legislation in                       − If you hold a short-stay
France                                         visa, you must apply for a
                                               temporary work permit from the
− If you come from a country                  DIRECCTE (Regional Department
  that is a member of the                                                           important
                                               of Businesses, Competition,
  European Union (excluding                    Consumption, Labour and
  Croatia) you can work in                                                          You have the
                                               Employment) that corresponds to
                                                                                    opportunity to work
  addition to your studies, within an          your address in France.              during your studies but
  annual limitation of 964 hours or
                                            − If you possess a long-               this will not allow you to
  approximately 20 hours per week.
                                               stay visa equivalent to a            cover all your expenses.
− If you come from another                    residence permit, you must           A student job can
   country, you can work up to
   60% of the amount of normal
                                               present it to your employer after
                                               validation from the OFII (French
                                                                                    i!?
                                                                                    only be considered as
                                                                                    supplementary income.
   working hours in France, which              Office for Immigration and
   equates to 964 hours per year or            Integration).
   approximately 20 hours per week.
                                            − If you are from Algeria,
− If you come from Croatia, you               according to the Franco-
   must apply for a «UE - étudiant -           Algerian agreement, you
   toutes activités à titres accessoires»      must request a temporary
   permit from the prefecture of the           work permit from the relevant
   department you reside in France.            DIRECCTE (Regional Department

                                                                                                                 13
of Businesses, Competition,            Alternating training
                                    Consumption, Labour and                (sandwich courses)
                                    Employment), as indicated on
                                                                           The duration of work in this case
                                    your residence permit. You can
     Understand                                                            will be above the authorized
                                    work up to 822.5 hours per year,
                                                                           legal limit. You must request a
                                    or 18.5 hours per week.
     You will hear                                                         temporary work permit from the
     the phrase «SMIC             Find more information on the             DIRECCTE (Regional Department
     horaire». This is            website:                                 of Businesses, Competition,
     the regulated minimum        vosdroits.services-public.fr             Consumption, Labour and
     wage in France. Its                                                   Employment) that corresponds to you.
     hourly rate varies on a      Student jobs within your
     yearly basis, for more       establishment                            Doing an internship as
     information please refer     It is difficult to find a student job    part of your studies
     to: www.service-public.fr.   from your country of origin. Do not      If you do an internship, its duration
                                  rely on this option for obtaining        is not counted as part of the
     Alternating                                                           authorized 964 working hours (or
                                  a visa. You can find a student job
     (or sandwich)                                                         822.50 hours for Algerian students),
                                  once in France. The educational
     training is                                                           so you do not have to apply for a
                                  establishments regularly offer
     structured into                                                       work permit.
                                  student jobs - check with the office
     alternate periods
                                  of student affairs («Service de
     of acquiring know-
                                  la Vie Universitaire») to find out
     how and experience
                                  more about these opportunities.
     in a company, and
                                  In addition, job offers are posted
     periods of theoretical
                                  on the websites of certain partner
     training within a
                                  institutions. -
     higher education
     establishment.               Please visit the student job central:
                                  www.jobaviz.fr.
     The internship
     agreement is
     the equivalent of an
     employment contract
     for internships. It is a
     document signed by the
     establishment where
     you do your studies, the
     company that hosts and
     yourself. The internship
     agreement defines
     the conditions of the
     internship: its duration,
     the remuneration and
     the social coverage of
     the trainee.

                                                        Je cherc
                                                                          he un j
                                                                                        ob
14
Mon petit pied-à-terre
  finding accommodation

                          15
Procedures you should know
                                Please note that it is much more comfortable to have
                                accommodation arranged and secured before your arrival.
                                Be sure to ask your host institution about the accommodation
                                services it offers.
     IMPORTANT

     Identify the precise
     location and
                                Before taking possession
     means of access to         of your room or apartment:
     your educational
     establishment and search
     for accommodation that     You must sign a lease. This            government housing assistance.
     is preferably nearby.      agreement, commonly called a           Rent is usually paid at the
     i!?
     Limiting your commuting    «bail» in French, contracts the        beginning of each month. You
     time is advantageous for   tenant and the owner (be it an         should ask for a receipt, called
     your studies.              organization or an individual).        a «quittance de loyer», from
                                You must be a signatory to such a      your landlord to justify the
     Fact Sheet N°3             rental agreement in order to receive   payment of rent.
     More information for
     finding accommodation.
                                3 preconditions are required
                                for signing a lease:

                                1/ O
                                    rganizations and                    months following your departure
                                   individuals who rent rooms            from the dwelling, after verifying
                                   require guarantees, which             that you have left the property
                                   can be either:                        in the same state in which you
     TipS
                                  − a guarantor (or sponsor):           received it. The owner is entitled
                                     a person residing in France,        to withdraw from this sum the
     There are 3 types of
     rental: empty, equipped         who has been paying taxes in        amount necessary for carrying out
                                     France for more than 3 years        repairs in the event of damages.
      i!?
     or furnished. Find more
     information in                  and has sufficient income to
     Fact Sheet N°2.                 pay for your rent if you stop     3/ A
                                                                           s a tenant, you must
                                     doing so;                            imperatively subscribe to
                                  − a n upfront payment of the           a home insurance policy
                                     total sum of all monthly             that covers the risk of fire,
                                     instalments upon entry into          water damage, theft, etc. -
                                     the property.                        known as a «multirisques
                                                                          habitation» policy. Student
                                2/ A security deposit, or                credit unions and banks offer
                                    «caution», that usually               this type of insurance policy.
                                    corresponds to one month’s            Inquire at the time of student
                                    rent. This money deposit will         registration or when you open a
                                    be returned to you within the 2       bank account.

