Student Guide Academic year 2020-2021 - Maastricht School ...

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Student Guide Academic year 2020-2021 - Maastricht School ...
Student Guide
Academic year 2020-2021
Student Guide Academic year 2020-2021 - Maastricht School ...
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

Welcome

Dear Student

As our student, you are the central point of                Management Board
our concern and the reason of existence of
MSM. Therefore, apart from providing you                            Meinhard Gans, MSc
with a high quality education, we also want                         Dean a.i.
to make your study at MSM a pleasant                                Chief Executive Officer
experience. Better yet - an unforgettable
experience!
                                                                    Ms. Chantal Muyrers
In this guide, you will find general information                    Chief Financial Officer
on the services and facilities MSM offers you
during your study. In addition, the guide
contains practical information on living and
studying in the Netherlands and Maastricht.
Should you like more personal and detailed
information, our enthusiastic staff will be
happy to help you.

We wish you good luck with your educational
program at MSM and in case you are coming
to Maastricht, a memorable stay in this
wonderful city!
Student Guide Academic year 2020-2021 - Maastricht School ...
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

Contents

General Guide                                           Social Guide

Safety Protocol MSM Students Covid-19              4    1   The Netherlands                           17
dated September 01, 2020                                1.1 General                                   17
                                                        2   Money & Finance                           19
1   General information                            6    2.1 The Euro                                  19
1.1 Building: address & opening hours              6    2.2 Commercial banks                          19
1.2 General rules                                  6    2.3 Your Bank account                         19
1.3 Education Operations Office                    6    2.4 Tax Forms                                 20
1.4 Research Department                            6    3   Shops                                     20
1.5 Career, Student and Alumni Services            6    3.1 Opening hours                             20
1.6 Information Center                             9    3.2 Markets                                   20
1.7 Travel Office                                  9    3.3 Supermarkets                              20
1.8 Finance Office                                 9    3.4 Department stores                         20
1.9 Restaurant                                     9    3.5 Shopping centers                          20
1.10 Acccomodation                                10    4   Wining & Dining                           22
2   Visa and Permits                              10    4.1 Dutch eating habits                       22
2.1 Residence permit                              10    4.2 Typical Dutch Food                        23
2.2 Registration with municipal authorities       10    5   Travel & Transport                        24
2.3 International students and part-time job      11    5.1 Bicycles                                  24
3   Being a student at MSM                        12    5.2 Driving a car                             25
3.1 Your name in the Netherlands                  12    5.3 Public transport                          25
3.2 Mailbox and mailbox address in the Netherlands 12   6   Sports                                    27
3.3 Phones                                        12    6.1 Sport & Fitness centers                   27
3.4 Post office mail                              14    6.2 Swimming pools                            28
3.5 Health and medical care                       14    7   Social and Cultural activities            28
3.6 Access to MSM facilities with disabilities    15    7.1 Tourist information                       28
4   In class                                      16    7.2 Travelling abroad                         29
4.1 The class representative                      16    7.3 Must sees in Maastricht and surrounding   29
4.2 Books and writing materials                   16    8 Religion                                    30
                                                        9 Holidays & Festivities in 2020 - 2021       31
                                                        10 Dutch habits and language                  33
                                                        10.1 The Dutch and their habits               33
                                                        10.2 Legislation and drugs                    34
                                                        10.3 Useful Dutch words                       35
Student Guide Academic year 2020-2021 - Maastricht School ...
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

Safety Protocol MSM Students Covid-19
dated September 01, 2020

MSM has created a general safety protocol to ensure      MSM Information Center:
that students can study and follow classes in a safe     Regarding the MSM Information Center, students
manner in the classrooms or partially online (hybrid)    need to be aware of the following information:
if the group size exceeds the maximum seating            • The Information Centre is open from 9:30am
number in the classroom.                                    to 5:30pm.
                                                         • No need to pre book
These measures first and foremost aim at                 • On first day of Introduction week you will receive
containing the spread of the virus and reducing          further instructions from the Manager of the
the risk of infections of our students.                  Information Center.

Our protocol is aligned with the guidelines of the       Digital registration:
RIVM ( National Institute for Public Health and the      As of July 8, 2020, pre-registration for Students is no
Environment) https://www.rivm.nl/en/novel-               longer required. For safety reasons we will digitally
coronavirus-covid-19/in-depth-information#039;           register arrival and departure time of all Students.
s%20novel%20coronavirus%20COVID-19                       All Students are expected to use the personal student
                                                         card when entering and leaving the building and hold
As our knowledge and understanding of the                it in front of the card reader at the entrance door:
COVID-19 virus continues to evolve, our policies         in the corridor at ground level for those using the             04
and plans may be updated as appropriate. This            parking lot / ApartHotel Randwyck and at the main
RIVM website provides the latest information of the      entrance door for those coming with public transport.
coronavirus, information on how the coronavirus is       When arriving for the first time, you will receive a
spread, what is the best way to prevent getting the      temporarily card until your personal card with your
virus and many other FAQ.                                picture is ready.

All students are expected to comply with the             General provisions:
protocol outlined in this document.                      1. Safety rules are visible at all the entrances of the
                                                             building and are repeated inside;
Phased approach:                                         2. E veryone should keep a social distance of at least 1.5
As of July 8, 2020, we have started with a voluntary,        meter; Keeping a distance of 1.5 meter reduces the
gradual and phased approach to re-open the building.         chance of people infecting each other;
For students, the preventative measures that were        3. When entering and leaving the MSM building;
implemented as of July 8, 2020, remain in place.               • Wash your hands when entering the MSM
In case of large groups of students, hybrid teaching,            building;
online classes or other alternative education formats.         • Wash your hands when leaving the MSM building;
                                                               • There are disinfection columns with disinfectant
                                                                  gel in the building, disinfect your hands regularly.
                                                         4. Prevent major movements in the building, no more
                                                             than 3 persons in a corridor. Maintain the 1.5 meter
                                                             distancing rule;
                                                         5. If necessary, remind your fellow Students to follow
                                                             up on the general hygiene and safety measures.
Student Guide Academic year 2020-2021 - Maastricht School ...
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

Hygiene measures:                                         • When feeling sick or getting any symptoms while
Ensure the following hygiene measures at all times,          at the school building at MSM, inform your Program
especially at toilets, in the elevator, banisters, door      Manager by email or phone and go home!
handles, vending machines, pin terminal and print         • Get yourself tested free of charge. To make an
and copying equipment:                                       appointment click on following link;
• Do not shake hands;                                        https://www.ggdzl.nl/english/coronavirus-covid-19/
•N  o more than 1 person using the elevator at the          coronavirus-student-information/
   same time.                                             • You must be free of ANY symptoms potentially
• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water or          related to COVID-19 for at least 24 hours to be
   use an alcohol- based hand rub, especially after a        eligible to report back to school.
   visit to the toilet;
•C  over your nose and mouth with a flexed elbow         Meetings:
   or paper tissue when coughing or sneezing and          • Meetings or events with external people should be
   disposing immediately of the tissue and                   held as much as possible via video conference such
   performing hand hygiene;                                  as Zoom.
• Refrain from touching mouth, nose and eyes;
•U  se paper handkerchiefs and discard them after        MSM Building:
   use. Then wash your hands;                             • Use a touch screen pointer or something similar to
•U  se face masks when keeping 1.5 meter distance           operate the elevator, printer, vending machines etc;
   is not possible due to the nature of the work;         • Cleaning staff will take care of disinfecting the
•U  se face masks when in common area’s including           banisters, elevator buttons etc.;
   hallways.                                              • Students should avoid using any shared office          05
                                                             supplies or supplies belonging to others;
COVID-19 like symptoms:                                   • For security reasons the air-conditioning has been
•S
  tudents will be expected to self-certify their            switched off in the building.
 ability to safely work on-site asking themselves the
 following questions.                                     Catering:
                                                          The restaurant will be closed until further notice,
 If any individual answers ‘yes’ to any of the            2020. Please bring your own lunch.
 questions, they should report it to their Program        The allocated spaces in the restaurant can be used for
 Manager and not come to the MSM School                   lunch. Please do not re-arrange the furniture as it was
 building.                                                set up according to the 1.5 meter distance rule.

 By coming to MSM/ attending classes, you are
 confirming that you answered no to all the
 questions listed below:

   •H
     ave you had any of the following symptoms
    in the last 14 days?
    Cough, shortness of breath, a mild fever below
    38 degrees, chills, running nose, muscle pain,
    sore throat, new loss of taste or smell.

   •H
     ave you had any contact lasting longer than
    15 minutes with a person known to have
    COVID-19?
Student Guide Academic year 2020-2021 - Maastricht School ...
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

General Guide
Introduction to the facilities and services of Maastricht School of Management

1. General information                                      1.3 Educations Operations Office

1.1 Building: address & opening hours                       The Education Office is located on the second and
                                                            third floor and can be found in the following offices:
                                                            EP: 229
Visitors address:                                           MSc: 332
Endepolsdomein 150, 6229 EP Maastricht                      MM: 330
The Netherlands                                             MBA: 329
                                                            Executive MBA: 332
Postal address:                                             Online MBA: 347
PO Box 1203, 6201 BE Maastricht
The Netherlands
                                                            1.4 Research Department
T: +31(0)43 38 70 808
Fax: +31(0)43 38 70 802                                     The Research Department is located on the third floor
Email: info@msm.nl                                          In room 350 and room 351.

MSM building opening hours:                                                                                               06
Monday - Friday: 8.00 a.m. - 8.00 p.m.                      1.5 Career, Student and Alumni Services

                                                            The goal of the Career, Student and Alumni Services
                                                            is to give students and alumni a complete “MSM
1.2 General rules                                           experience” where not only the knowledge on
                                                            management is developed, but also the soft skills and
• Lecture hours can vary per program. Please regularly     attitudes of becoming a good manager and a more
   check the schedule for any changes. We expect            self-aware person. One of the tools MSM’s uses to
   students to be on time and present in each class.        achieve this is the mentorship program. Maastricht
• It is not permitted to smoke in and around the           School of Management uses ‘mentorships’ as a tool
   MSM premises. It is forbidden by Dutch law to            to make its students familiar with the Dutch way
   smoke in any educational area.                           of living and doing business. In return, senior
• It is not allowed to take food or drinks into the        managers participating in the mentorship program
   lecturing halls, the Function Hall, the Information      get personally acquainted with foreign business
   Center or the Computer Room.                             cultures and expertise.

In case of fire in the MSM building, the fire alarm         Preparing for MSM
will go off. All students and staff are requested to        During the preparation phase, the admissions
leave the building immediately via the emergency            office will guide you and advise you in arrival-related
exits and gather outside the main entrance. DO              matters: visa and residence permit for the
NOT use the elevator!! You must NOT return inside           Netherlands, housing and medical insurance,
the building before the fire brigade has declared           information on general facilities, libraries (information
the area safe. Twice a year, a fire drill will be held to   centers), public transportation, recreation facilities etc.
rehearse the procedure described above.
Student Guide Academic year 2020-2021 - Maastricht School ...
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

During your study                                          specializes in English language literature in the fields
The Student Counselor can assist you on personal           of management, finance, information technology,
issues. For questions related to your study your first     operations, environment, accounting, marketing,
point of contact is the Education Operations Office.       tourism and economics, enabling students to acquire
The Educations Operations Office, the Academic             in-depth study foundation in management education.
Coordinators and the Student Counselor work
together in monitoring your performance and
well-being during your stay at MSM.                        Opening hours
                                                           Monday       8.00 a.m. - 5.30 p.m.
Where to find the various contact people                   Tuesday      8.00 a.m. - 5.30 p.m.
Manager Enrollment and Career Services,                    Wednesday 8.00 a.m. - 5.30 p.m.
Ms. Hermina Kooyman                                        Thursday     8.00 a.m. - 5.30 p.m.
E: kooyman@msm.nl                                          Friday       8.00 a.m. - 5.30 p.m.
T: +31(0)43 38 70 817                                      These times may deviate due to the Covid-19 pandemic
Student Services & Alumni Officer, Ms. Denise Dupont       and measures taken.
E: dupont@msm.nl
T: +31(0)43 38 70 885                                      Information Center Staff
Student Counselor, Ms. Pilar Gonzalez Vigil                Manager: Ms. Iris Weijenberg, BA
E: gonzalez@msm.nl                                         E: infocenter@msm.nl
T: +31(0)43 38 70 855                                      T: +31(0)43 38 70 877
Student Counselor, Ms. Nicky de Bie
E: bie@msm.nl                                              ID-card                                                    07
T:+31(0)43 38 70 897                                       To use the facilities of the Information Center every
                                                           student needs a valid ID-card with a barcode. Your
MSM Social events                                          ID-card will be distributed during the introduction
The aim of the social events program is to enhance         program. This does not apply to the students taking
interaction between students in and outside the            part in our short programs.
classroom environment; to stimulate interaction
between the various programs and to expose                 ICT facilities
students to Western-European culture and                   The ICT-platform in the information Center is equipped
traditions. A diverse program of social activities         with 10 multimedia monitors, internet access and many
will be set up in collaboration with the Education         software applications. These can only be used when the
Department, the program can be adjusted and                ICT-platform is not in use for classes. We advise you to
tailored to the needs of the students the moment           always bring your laptop with you.
a social class representative has been appointed.
                                                           Scanning and printing facilities are available in the
1.6 Information Center                                     Information Center.