16
Different
 housing options

University                              Private student
residence                               residence

Accommodation in residence              You will find lots of offers for
halls fills up quickly in the eastern   renting rooms in private residences,

                                                                                                     _›
Paris region, with demand greatly       published on the websites
exceeding supply. Often well            www.adele.org and
                                                                                         e st l à
located, university residences offer
lower prices. Identify the residences
that are near your place of study.
                                        www.fac-habitat.com. They
                                        offer the advantage of providing a
                                        number of services: reception, laundry,
                                                                                      C’
Then put together your application      cafeteria, common room, etc.
form online through the CNOUS
website, starting January 15th:         Homestay
www.cnous.fr.
Warning: very few places are            Some people offer rooms in
available; do not wait until the        their apartment or house. These           IMPORTANT
last minute.                            individuals are generally more
                                        flexible on the guarantees                Accommodation in
Flat-sharing                            requested, but beware you will not        university residences
                                        be entitled to government housing         is mainly reserved
                                        assistance. Some families do not          for students with
Known in French as «colocation»,        ask for a financial contribution          scholarships from the
this type of accommodation              but instead request a little work         French Government and
consists of sharing an apartment        in exchange (caring for children,         students that belong to
(or a house) with others - be they      cleaning, etc.). This solution can        i!?
                                                                                  an organised mobility
students, artists or employed           be beneficial to all the parties, but     programme.
workers - and thus split the rent.      there is no regulating legislation.
Many ads are posted on specialized      As soon as you move in, you must
websites.                               clearly define the tasks and the
Free websites:                          number of hours expected from
   www.koloc.org                        you. There are organisations that do
   www.colocationfrance.fr              the job of selecting families for you.    TIPS
Websites that charge a fee:             You have to pay for these services.
 www.appartager.com                     Atome:                                    If you receive a room on
 www.colocation.fr                        www.atomeparis                          campus, arrive during
 www.portail-colocation.com             Séjour France Famille:                     i!?
                                                                                  the week, Monday to
                                                                                  Friday, before 16:00.
                                         www.sejoursfrancefamille.fr              The reception closes
                                                                                  at 16:00 during the
                                                                                  weekday and is closed
                                                                                  the weekend.

                                                                                                             17
Individual                            «Turnkey»
                                   studio                                services
     Tips                                                                There are associations that offer
                                   Directly from an owner or through a
                                                                         turnkey services for your installation
     The individual studio is a    real estate agency, you can rent an
                                                                         (housing, banking, insurance,
     good option to pursue if      individual apartment. You will have
                                                                         telephone, etc.) and integration
      i!?
     you have family already
     in France who can visit
                                   to pay non-refundable agency fees,
                                   called «honoraires».
                                                                         (discounts at some restaurants,
                                                                         gyms, beauty salons, etc.). These
     the apartments for you,                                             are private services that you must
                                   Website for renting from
     present a guarantee,                                                pay for.
                                   individuals:
     and sign the lease.
                                      www.pap.fr
                                                                         In the Paris region:
     Beware of                                                              www.erashome.com
                                   Website with agency advertisements:
     scams!                                                              Bed and School:
                                    www.seloger.com
     Never pay the rent in                                                  www.bedandschool.com
     advance before leaving
     your country.

                                    Housing assistance
                                   You can apply for financial aid to    you reside. In order to qualify for
                                   help pay for your accommodation;      aid, be a tenant or a flatmate and
                                   it will be calculated according to    your name on the lease.
                                   your resources. Housing subsidies
                                                                         More information on the CAF
     Fact sheets                   are paid by the CAF (Caisse
                                                                         website: www.caf.fr
                                   d’Allocations Familiales).
     Fact Sheet N°4
                                   The CAF is a departmental service,
     To better understand
                                   so you should address inquires to
     the French territorial
                                   the CAF of the department in which
     divisions: the commune,
     the department,
     the region, and the
     territorial «collectivités»
     (the local authorities).

                                                                    Mon ch
                                                                                   ez-moi
18
Allons-y!
when you get the letter
    of acceptance

                          19
Preparing my departure
                               Identify a contact

     Good to know              Visit the website of your host          later than required by the course
                               institution to identify a contact       calendar, you must also inform
     Doctoral (PhD) students   with whom you can correspond in         your host institution of this. Plenty
     accepted at Université    all matters related to your arrival     of «Campus France» centres offer
      i!?
     Paris-Est institutions
     benefit from the help
                               (enrolment services, international
                               relations department and
                                                                       pre-departure sessions. It is strongly
                                                                       recomended that you take part in
     of a dedicated support    department of student life). Start by   one of these sessions.
     team: Acc&ess Paris-Est   confirming to the host institution
     E-mail: access@univ-      your interest in the chosen training
     paris-est.fr              programme. If you plan to arrive

                                Preparing my visa
                                application
                               Do you need                             Documentation
     Understand
                               a visa?
                                                                       Upon your acceptance by the
     All information           If you come from a member state         establishment, contact the French
     on visas (types of        of the European Union, you do not       consular authorities in order to
     visas, procedures for     need a visa to study in France. If      obtain a list of the documents
     obtaining, etc.) on the   you come from another country, a        required to apply for a visa. We
     website of the Campus     visa is mandatory.                      advise you to not wait until the
     France Agency: www.                                               deadline of the visa to prepare
     campusfrance.org                                                  your application, because some
                               Different types                         documents can require time to
                               of visas                                obtain.

                               Before submitting your visa
                               application to the consular
                               authorities, identify in advance the
     important                 type of visa you should apply for.
                               There are several categories of visa:   Ouf, mon
     When handing in your
     visa application, pay
                               short-stay visa (less than 90 days),
                                                                        j’ai a!
                                                                           vis
                               «exam» visa (to take an exam or
     attention to deadlines    do an interview), long-stay visa for
     during busy periods,      studies (residence permit VLS-TS),
     especially from July to   and long-stay visa for scientists and
     September!                researchers.
     i!?
20
Bon voyage!
Before leaving

                 21
I announce
              my arrival
             Ensure means of                          Find out about
             communication                            reception services
             and payment for
             the first days                           Inquire with your host
                                                      establishment about reception
                                                      events that may be planned:
             Think ahead about having a               welcome day, integration week,
             phone that works in France.              etc., and let them know of your
             Save your contacts numbers:              arrival.
             accommodation, educational
             establishment, and emergency             Also ask about the opening
             numbers.                                 hours for student registration, or
                                                      even try to get an appointment.
             Also make sure that your bank
             card allows you to withdraw              Inform the
             money from cash machines (ATM’s)
             in France (you will find them
                                                      owner of your
             in airports and train stations).         accommodation,
             Otherwise, plan to carry enough          or the residence,
             cash to pay for transportation to        of your arrival
             your accommodation. You will find
             money exchange offices “bureaux
             de change” at airports, railway          If you stay at a university
             stations, and, generally, close to bus   residence: you will receive your
             stations.                                key at the reception. Take heed!
                                                      The reception closes at 16:00 and
                                                      doesn’t open on weekends.
                                                      If you stay in private
                                                      accommodation: contact the
                                                      owner and make an appointment to
                                                      fill in the initial state document of
                                                      the property and get the keys.

     Me vo
          ilà!
22
Getting Organized
What to put                               IF YOU DON’T
in my suitcase                            HAVE PERMANENT
                                          ACCOMODATION
                                          ON YOUR ARRIVAL                        GOOD TO KNOW
While wishing to fit too much into
our suitcase, we often forget the
                                                                                 If you follow a specific
basics. In your suitcase you should
                                          Don’t forget to book a room in a       medical treatment,
put:
− One or two adapters for your
                                          youth hostel or in a hotel, for your
                                          first days in France
                                                                                  i!?
                                                                                 remember to take
                                                                                 enough medecine for
   electrical devices: phones, tablets,   − In a youth hostel (20 to 30 €/      your entire stay.
   computers, etc. Voltages in France        night in a shared bedroom):
   are 220 V. Check out your device.         www.fuaj.org
− A bilingual dictionary or a            − In a hotel (minimum 75 €/night):
   language application can prove            www.booking.com ;
   especially useful in the early days.      www.hotels.com
                                             www.kayak.com
− Appropriate clothing. For              − In a room in a private home,
   information on the French                 short stays:
   climate, please refer to                  www.atomeparis.com ;
   www.meteofrance.com                       www.airbnb.com

                                                                   r riv e !
                                                                J’a
                                                                                                            23
Don’t forget
                                Important documents

                                Like all international students - whether European or not, and whether part
     important                  of an exchange program or not - you will have to perform administrative
                                procedures in France for which you will need a certain number of documents.
     Do not make passport
     photos in advance          Non-exhaustive list:
     while in your country         − passport or national identity card for members of the
     because they will not            Schengen area (make sure your document is not expired)
     be accepted for official      − birth certificate and certified translation
     documents. You will           − health record and recent x-rays
     i!?
     find photo booths
     («photomatons») that
                                   − documentation specifying your health care coverage in your
                                      country:
     produce «passport»              . s tudents from the European Union: forms E111 or E128 or your
     format photos near                 European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
     your educational                  . students from Quebec: form SE401Q102bis or SE401Q106
     establishment, primarily      − certificate of registration or letter of acceptance at the host
     in metro (subway) or             establishment (university or school)
     RER stations.                 − latest academic diploma (certificate) and corresponding
                                      transcripts, together with certified translations
                                   − certificate of proficiency in French or English, depending on the
                                      language of your chosen study program
                                   − driving license (optional)

     GOOD TO KNOW

     For European students,
     there are multilingual
      i!?
     birth certificates which
     avoid having to pay for
     a translation

                                                        Mon l
                                                             aissez
                                                                    -           passer

24
En route!
The first days

                 25
Moving into
                       my accommodation
                      Signing the lease and paying the security deposit
                      Whenever you rent a property, you must sign a lease and pay a security deposit.
                      See Fact Sheet N°2.