The MSM Information Center is a sophisticated              Collection, website
multi-functional resource center where students            The Information Center contains about 10,000 books.
have access to a wealth of knowledge that can be           The majority of the academic journals are available
applied to every aspect of their study. It is a learning   in electronic format via databases. There is also a
resource center featuring the most advanced online         growing collection of research papers written by
knowledge tools. The ICT-platform is equipped with         MSM students worldwide, as well as theses and
10 computers and state-of-the-art facilities to deliver    dissertations. An international thesaurus is used to
computer based courses. The Information Center             classify the materials.
Student Guide Academic year 2020-2021 - Maastricht School ...
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

1.6.1 Information Center portal                         1.6.2 Regulations

The Information Center offers a virtual portal, where   All facilities of the Information Center are available
registered staff and students have access to the        for students and staff, free of charge. A membership
library web catalogue, databases, and several other     card (valid ID-card with barcode) is required to access
facilities. At the beginning of your study program,     the facilities. Students and staff can borrow books
you will receive a login and password via email         and magazines. Reference textbooks are not
to access the Information Center Portal. The            available for loan, but can be consulted in the            08
Information Center works with a library software,       Information Center.
V-smart Air. V-smart Air is a web based integrated      Reserved items need to be returned at once. The cost
library software developed by Infor. The Information    of lost material will be charged to the borrower.
Center uses V-smart to simplify the management          The Information Center is a place for study, research,
of the library collection and to provide faculty and    group work and discussion.
students improved access to a wide array of
information resources.
                                                        1.6.3 Services

Facilities available via the portal:                    Information requests
• V-smart Air (Information Center catalogue)            The Information Center accepts information requests
• Business Source Ultimate (EBSCO)                      via phone or e-mail. The Information Center staff
• eBook Business Collection (EBSCO)                     strives to help you as much as possible in finding
• Regional Business News (EBSCO)                        appropriate answers to your questions.
•S cienceDirect (Business, management and
  accounting package)                                   Worldshare ILL
• Emerald Insight                                       This service is available for staff and students working
•E BSCO Discovery Service                              and studying at the MSM premises in Maastricht. ILL
  • Company.info (accessible at MSM premises only)      is a service for borrowing books and obtaining articles
                                                        from other libraries through a national service.
Student Guide Academic year 2020-2021 - Maastricht School ...
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

1.7 Travel Office                                            1.8 Finance Office

For all requests concerning your flights or travel           The Finance Office is located in room 143.
tickets please firstly contact the Admissions Office         The Finance Office is open for students on the
(admissions@msm.nl).                                         following days: Monday-Tuesday-Thursday-Friday,
                                                             between 10.00 - 11.00 a.m. and 13.00 - 13.30 p.m.
How to report loss or damage to luggage at the
airport
Report the loss or damage to your suitcase to an             1.9 Restaurant
airport officer. You will receive a “Property Irregularity
Report (PIR)”                                                The MSM restaurant is located on the ground
• Complete the PIR carefully                                 floor of the MSM building and is open to staff and
• Have the PIR signed and stamped by an airport             students. Opening hours are listed to the left of the
   officer                                                   entrance. There is a coffee vending machine in the
• Take the completed, signed and stamped PIR to MSM         restaurant and in the business lounge on the first
•C  ontact the Travel Officer (to@msm.nl) for               floor (study area).
   assistance
                                                             The kitchen staff caters a varied and healthy menu,
In case of loss of luggage the airport services will         as respectful as possible of religious restrictions.
strive to deliver your luggage within 48 hours at the        The prices of the dishes are listed in the restaurant.
address you have indicated in the PIR.                       Please kindly clear the table after your meal and
                                                             place used cups and plates in the designated area.       09
                                                             As in the rest of MSM, smoking is not allowed in
                                                             the restaurant.
Student Guide Academic year 2020-2021 - Maastricht School ...
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

1.10 Accomodation

Every student is responsible for their own travel
and residential arrangements and costs. MSM will
provide you with a list of various accommodation
options and services which can help you to find
accommodation in Maastricht.

2. Visa and Permits

2.1 Residence permit
                                                            Procedure:
Tourist Visa / Schengen Visa                                • The Admission and Enrollment Officers inform
Students staying in the Netherlands up to 90 days              students about the admission procedure and
need to apply for a Schengen (Tourist) Visa and                asks students to e-mail all documents necessary
students staying longer than 90 days need to                   for application for the residence permit.
apply for a MVV (Machtiging tot Voorlopig Verblijf).        • The Admissions Office sends the documents to
Application for visa has to be done via one of the             the IND (Immigration and Naturalization Service
embassies or consulates of the Netherlands in your             of the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice) in
country of residence. Whether a visa is required               the Netherlands.                                        10
depends on your nationality.                                •W  hen their application is approved by the IND,
For more information about a tourist visa check:               students can collect their visa (called MVV) in their
https://ind.nl/en/short-stay                                   home country and may travel to the Netherlands.
                                                            • Upon their arrival, the students can pick up their
For more information about the MVV check:                      residence permit in Den Bosch or Maastricht.
https://ind.nl/en/study/Pages/study-at-university.aspx         The dates and location will be indicated in the
                                                               IND letter received by MSM and given to the
Residence Permit                                               students when they arrive at MSM.
The Admissions Office will take care of the
application process for residence permits for
students. Note that residence permits are only
required for students staying longer than three          2.2 Registration with municipal authorities
months in the Netherlands.
                                                         Students staying longer than four months in the
                                                         Netherlands are required to register at the Municipality
                                                         or City Hall of Maastricht. Your education officer will
                                                         share the link to register digitally, here you will also
                                                         need to upload a copy of your passport. After this the
                                                         Municipality will process your request and they will
                                                         contact you to make an appointment at the City Hall.
                                                         You will need to bring your passport, birth certificate
                                                         and if possible your rental agreement. During this
                                                         appointment you will immediately receive your BSN
                                                         number.
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

2.3 International students and
part-time jobs
                                                      Students who are in the Netherlands solely for study
As international students in the Netherlands, you     reasons can conclude a relatively cheap student
might want to take a part-time job. It is important   medical insurance but as soon as a student starts
to take a number of legal issues into account as      a part-time job, he/she is an employee and
depending on the nationality of the student there     immediately will have to take out the more
are some restrictions.                                expensive Dutch basic health care insurance.