                       I register with my school
                      Within the first few days following your arrival, you must register at the
                      establishment where you are going to study («inscription administrative et
                      pédagogique»).

                       Administrative procedures
                      Getting house                               banks to simplify the procedure
                                                                  of opening an account.
                      insurance
                                                                  Purchasing civil
     Fact             You need to get house insurance             liability insurance
     sheets           before signing the lease. Student credit
                      unions or your French bank may offer
     Fact Sheet       this type of contract.                      This type of insurance covers you in
     N°1                                                          the event that you accidentally cause
     A glossary of    Opening a bank                              harm to a third party. It is compulsory
     banking terms.   account                                     in France. Banks and student credit
                                                                  unions offer this type of contract, but
                                                                  make sure you do not pay for it twice.
                      If you plan to stay for more than 3
                      months in France, we advise you             Signing up for
                      to open a bank account. Some
                      organizations such as CAF or the            heating and
                      public healthcare system will only          electricity services
                      reimburse you by bank transfer to an
                      account in France. A bank account
                      will also be useful for setting up          Upon entering privately rented housing,
                      an automated monthly payment of             you must subscribe with an electricity
                      your transportation charges. Some           service provider.
                      establishments and associations of          EDF-GDF
                      Université Paris-Est have agreements        www.bleuciel.edf.com
                      with certain banks. Inquire at the
                                                                  Direct Énergie
                      office of student administration,
                                                                  www.direct-energie.com
                      the office of international relations,
                      or an association, for a list of

26
Communication
Telephone                                Internet
                                                                                important
You can buy prepaid telephone            If your home is equipped for an
cards. These are advantageous            Internet connection, you can send      Pay attention to
for international calls, however         an activation request directly to      the conditions of
the cost of a national call is very      the telephone company you have         termination for «forfait»
high. You also have the option to        chosen. All companies offer Internet   packages with a time
take out a subscription package,         packages. However if your home         commitment. These
commonly called a «forfait». There       is not appropriately equipped, an      offers can seem very
are a multitude of forfaits available.
Before signing a contract, find out
                                         Orange technician will need to
                                         install a line, which will implicate
                                                                                i!?
                                                                                attractive at first glance,
                                                                                but the costs are quite
about the conditions of termination,     additional costs.                      high if you leave before
the cost of international calls, and                                            the end of the contract.
the charges that apply if you go
beyond your package’s limits. You
can learn more by contacting the
leading operators: Free, Orange and
Bouygues Telecom (for example).
You can also make international
calls from a «taxiphone» - a shop
that offers inexpensive telephone
booths.
Prepaid cards:
Lebara www.lebara.fr
La Poste www.lapostemobile.fr
Virgin www.virginmobile.fr

Main operators:
Free www.free.fr
Orange www.orange.fr
Bouygues Telecom
www.bouyguestelecom.fr

                                  Allo?
                                                                                                              27
emergency numbers

                              In case of problem

                              Emergency telephone numbers allow calling emergency services for
                              free, 24 hours a day.
                              In all cases, in order to facilitate and expedite the processing of your
                              call, make sure you specify these three points:
                                − Who you are: Are you a victim or a witness? Consider providing
                                   a phone number at which you will remain within reach.
                                − Where you are: Give the precise address of the place where the
                                   services are needed.
                                − Why you are calling: Explain the reasons for your call.

                              SAMU: 15
                              The service for emergency medical aid (SAMU) is for obtaining the
                              intervention of a medical team, in a situation requiring immediate
                              medical attention.
                              POLICE rescue: 17
                              This number can be called to report an emergency to the police.
                              Fire Department: 18
     Fact sheets              The Fire Department number is for reporting a dangerous situation or
                              an accident involving property or persons requiring rapid intervention
     Fact Sheet N°5           (fire, gas leak, car accident, etc.).
     Find all these special
     telephone numbers.

28
Un petit aperçu!
  the first month

                    29
Continuing my
                                  administrative procedures
                                 Validate your visa                   Transportation
     Good to know
                                 If you are a citizen of a country    The region of Île-de-France is
     The first trains run at     within the European Economic         connected by:
     around 5:30 and the         Area, you do not need a residence
                                                                       448 train and commuter rail (RER)
      i!?
     last ones around 0:30
     on weekdays and
                                 permit.
                                                                       stations,
     1:45 on Friday and          If you are a student from             302 metro (subway) stations,
     Saturday nights and         another country, you must             129 tram stations and over
     on the eve of public        validate your residence permit        32,000 bus stops.
     holidays. These times       at the OFII (French Office for
                                                                      This dense and widespread network
     are approximations. Visit   Immigration and Integration).
                                                                      will allow you to move easily while
     www.stif.info for exact     You have 3 months as of your         at the same time benefiting from
     times for your station.     arrival on French territory to       the advantageous «Imagine’R»
                                 perform this procedure, but do not   pass for students under 26
                                 wait until the last moment.          years of age. This package also
                                                                      allows you to travel throughout
                                 More information: www.ofii.fr
                                                                      the entire Île-de-France during
                                                                      weekends, holidays, school holidays
                                                                      (including July 15 to August 15), with
                                                                      no zone restrictions (the network is
                                                                      divided into 5 tariff zones).
     Fact sheets
                                                                      More information on the website of
     Fact Sheet N°3                                                   STIF: www.stif.info.
     Understanding the Paris
     transport system.

30
Fitting into
 my establishment
Take French                            Community life
classes                                                                        Good to know
                                       Joining a student association
All UPE establishments offer you       or participating in the activities      Some schools offer
courses of French as a foreign         organized by the BDE are good           additional specific
language (FLE, for «Français Langue    ways to meet other students and
                                       speak French!
                                                                                i!?
                                                                               programs (summer
                                                                               courses, intensive
Étrangère»), either within your
school or in a partner institution.                                            courses, etc.). Check
                                       University                              with your host
Athletic activities                    restaurants                             institution.

All UPE establishments offer           University restaurants, commonly
you a wide variety of athletic         called CROUS, are accessible to all
activities. You simply need to pay     students at preferential prices: you
a membership fee to the sports         pay between € 3 and 4 for a meal.
association or to the Student Office   A list of restaurants is available on
(BDE, for «Bureau des Élèves»).        the CROUS website: www.crous.fr

                                                                            p é t it !
                                                                Bo     n ap
                                                                                                       31
libraries
                                                                         Other public
                                                                         libraries

                                                                         Eastern Paris is woven by an
                                  National                               extensive network of public
                                  libraries                              libraries and media libraries
                                                                         («médiathèques»). Of varying
                                                                         sizes, these libraries offer cultural
                                  − The Bibliothèque Nationale          and educational activities. They
                                     de France (BNF), François-          are freely accessible and you only
                                     Mitterrand site (Paris, 13th).      need to sign up for a library card if
                                     Readers have to pay a fee           you want to borrow books or other
                                     either for an annual card or for    works.
                                     twenty entries                      − Municipal libraries located in
                                     www.bnf.fr                             Val-de-Marne:
     Ideas                                                               www.lecturepublique94.net
                                  − The Bibliothèque Publique           − Municipal libraries located in
                                     d’Information (BPI), Centre            Seine-et-Marne:
     The Mazarine Library is
                                     Pompidou (Paris, 4th).              mediatheque.seine-et-marne.fr
     the oldest public library
                                     www.bpi.fr                          − Municipal libraries located in
     in France (1643): you
     may study there or                                                     Paris:
     simply visit it.            The network                             www.paris.fr/bibliotheques
     www.bibliotheque-           of Université
     mazarine.fr.
                                 Paris-Est                               Libraries open
                                                                         on Sundays
                                 Within each establishment you
                                 will find either a documentation        The BNF is open on Sundays from
                                 centre, a university library (BU), or   13:00 to 19:00 and the BPI from
                                 a common documentation service          11:00 to 22:00.
     Good to know                (SCD). Together, these resources        The Central Library of the Cité
                                 make up a network of university         Internationale (Paris, 14th) is
     There is a service that     libraries. Access is open and you can   open on Sundays from 13:00 to
     assists with literature     borrow books upon presentation          19:00. www.ciup.fr/bibliotheque
      i!?
     research and is available
     online:
                                 of your student card, in accordance
                                 with the the specific regulations       Two public libraries located in Paris:
                                 of each institution. A common           Marguerite-Yourcenar Library
     www.ruedesfacs.fr.
                                 library search portal allows you to     (Paris, 15th) and Marguerite-
     This is a free question                                             Duras Library (Paris, 20th) open
     and answer service open     identify and locate the information
                                 resources you require for your          on Sundays from 13:00 to 18:00.
     to all. Responses are
     sent by e-mail within       research:
     three business days         portail-doc.univ-paris-est.fr
     (excluding weekends
     and holidays).

32
My health
France has a high-performing health system that foreign
students can benefit from.

Social security                          of their department of residence,
                                         where they will be issued a
and private health                       document that should be presented
insurance                                to physicians. Reimbursement
                                         claims are addressed to the CPAM.
Health care coverage is composed         It is compulsory for all other
of the Assurance Maladie (Social         foreign students under 28 years of
Security), that reimburses medical
expenses based on agreed rates
                                         age. You will be charged a fee when

                                                                                          a v a ?
                                                                                        Ç
                                         you enrol. You can choose between
(between 35-80%), and the
                                         two student social security options:
«mutuelle», a supplementary
private insurance which                  − la Mutuelle des Étudiants (LMDE)
complements repayments by                   www.lmde.fr ;
between 35 to 100%.                      − la Société Mutualiste des
                                            Étudiants de la Région Parisienne
                                            (SMEREP): www.smerep.fr.
The Assurance
                                         Students over 28 years of age
Maladie                                  cannot be covered under the student
                                         social security scheme, but can
This public health insurance is          instead benefit from Universal Health
one of the features of the Social        Coverage (CMU, for «Couverture          Good to know
Security. It is mandatory, and it        Maladie Universelle») if they stay
gives you the right to receive partial   for more than 3 months and are not      Some of the Université
or total reimbursements of your          employed.                               Paris-Est establishments
medical expenses.
                                         More information at: www.ameli.fr        i!?
                                                                                 offer their students a
                                                                                 health service (a medical
Student social                                                                   centre or access to a
                                         La mutuelle                             network of preventive
security                                                                         medicine services called
affiliation                              All students under 28 years of age      Résus). Inform yourself
                                         can take out a supplementary health     by referring to the
                                         insurance, called a «mutuelle».         website of your host
It is not mandatory for students         While it is not mandatory, it is        institution.
from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein,     highly recommended. The social
Norway and Switzerland, who              security agencies will offer this
must be in possession of form            complementary insurance during
E111 or E128 or the European             registration. One of its greatest
Health Insurance Card (EHIC); nor        advantages is that it entitles you
for students from Quebec, who            to the «tiers-payant» a system
must carry form SE401Q106. These         that exempts you from paying the
students must report to the Primary      medical expenses in advance, in
Insurance Fund (CPAM, for «Caisse        some cases. It also allows for the
                                         reimbursement of hospital expenses.
Primaire d’Assurance Maladie»)