Only citizens from the EU/EEA Switzerland and         For more information about our internship policy,
Japan do not need a work permit to work in            students are requested to familiarize with the MSM
The Netherlands.                                      Education and Examination Regulations (EER).

Citizens of all other countries need a work permit.   For more information, the following website may
Dutch immigration law restricts the number of         be helpful:
hours international students may work (with a work    www.studyinholland.nl/practical-matters/working-
permit). They may either do seasonal full-time work   while-studying
(only in June, July and August) or work part-time
throughout the rest of the year, but no more than
16 hours per week. It is up to the employer of the
international student to apply for the work permit
for the student.                                                                                             11
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

       “Besides being a beautiful country,
         the Netherlands is a business hub of
         Europe, with MSM as the multicultural
         portal of business education.”

        Hesham Mohammed Abdo Sharf from
        Yemen, MBA33

3. Being a student at MSM                                  Mailbox address
                                                           Your full mailbox address in the Netherlands is:
3.1 Your name in the Netherlands                           (Yours):                       (Example):
                                                           Mr./Mrs./Ms. ...               Ms. A.L.O. Powell
You will be asked to fill in your name on many forms.      Mailbox...                     Mailbox 048
In the Netherlands, one’s family name is the main          Program (MSc/MBA/PhD/DBA) MBA                                 12
name used in all formal and official correspondence.       P.O. box 1203                  P.O. box 1203
If you have more than one family name, we advise           6201 BE Maastricht             6201 BE Maastricht
you to choose the name that should be mentioned            THE NETHERLANDS                THE NETHERLANDS
on identity cards, diplomas and other documents.           T: +31...                      T: +31(0)43 38 70 808
Always write your names in the same order in order         Fax: +31...                    Fax: +31(0)43 38 70 802
to avoid unnecessary confusion later.

                                                           3.3 Phones
3.2 Your mailbox and mailbox address in
the Netherlands                                            General rules
                                                           It is simple to make a phone call in or to the Netherlands.
Mailbox                                                    The basic rules for phone numbers are the following.
Mailboxes are available for students participating         A typical phone number in Maastricht looks like this:
in programs with a duration of more than three             +31(0)43 38 708 08
months. These boxes are for individual use and are         Country code:      +31 (The Netherlands)
located on the ground floor, in room 024.                  Area code:         (0)43 (Maastricht)
In order to facilitate the delivery of your mail, please   Local number: 38 70 808
inform your friends and family of your mailbox number.
Only mail mentioning your mailbox number will be           In order to dial this number from within the Netherlands,
deposited in your mailbox during your stay at MSM.         leave out the country code and INCLUDE the zero:
When you return to your home country, all mail will        043 38 70 808.
be forwarded to your home address during the first         To dial this number from outside the Netherlands,
two months after your departure. After two months,         start with two zeros (00), dial the country code, and
the mail will be returned to the sender.                   SKIP the zero (0) in brackets: 003143 38 70 808.
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

The same rules apply for mobile phones. A mobile        Mobile phones
phone number looks like this: +31(0)6 123 45 678.       If you would like to have your own phone, we advise
                                                        you to buy a so called prepaid mobile phone. There are
Decoding phone numbers:                                 several shops in the city center of Maastricht where
+31	Any number starting with 0031is a phone            you can buy prepaid phones. A few examples are:
          number in the Netherlands.
+32 	Any number starting with 0032 is a phone          T-Mobile
          number in Belgium.                            Kleine Staat 13, Maastricht
+31(0)43 	All numbers with a +31(0)43 area code is a   T: 0800 7123, www.t-mobile.nl
          Maastricht land line.
06 	All numbers starting with 06 are mobile            Vodafone
          phone numbers.                                Muntstraat 6, Maastricht
0900 	Numbers preceded by 009 will charge an           T: 0800 0094, www.vodafone.nl
          extra fee. They are often used for informa-
          tion lines, as well as government offices.    KPN
          A recording will indicate the extra fee per   Muntstraat 13, Maastricht
          minute.                                       T: 0800 0402, www.kpn.com
0800 	Numbers starting with 0800 are free of
          charge, but please note that if you call      Telfort
          from a mobile phone, the conversation         Grote Staat 38, Maastricht
          may still charge you for the number of        T: 0800 1707, www.telfort.nl
          minutes, so be careful.                                                                                13

Note: All phone calls (including local calls) cost
money. Local calls, regional calls or calls to mobile
phones and foreign countries all apply different
rates. To call abroad from the Netherlands, dial
00 followed by the international country code.
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