                                                                                                             33
Receiving medical
      treatment
     Choosing a doctor

     In order to get the best                You will be better reimbursed
     reimbursement of your medical           if you follow this «itinerary of
     expenses, you should choose             coordinated care.» Nevertheless,
     a primary doctor, called your           some specialists can be consulted
     «médecin traitant», who is in most      without going through your
     cases a general practitioner and        reference doctor and without
     is responsible for following your
                                             you being penalized. Such is
     medical history.
                                             the case with gynaecologists,
     Choose a doctor near you or near        ophthalmologists and dentists.
     your school.
                                             Consultation fees vary
     You must download a form for            depending on the subsidized sector.
     declaring your reference doctor         Refer to the website www.ameli.fr
     from: www.ameli.fr («Choisir et         before going to a doctor in order to
     déclarer votre médecin traitant», at
                                             know the price of the consultation
     the bottom of the homepage, under
     «Vous êtes assuré»). This document      and the reimbursement rate for
     must be signed by your doctor           which you qualify.
     and sent to the CPAM of your

                                                         ine
     department. In the event that you
     need to be seen by a specialist, only
     your doctor can refer you.
                                               E n p l e
                                                 forme!
     pharmacies

     Medicine is sold only                   Pharmacies are generally open
     in pharmacies. You will                 Monday through Saturday from
     find pharmacies close to all            9:00 to 19:00. Outside these hours,
     establishments of Université            you must go to a pharmacy
     Paris-Est.                              “on duty out-of-hours” («une
                                             pharmacie de garde»). You will
     Many drugs can only be sold             find a list of those currently on
     upon presentation of a doctor’s         duty posted on the doors of all
     prescription. Some common               pharmacies.
     medications, such as aspirin, are
     available over the counter, but only
     medicine bought with a prescription
     will be covered and reimbursed by
     the Social Security.

34
La joie de vivre
Taking advantage of the
     cultural life

                          35
taking advantage
                                 of the cultural life
                                 Beyond the cultural activities offered by your school, cultural
                                 life is very rich in eastern Paris and is accessible to students at
                                 discounted rates.

                                 Cultural activities
                                 in eastern Paris

                                 A few cultural centres located near UPE establishments:
     Tips
                                 The Cité Internationale:                 La Maison des arts
                                 True to the cosmopolitan vocation        de Créteil:
     Two publications:
     L’Officiel des Spectacles   of «the student city», the theatre       A place of generalist artistic
                                 of the Cité Internationale offers        production and dissemination
      i!?
     and Pariscope, available
     every Wednesday, inform     theatre, dance, music, performance       especially focused on the use
     you of all the cultural     and circus from the whole world.         of digital technologies in the
     events taking place in      www.theatredelacite.com                  performing arts.
     Paris and the suburbs                                                www.maccreteil.com
                                 The National Theatre at
     during that week.
                                 la Colline:                              The Museum of

                ,
                                                                          Contemporary Art of
              r
                                 A theatre dedicated to modern

        s o i                                                             Val-de-Marne

     Ce rs!
                                 theatre, with a program that
                                 puts into perspective the texts of       – The MAC/VAL –

      je so
                                 contemporary living writers with         The first museum to be exclusively
                                 those of great playwrights.              devoted to the French art scene
                                 www.colline.fr                           beginning in the 1950s;
                                                                          2,000 works of art make up the
                                 La Ferme du Buisson:                     permanent collection, which are
                                 is a place that offers open-air areas,   presented in resonance with 3-4
                                 theaters and concert halls, cinemas      temporary exhibitions per year.
                                 and a contemporary art center. It        www.macval.fr
                                 is a center of manufacturing and
                                 promotion of art accessible to all
                                 audiences.
                                 www.lafermedubuisson.com

36
The benefits of                         The Press
being a student
                                        The national press
Accessible to all students under 30
                                        Four major national dailies share
years of age, the ticket office of
                                        the French publishing scene. You
CROUS Paris offers special rates                                                  Vocabulary
                                        will find them priced at € 2 or less.
for high quality cultural events:
                                        Le Monde www.lemonde.fr
www.crous-paris.fr.                                                               A newspaper
                                        Le Figaro www.lefigaro.fr
Musicians can live out their passion                                              published daily is a
                                        Libération www.liberation.fr
in the OCUP, the Orchestra and
Choir of the Universities of Paris:
                                        Les Échos www.lesechos.fr         i!?     «quotidien»; weekly,
                                                                                  a «hebdomadaire»;
www.ocup.fr                                                                       monthly, a «mensuel».
                                        Free newspapers are also
Some museums are free for               available, distributed in the
people under 26 years of age,           vicinity of metro and RER stations:
and all museums offer reduced           Metronews, 20 Minutes, Direct
rates for students. You can also        Matin.
enjoy discounted prices in most
theatres, cultural centres and          The specialized press
cinemas.                                Many French newspapers are                Good to know
The Paris National Opera                available in paper and electronic
offers young people it’s «Pass’         format. Regional press (for Ile-          The sale of newspapers
Jeunes» (in partnership with the        de-France: Le Parisien www.               on the street is
Comédie-Française) and offers «last
minute» seats one hour before the
                                        leparisien.fr), specialized press
                                        (economics, history, art history,          i!?
                                                                                  characteristic of Paris.
                                                                                  These news-stands
performance, subject to availability.   international relations, music, etc..),   are commonly called
More information at:                    Satirical press (Le Canard Enchaîné,      «kiosques à journaux».
www.operadeparis.fr                     not available online), and tabloids       In other cities you
                                        (Paris Match www.parismatch.com).         will find newspapers
                                                                                  in bookstores and
                                                                                  newsagents («maisons
                                                                                  de la presse»).

                                                                                                             37
Discovering France
      and Europe
     The beating
     heart of Europe

     The eastern Paris region is at the
     heart of Europe. From Paris by
     train, you can access:
                                                            amsterdam
                                                                       3:20 h

                                     londres            bruxelles
                                     1:30 h                 1:30 h     berlin
                                                                         1:50 h

                                                 paris

                                                                     rome
                                               Barcelone             1:45h
                                               1:40 h
                            Lisbonne
                            2:25 h

     Good to know

     Many associations
     organize trips and
      i!?
     excursions at extremely
     reasonable prices.
     For a list of certain
     associations, please visit
     this website:
     www.etudiantdeparis.fr

                                     On y va
                                                  !

38
Visiting places
Traveling                               Tourist sites
                                        in the east
By Plane                                of the Paris region
Find low-cost offers on websites
that carry out price comparisons,       The banks of the Marne
such as Liligo
Liligo www.liligo.com ou
                                        The banks of the Marne river offer

                                                                                                 la d e
Vol24 www.vol24.fr.
                                        many walks and traditional dances
                                        in «guinguettes» (popular cabarets
                                        at the water’s edge).
                                                                                             B a
By Train                                www.culture-guinguette.com
To travel to other cities and
                                        The castle of Vaux-le-
provinces in France, all destinations
                                        Vicomte
and prices are available on the         This castle, located in the
SNCF website:                           department of Seine-et-Marne,
www.voyages-sncf.com                    dates from the 17th century. It was
To discover Europe towards the east     built for the Superintendent of King     Tips
                                        Louis XIV, Nicolas Fouquet, who
(Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne),
                                        appealed to the best artists of the      SNCF offers a special
visit Thalys’ website:                  time: the first royal architect, Louis
www.thalys.com                                                                   card for people 18-27
                                        Le Vau; the painter and founder of
For London, check the Eurostar          the Academy of Painting, Charles Le       i!?
                                                                                 years old. At a price of
                                                                                 50 € per year, you
                                        Brun; and the landscape architect of
website:                                                                         benefit from a 25%
                                        the king, André Le Nôtre.
Eurostar: www.eurostar.com              www.vaux-le-vicomte.com                  discount on all your
                                                                                 travels, and up to 60%
By bus                                  The castle of Champs-                    discount if you buy your
You can reach certain French and        Sur-Marne                                ticket online well in
European cities by bus (coach).         Also located in Seine-et-Marne,          advance:
www.idbus.com                           this castle of the 18th century is       www.sncf.com
www.eurolines.fr (nearly 30             the symbol of the «small vacation
                                        homes» of this era. It is surrounded     Discover the south
destinations in Europe).                                                         of France from the
                                        by one of the most beautiful parks
                                        in France, which combines French         station Marne-la-Vallée
Driving in France
                                        and English style gardens.               - Chessy with a low
You can drive in France with a
                                        champs-sur-marne.monuments-              budget using:
permit issued in your country of        nationaux.fr                             www.ouigo.fr/
origin for the duration of your
studies, as long as your license        Disneyland Paris
is valid and it is either written       The amusement park is accessible
                                        by train on RER line A (station
in French or accompanied by an
                                        «Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy»). It is
official translation. You must also     only five stations away from Cité        Discover
have the minimum age required           Descartes, where four institutions
in France, which is 18. More            belonging to Université Paris-Est        The website of the Office
information:                            are located.                             for Tourism in France:
www.vosdroits.service-public.fr         www.disneylandparis.fr                   www.tourisme.fr

                                                                                                             39
In case
                                   of problems
                                  I’ve lost

               l or s !           my bank card

      Z   ut a                    Inform your bank and cancel it
                                  immediately!
                                  If your bank card is lost or stolen, immediately call the
                                  number provided by your bank when you opened your
                                  account.