Important phone numbers                                    Rules and reimbursements
112 	General emergency number for                         The following information will facilitate the use of
                     alerting police, fire department      your insurance. In case of illness, please make an
                     and ambulance.                        appointment with the MSM General Practitioner (GP).
0900 8844            General police number.                Make sure to take your insurance policy documents
0900 9292 	Information on public transport                with you to the appointment and show your insurance
                     in the Netherlands, including         policy to the GP. If you wish to see a specialized doctor,
                     door-to-door itineraries.             you still need to go to the GP first, as GPs only may
+31(0)30 23 00 023 	Information on international          direct you to the relevant specialist (please find the
                     train travel (NS international).      relevant information below). In such cases the
1888                 Phone directory enquiry (KPN).        insurance company requires a written and signed
0900 8418            International directory enquiries.    statement from the referring doctor (see the conditions
+31(0)43 38 70 808 General phone number MSM.               in your insurance certificate). First settle the doctor’s
                                                           bill (and, if necessary, the pharmacy’s bill) and keep all
                                                           bills and receipts. Please make and keep photocopies
3.4 Post office mail                                       of all bills. Please click on the following link to see
                                                           AON’s webinar and find all the information.
The nearest post office is located at the Stationsstraat   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umwX_VKnoZs
60 in Maastricht. There are several smaller post           &feature=youtu.be
offices and post service points scattered over town.
Mailboxes are orange and have two slots; the slot          Illness/toothache
marked “streekpost” (local post) is reserved for           If you are unable to attend lectures due to illness          14
delivery in the zip code areas indicated on the mail-      or toothache, please inform (or have someone else
box, and the slot marked “overige bestemmingen”            inform) your Program Coordinator as soon as possible.
is reserved for delivery elsewhere (rest of the            As mentioned earlier, you should see a General
Netherlands and foreign destinations). If you plan         Practitioner (family doctor, “huisarts” or “dokter”)
to send a parcel, we advise you to enquire the most        before receiving a referral to a specialist; it is not
suitable service at the post office. Parcels can be        possible to go to a specialist directly.
sent by airmail or express mail.
                                                           General Practitioner:
                                                           Gezondheidscentrum “de Heerderrein”
3.5 Health and medical care                                Doctor van Sint Fiet
                                                           Rijksweg 72A7, 6228 XZ Maastricht
Health Insurance                                           T: +31(0)43 36 73 737 (Press 3 in the menu to speak
According to Dutch law all foreign residents are           with the assistant to make an appointment)
requested to have adequate health insurance.               www.huisartsvansintfiet.nl
Everyone coming from outside EU who studies at             When you contact Doctor van Sint Fiet you need to
MSM will receive a basic medical insurance from            mention that you are an MSM student and don’t
MSM for the duration of their study in the                 forget to bring a copy of your insurance policy with
Netherlands. Students from within EU are expected          you to your doctors appointment.
to arrange their medical insurance themselves. All
students must be insured immediately upon their            Following dentist can be consulted:
arrival in the Netherlands. The insurance arranged         Dentist Kies 22A
through MSM has been specially designed for                De Beente 22A, 6229 AV Maastricht
international students. It must be taken into              T: +31(0)43 36 18 111
account that the medical insurance provided by
MSM is only for the student him- or herself.
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

Dentist which can be consulted as well is:                premises required to ensure that these are accessible
Tandarts Praktijk Wyck                                    and safe for persons with disabilities and that a person
Hoogbrugstraat 27, 6221 CN Maastricht                     with a disability would not be at any substantial
T: +31(0)43 32 11 893,                                    disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person.
E: tandartspraktijkwyck@gmail.com
www.tandartspraktijkwyck.nl                               MSM facilities and resources are accessible for
                                                          persons with disabilities and include:
When you go to the dentist all bills need to be paid
directly. Afterwards you need to fill in the claim form   Main access
which you need to sent together with the bill to          The main entrance door to MSM is accessible
AON for reimbursement                                     through a small permanent ramp.
www.aonstudentinsurance.com/students/en/claims
                                                          Lift
In case of emergency, call the national emergency         All floors are reached by an elevator, which is directly
number 112. You will be asked whether you need an         accessible from the parking lot and has room enough
ambulance, the police or the fire department and          for a wheelchair.
will then be connected to the relevant service.
If you need to speak to the police but it is NOT an       Teaching Rooms
emergency, please call 0900 8844.                         80% of the teaching rooms are accessible by wheel-
                                                          chair and their space can be easily arranged to host
Pharmacy                                                  people with physical disabilities.
You need to present a prescription from a doctor/GP                                                                  15
in order to receive medication. The doctor/GP will        Conference Hall
indicate if and how often the pharmacist may renew        Accessible on the ground floor and the basement,
the prescription. When a pharmacy (“apotheek”) is         the hall has enough room for a wheelchair in the
closed, a notice on the door will indicate the address    rear of the hall.
and telephone number of a pharmacy offering after-
hours service.                                            Function Hall
                                                          Easily accessible on the second floor and with a
When you go to a pharmacy all bills need to be paid       small platform specifically for hosting a wheelchair.
directly. Afterwards you need to fill in the claim form
which you need to sent together with the bill to          Toilet
AON for reimbursement.                                    One accessible toilet designed to accommodate
https://ind.nl/en/study/Pages/study-at-university.aspx    people with physical disabilities.

                                                          Canteen
3.6 Access to MSM facilities for persons                  Accessible on the ground floor and with enough
with disabilities                                         room for a wheelchair. The outside patio areas are
                                                          accessible through small permanent ramps.
Maastricht School of Management (MSM) promotes
an inclusive and nondiscriminatory policy and             Library
recognizes that it has clear obligations towards all      Easily accessible and with enough room for a wheel-
its students to ensure that persons with disabilities     chair. The printer location is specifically arranged
are afforded equal opportunities to study within the      in order to be accessible and usable by people in a
organization. Therefore MSM has worked in order           wheelchair.
to make any reasonable alterations to the school
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

4. In class

4.1 The class representative                             4.2 Books and writing materials

The class representative is elected by the students of   Some courses require a textbook. Costs will vary
the respective programs. His or her tasks may include:   based on the textbook being used. There are also a      16
•R  eporting to the Program Coordinator on issues       limited number of textbooks available in the library.
   concerning the course, the group as a whole or        The set of other materials is provided once, usually
   individuals in particular.                            during the introduction period, and contains the
• Thanking guest speakers and hosts of                  following items: a writing pad, a ballpoint and an
   organizations during work visits on behalf of         information booklet. Other materials you would like
   MSM and the students.                                 to use are for your own expense and can be bought
•M  eeting with representatives of MSM at regular       in local stores.
   intervals to discuss practical matters concerning
   the study-environment at MSM.
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

Social Guide
Introduction to living in the Netherlands and Maastricht

1. The Netherlands                                       Major cities
                                                         Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht all
1.1 General                                              belong to the large Randstad conurbation which has
                                                         a population of 8.2 million (almost half of the entire
The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy             Dutch population), making it one of the largest
with a parliamentary system. It forms part of the        metropolitan areas in Europe. This intense
Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the        urbanization is due not so much to the four main
Netherlands itself and six islands in the Caribbean:     cities themselves, but to the high number of
Aruba, Curação and Bonaire, just off the Venezuelan      medium-sized cities and towns.
coast, and St Eustatius, Saba and St Maarten, located
southeast of the Virgin Islands.                         The major cities of the Netherlands all have a
                                                         distinctive character, even though they are located
The Netherlands are sometimes referred to as             quite close to each other. With its historic center,
‘Holland’. Holland is part of the names of the two       majestic buildings, museums and unique canal ring,
western coastal provinces, North and South Holland,      Amsterdam attracts many tourists. The Hague, Delft,
which have played a dominant role in the country’s       Haarlem, Utrecht, Groningen and Maastricht also
history.                                                 boast their share of historic buildings, museums,
                                                         traditions and attractions. Rotterdam is renowned        17
Situated between the North Sea, Belgium and              for its strikingly modern architecture, as exemplified
Germany, the Netherlands is roughly 300 km               by the Erasmus Bridge, known locally as the ‘Swan’.
(+/- 190 miles) from north to south, and about
200 km (+/- 120 miles) from east to west. The capital
city is Amsterdam, while the government is located
in The Hague. Amsterdam is also the largest city, with
a population of approximately 1.140.339 in 2019.
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

                                        11
                           12
                                        10

                       8            9                      Germany
                                                                                                                 Amsterdam
              2                                                                                                                  Berlin
                                                                                                  London
                      Netherlands                                                                                        h
     7            5                                                                                      Brussels       Maastricht
                                4
                                                                                                         Paris
                  3                          1   Maastricht         7    The Hague
6
                                             2   Amsterdam          8    Lelystad

                                             3   ‘s-Hertogenbosch   9    Zwolle

                                             4   Arnhem             10   Assen
    Belgium                1                                                                    Madrid
                                             5   Utrecht            11   Groningen                                       Rome
                                             6   Middelburg         12   Leeuwarden

         Gateway to Europe and the rest of the world                          More about studying in the Netherlands can be
         Thanks to their location on the estuaries of two                     found in this video: https://youtu.be/XNCSTVOcSq8           16
         major European rivers, the Rhine and the Meuse,
         the two provinces of North and South Holland are                     To learn more about the city of Maastricht check out
         still very important for the Dutch economy. With                     www.visitmaastricht.com
         Rotterdam being Europe’s biggest seaport, and
         Amsterdam Schiphol one of Europe’s largest
         airports, the Netherlands is an important gateway
         between Europe and the rest of the world.
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

2. Money & Finance

2.1 The Euro                                              The official abbreviation for the Euro is EUR.
                                                          For more information about the Euro please check
The Netherlands is one of the European Union              www.europa.eu
member countries that changed its currency to the                                                              19
Euro on January 1, 2002, in accordance with the
Treaty of Maastricht. Other countries that have           2.2 Commercial banks
converted to the single European currency are:
Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland,      On weekdays, most commercial banks are open
France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo,          from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. At the Central Station
Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco,             in Maastricht, you will find a so-called Grens
Montenegro, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia,               Wisselkantoor (GWK) where you can change money.
Slovenia, Spain and Vatican City. Although the            The GWK is open from Monday until Saturday from
Vatican, Andorra, Monaco and San Marino are not           10 am to 5 pm.
EU member, they have still adopted the Euro due to
currency unions with member states. Montenegro
and Kosovo (also not part of the EU) have adopted         2.3 Your Bank account
the Euro unilaterally. These countries have the same
bank notes but slightly different looking coins. There    If you are staying in the Netherlands for longer
are seven bank notes: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500     than three months, you can open a bank account.
Euro notes, and eight coins: 1 and 2 Euro coins and 1,    The bank handling the account of students staying
2 ,5, 10, 20 and 50 (Euro) cent coins. In the             on the basis of a residence permit is:
Netherlands 1 and 2 Euro cent coins are no longer in
use. However, if you have these type of coins you are
still allowed to pay with it. The coins have two faces:
the common Euro face showing the amount, and a
national face. Although the coins look different, they
can be used in any of the countries that have
introduced the Euro. E is the symbol of the Euro.
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

ING Bank 		                                            3. Shops
Vrijthof 45 (Mo - Fri 09:00 - 18:00,
Sat 09.30 - 16.00).                                    3.1 Opening hours
www.ing.nl
You will need to bring:                                General shop opening hours in Maastricht are as
- Valid ID (residence permit / passport)               follows:
- Address of residence (NL)                            Monday       1.00 p.m. - 6.00 p.m.
- Dutch phone number                                   Tuesday      10.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m.
- BSN number (if available; this number is            Wednesday 10.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m.
   mentioned on the letter sent by the Municipality    Thursday     10.00 a.m. - 9.00 p.m.
   after registration. You should be able to open a    Friday       10.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m.
   bank account without this number)                   Saturday     10.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m.
- Admission letter                                     Sunday       12:00 p.m. - 5.00 p.m. (Koopzondag)
                                                       From Tuesday until Saturday the shops open between
                                                       9.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m.
2.4 Tax Forms
                                                       Koopzondag (= Shopping Sunday)
Students living in the Netherlands for more than       Shops in the city centre are allowed to open on
one year will receive a tax form. In case you have     Sundays from 12:00 noon, with the exception of
questions about your tax form, you can contact         National Holidays.
the tax office at the following address:
                                                                                                                      20
Tax office                                             3.2 Markets
Terra Nigrastraat 10, 6216 BL Maastricht
tel: 0800 0543                                         Market days in Maastricht take place twice a week,
This is a general telephone number of the tax office   on Wednesdays and Fridays. On Wednesdays, a large
in Maastricht. You can phone it to ask all your        part of the market sells fabrics and clothing, and all
questions (also in English).                           other accessories for making your own garments. On
                                                       Fridays the market is largely focused on food, with a
                                                       special fish section. Markets are held from 8.00 a.m.
                                                       until 3.00 p.m. on the Market Square, in front of the
                                                       City Hall.

                                                       Every Sunday morning there is a market at La Batte
                                                       in Liège (Belgium). This famous street-market
                                                       stretches over a mile along the Meuse river. The
                                                       Batte market typically runs from 8.00 a.m. to 2.00
                                                       p.m. One can purchase (international) food products,
                                                       plants, tools, birds, textiles, books, records, all sorts of
                                                       gadgets, toys and sweets. Here, a boisterous crowd
                                                       mixing all classes and nationalities stroll in a friendly
                                                       atmosphere.
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

3.3 Supermarkets                                         Casa
                                                         This furniture/novelty/grocery store offers almost
Dutch supermarkets offer a wide range of products.       anything your heart desires at a very reasonable
The main national chains are Albert Heijn, Plus,         price. Casa is located at the Mosae Forum.
Jumbo, Aldi and Lidl. Albert Heijn and Jumbo sell
a lot of different products of the top brands.           Media Markt
Prices at Albert Heijn are above average while           This large electronics store sells nearly everything
prices at Jumbo and Plus are average.                    from DVDs to refrigerators. It is located in Wyck
Aldi and Lidl are the cheapest supermarkets.             near the Meuse river (Franciscus Romanusweg).