                                  I’ve lost
                                  an identity document

     GOOD TO KNOW                 Go immediately to the nearest police
                                  station to report the loss or theft.
     It is advisable to keep      You will be provided a provisional identification
     separate a photocopy         document allowing you to move freely. You will then
      i!?
     of each ID document
     (both sides) or, better
                                  need to contact your embassy.

     yet, to scan them and        You will find a list of consular
     save them in a place         authorities resented in France on the website of
     you can access over the      the Maison des Français de l’Étranger: www.mfe.org.
     internet (your e-mail, for
     example). In case of loss
     or theft, you will thus be   I’ve lost
     able to recover a copy,      my phone
     which will facilitate the
     renewal process.
                                  Inform your telephone company so it can take the
                                  appropriate steps to protect your line.

40
Je reste... je pars
    Renewing your
 residence permit or
 preparing departure

                       41
Continuing studies
                                Enrol in an establishment

     Good to know               Before beginning any paperwork with the French authorities, you must re-
                                enrol in your school and receive a certificate of registration.
     Unlike the short-stay
     visa, you do not have
                                Renew your residence permit
      i!?
     to return to your home
     country in order to
     get a new visa. The
     renewal of a long-stay     When your first residence               The renewal of the residence
     visa takes place in        permit (VLS-TS) expires, you can        permit is subject to verification
     France, and results in a   get a multiannual stay permit. You      of attendance during the past
     valid residence permit     need to renew your permit with the      academic year: presence at
     (VLSTS).                   prefecture that corresponds to the      exams, progress in your studies,
                                department you reside in (students      or coherence of shifts in career
                                residing in Paris must go to the        orientation.
                                police headquarters).                   You will also need to provide
                                This new residence permit will          proof of financial resources. If
                                be detached from your passport          you work, this revenue is taken into
     important                  and will be in the form of a plastic    account.
                                card.                                   After verification by the
     Once you obtain the
                                The renewal must be made                prefecture, you will get a
     multiannual stay permit,
                                within the two months before            residence permit covering all of
     each year you will have
                                the expiration of your current          your studies, up to 4 years.
     to send proof of having
     passed your exams          residence permit. As the waiting        More information:
     or admittance for the      period varies for an appointment,       www.campusfrance.fr
     i!?
     following year, via a
     registered letter with
                                inform yourself well in advance.

     acknowledgment of
     receipt.

42
I acquire FIRST EXPERIENCE
 AT THE END OF MY STUDIES
Legislation

You are a citizen of the              − Once you have an
European Union:                          employment contract
You can work freely at the end of        that is related to your
your studies.                            degree, you can work
You are not a citizen of                 full time. You must receive
the European Union,                      a wage that is at least 1.5
and you hold a degree equivalent to      times the minimum wage.
a Master’s degree (Bac +5):           − Within 15 days following
− At the end of your «student»          the signature of your
   residence permit and after            contract, you must apply for
   you graduate, you can apply for       a temporary working residence
   a temporary residence permit.         permit at the prefecture that
− You are allowed to seek               corresponds to your address.
   and take employment for            More information:
   the duration of your temporary     www.vosdroits.service-public.fr
   residence permit. If your
   employment is unrelated to
   your degree, you are limited to
   964 hours (60% of the annual
   working time).

Organizations that assist
in finding a job

The agency Pôle Emploi is the         offers of employment):
public institution in charge of       www.apec.fr
employment issues in France. You      Check with your establishment to
will find job offers posted on its    find out what help they provide in
website: www.pole-emploi.fr           search of employment.
For holders of a diploma equivalent
to a master degree (Bac +5), the      Also check specialized websites and
Association for the Employment of     journals in your field of study.
Executives (APEC) is a private
organization that can help you in
your efforts (advice, support and

                                                                            43
Preparing departure
                                   Get your certificate

       Vocabulary                  Consider asking the school for proof of education, your transcripts and
                                   eventually your degree certificate (diploma).
       A registered letter with
       recorded delivery (LR/      Leaving your accommodation
i!?    AR) is a service offered
       by post offices that
       serves as legal proof. It   If you are in a furnished apartment,
       is therefore commonly       the notice period is one month.
       used in the context of
       terminating a contract.     If you are in an empty apartment,
                                   the period is three months.
                                   In all cases, send a registered letter with recorded delivery to your landlord or
                                   management agency.

                                   Terminate your subscriptions

                                   Before leaving, make sure you have performed the
                                   following steps:
                                   To close your bank account,
       Fact sheets                 you do not have a notice period to respect nor do you have to submit any
                                   justifying documentation. Send a registered letter with recorded delivery to
       Fact Sheet N°4              your bank agency. Warning: if your account is overdrawn, you must correct
       Information concerning      this situation before closing your account.
       the post office.            If you signed-up for a monthly travel pass,
       Fact Sheet N°5              go to RATP agency to cancel your «forfait» package. If you hired a telephone
       Example of how to write     and/or Internet service, inquire with your carrier on notice periods. All
       an administrative letter.   correspondence should be sent in the form of registered letters with recorded
                                   delivery.
                                   You also need to terminate your insurance policies (housing, civil
                                   liability).
                                   You must send a registered letter with recorded delivery to your insurance
                                   agency. Find out about notice periods, which vary between organizations.

  44
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