Supermarkets closest to MSM are:                         Kruidvat
• Albert Heijn (AH), Burgemeester Cortenstraat 8         Although not a department store, the Kruidvat is
• Albert Heijn (AH), Scharnerweg 110                     an excellent drugstore to find all kinds of products,
• Albert Heijn (AH to Go), Stationsplein 29              mainly related to personal hygiene. There are several
• Albert Heijn (AH), Plein 1992 52                       shops in Maastricht: Grote Staat, Markt, Mosae
• PLUS, De Beente 86                                     Forum shopping center and Wyckerbrugstraat.
• PLUS, De Mandel 7.02
• Lidl, Baron van Hövellstraat 77-85                     ETOS
• Aldi, Volksplein 34b                                   Drugstore where you can buy everything you need
• Jumbo, Roserije 303                                    for personal hygiene, such as shampoos and
                                                         deo-dorants, but also cosmetics and over the
                                                         counter drugs such as painkillers. There are several    21
3.4 Department stores                                    Etos shops in Maastricht including on: Spilstraat,
                                                         Scharnerweg, Brusselse Poort and Dorpstraat.
Bijenkorf
Up market department store (Achter Het Vleeshuis         Action
26). Clothes, food, furniture, books, cosmetics, etc.    Large assortment: decoration, pets, DIY, fashion &
                                                         household textiles, food & drink, fun & multimedia,
HEMA                                                     cleaning and household products, office & hobby,
Small department store situated in the city center       fun & games, garden & outdoor, personal care and
Grote Staat 10 and in the Brusselse Poort 54. Much       seasonal goods for an extremely attractive price.
cheaper than Bijenkorf.                                  Located on Scharnerweg 66, Tongerseweg 57 and
                                                         Burg. Frans Cortenraadstraat 18.
IKEA
The most popular furniture chain in Europe is situated
in Heerlen Woonboulevard, a quick train ride from        3.5 Shopping centers
Maastricht station. In de Cramer 142, Heerlen.
                                                         In addition to the many shops in the city center,
Kwantum                                                  Maastricht also has two shopping centers, Entre
Kwantum, situated in the Brusselse Poort 77 sells        Deux and Mosae Forum. Both have mostly shops
lights, mattresses, tables, bed-sheets, etc.             dating back to the end of 2006. Outside the city
                                                         center, you can find the shopping center Brusselse
Blokker                                                  Poort (Brusselsepoort 65 Maastricht).
Sells household items. Blokker is situated in
Brusselse Poort, Voltastraat en Plein 1992 and in
the city center.
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

Maasmechelen Village is a popular shopping center         4. Wining & Dining
in Belgium. In this outlet center, you will find the
biggest and brightest brands in fashion. Prices on        4.1 Dutch eating habits
collections at Maasmechelen Village outlet are at
least 33% lower than those offered on the same            The Dutch normally take three meals a day. Two
collections in boutiques in the previous year. More       meals (breakfast and lunch) are cold and are mainly
information about Maasmechelen Village can be             bread based. Breakfast: bread and butter or margarine,
found at: www.maasmechelenvillage.com                     topped with cheese, thinly sliced cold meat, peanut
                                                          butter or a sweet spread such as jam, honey or
Another outlet center is situated in Roermond and         chocolate sprinkles. Much the same for lunch with a
can be easily reached by train. It offers big discounts   possible addition of soup, salad or fruit.The evening
on over 170 designer brands. More information             meal typically consists of potatoes and vegetables
about Designer Outlet Roermond can be found at:           combined with a relatively small serving of meat or
www.mcarthurglen.com/en/outlets/nl/designer-              fish. For dessert, the Dutch generally eat a kind of
outlet-roermond/                                          pudding made with milk or another dairy product.
                                                          This traditional food is also the most economical in
                                                          Holland. Vegetables especially are plentiful, of high
                                                          quality and comparatively cheap. Products that are
                                                          not cultivated in the Netherlands are available
                                                          through the European Common Market.

                                                          Plenty of other foods are available as well, as a result   22
                                                          of the historical link between the Netherlands and
                                                          Indonesia, and the presence of many ethnic groups.
                                                          Dutch tastes are becoming more international all
                                                          the time: rice and pasta dishes are now standard in
                                                          most Dutch homes. You will find imported tropical
                                                          food, vegetables and fruit sold in many shops,
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

whereas tropical cooking ingredients can be found            Hollandse Nieuwe / Fresh raw herrings
at special (mostly) East-Asian grocery shops called          Maatje
“Toko”. There are also several shops with Turkish or         Lekkerbekje                Fried fish (mostly whiting)
North African owners that sell meat that is prepared         Mosselen	                 Mussels, a particular kind of shell-
and handled according to the Islamic beliefs.                                         fish caught in the North Sea
                                                             Stamppot	               Mashed potatoes mixed with
Some addresses in Maastricht:                                                         vegetables, served with meat
• Toko Bandung, Akersteenweg 78                              Stroopwafels             A waffle made from two thin
• Toko Senang Hati, Meerssenerweg 61 D                                                 layers of baked dough with a
• Amin Markt, Boschstraat 87                                                           caramel-like syrup filling in the
• Afrikana, Grote Gracht 55                                                            middle.
• Le Souk, Maastrichter Heidenstraat 4                       Uitsmijter	              Sandwich with ham or bacon
• Ugur Bakkaliyesi, Boschstraat 77                                                     and two fried eggs
•A mazing Oriental, Laag Gubbelstraat 38                    Oliebollen	              Fried balls of dough, similar to
• Persia, Boschstraat 103                                                              doughnut, sometimes made with
• San-Wah, Sint Antoniuslaan 37                                                        apples and currants, traditionally
•M osae Turquoise, Laag Mosae Forum 15                                                eaten on New Year’s Eve.
  (Turkish shop)                                             Ontbijtkoek 	A Dutch spiced cake. Rye is its
                                                                                       most important ingredient,
                                                                                       coloring the cake a light brown.
4.2 Typical Dutch Food                                                                 It is often spiced with cloves,
                                                                                       cinnamon, ginger, succade and           23
Dutch                    English                                                       nutmeg.
Appelflap                Pastry with pieces of apple         Pannekoek                 Large pancake covered with
Boerenkool met worst	Green cabbage, mashed                                             powdered sugar, jam or syrup
                      potatoes and sausage                   Slavink en rode kool	Balls of minced beef rolled in
Bitterballen          crunchy deep-fried meatballs                                     bacon with red cabbage and
                       typically containing a mix-                                      potatoes
                       ture of beef or veal (minced or       Vlaai                      Typical (fruit) pie from Limburg
                       chopped), beef broth, butter,         Zuurkool	                 Sauerkraut usually mixed with
                       flour for thickening, parsley, salt                              mashed potatoes served with a
                       and pepper.                                                      large smoked sausage
Drop	                 Licorice: a black, chewy kind of      Zuurvlees / Zoer vleisj	Sour Beef Stew. Typical Limburg
                       candy with a sweet and/or salty                                  dish
                       taste. You can buy it in hundreds
                       of different types. None of them
                       taste as the ones you can get
                       outside the Netherlands
Erwtensoep / Snert     Famous Dutch pea soup for cold
                        winter days (main course)
Flensjes                Very small thin pancakes
Hagelslag               A very Dutch product, used
                         abroad only as cake decoration,
                         but the Dutch eat it on sand-
                         wiches. They come in chocolate
                         and many other flavors.
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

5. Travel & Transport                                         Sunday from 11.00 a.m. to 00.00 a.m. and on Sunday
                                                              from 11.00 a.m. until 1.00 a.m.
5.1 Bicycles
                                                              Market Maastricht (roofed). Only bicycles.
Cycling is the cheapest and most popular form of              Opened from Monday - Saturday from 7.00 a.m. until
transport in the Netherlands. It is especially useful for     9.30 p.m., Thursday until 10.00 p.m. On Shopping
short distances and around town. There are many               Sundays opened from 11.00 a.m. until 7.00 p.m.
shops in Maastricht that sell both new and second-
hand bicycles. If you are thinking of purchasing a            Parking garage Vrijthof Maastricht (roofed).
bicycle it might be wise to buy an inexpensive second-        Only bicycles. Monday - Wednesday from 7.00 a.m.
hand one, as the rate of bicycle theft is very high in this   until 0.00 a.m., Thursday and Friday from 7.00 a.m.
country. You can find them at second-hand bicycle             until 1.00 a.m., on Saturday from 7.00 a.m. until 2.30
shops, or at the bicycle parking garages near the             a.m. and on Sunday from 7.00 a.m. until 1.00 a.m.
main railway station (Centraal Station). Search on
Facebook, there are several groups via which people in        Flat tyre? Don’t panic!
Maastricht sell second hand bikes. When you buy a             All bicycle parks (except the one underneath the
bike, make sure that its lights work and that it has a        Vrijthof square) are equipped with bicycle repair kits
sturdy lock (slot). Even better is to buy a chain and         provided by the ANWB (Royal Dutch Touring Club).
padlock so you can fasten your bicycle to something           This contains everything you need to get your
when you park it. Secure parking for bicycles is              bicycle back on the road again quickly. You can make
available at several places in Maastricht. Here is a          use of the contents of the kit free of charge.
short listing, but you can also look for the signs            Source: www.maastrichtbereikbaar.nl                        24
“rijwielstalling” or “fietsenstalling”:
                                                              In Maastricht it is forbidden to park bicycles outside
Swapfiets                                                     the designated areas (secure or non-secure). Bikes
Swapfiets is a company where you can lease a                  that are not in parked in a designated bicycle parking
bicycle. For a fixed price a month you get a                  may be removed by the municipal authorities.
Swapfiets bicycle and the company ensures your
Swapfiets bicycle always works. If your Swapfiets             Traffic Rules for Cyclists
bicycle is broken, a Swapfiets employee will come             In the Netherlands people drive on the right hand
over to swap your broken bicycle for another, work-           side of the road. Every cyclist is expected to obey the
ing one. Small repairs can be carried out on location.        traffic rules. Many city streets have special bicycle
You can find the Swapfiets shop near Maastricht’s             lanes, and separate bicycle paths run parallel to larger
main railway station (Centraal Station). Find more            roads. Traffic lights have special signals for cyclists.
information here: https://swapfiets.nl/en/                    You can therefore ride a bicycle quite safely even
                                                              though there is a lot of traffic. As a rule, cars that
Rijwielshop ‘Aon de Stasie’                                   are turning across your path are supposed to stop
Stationsplein 26, Maastricht (roofed).                        for you, but it is wise to watch out. You should also
Opened Monday to Friday from 7.00 a.m. until                  signal with your arm if you are planning to turn right
10.00 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays from 9.00 a.m.            or left. You can be fined for riding at night without
until 9.00 p.m.                                               lights and for cycling under the influence of alcohol.

Kesselskade Maastricht (roofed). Only bicycles.
Opened from Monday - Wednesday from 7.00 a.m.
until 7.00 p.m. Thursday from 7.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m.,
Friday and Saturday from 7.00 a.m. to 00.00 a.m. and
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

5.2 Driving a car                                        If you would like to change your driver’s license
                                                         into a Dutch one, please note the following:
When driving a car you have to take the following        You have 6 months time in order to change your
rules into account:                                      driver’s license into a Dutch one, as in the first half
•D  rive on the right hand side of the road             year you are allowed to drive in the Netherlands.
• Wear your seatbelt; it is mandatory in all seats of   After 6 months, you are not allowed to drive with
   the car.                                              your national driving-license anymore. You can
• While driving it is only allowed to use your cell-    switch your national license to a Dutch license if you
   phone in hands-free mode.                             are qualified to do so. You can check this at
•B  e aware that parking violations are punished        www.rdw.nl and you can also find instructions there
   severely.                                             on how to change your license.
•M  ake sure you pay in case of paid parking (betaald
   parkeren). Don’t park in places for licencees         When you are not qualified to exchange you license
   (vergunninghouders). You risk receiving a fine.       you can take the standard theory and practical test
•P  etrol is rather expensive in the Netherlands.       at the CBR. www.cbr.nl

As a temporary resident you may use your own
national driving license as long as you are from one     5.3 Public transport
of the approximately 160 countries that are party
to an international convention. If your license would    You will find that you can live very easily in the
be very unfamiliar to a Dutch policeman, however,        Netherlands without a car. Trains, busses and in a
it is helpful to have an international license to use    number of cities also trams and metros, run with          25
alongside your national one. For more information,       high frequency. The public transportation network
ask at the driving license department of the municipal   in this densely populated country extends to every
offices (gemeente: afdeling rijbewijzen) or call the     corner. You can reach even the smallest village by a
Netherlands Vehicle Authority (RDW) at:                  combination of train and bus. Please note that it is
088 008 74 47, press 8 for menu in English.              mandatory to wear a face mask when taking part in
Opening times: Monday - Friday 8.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.     the public transportation.
This number charges 0.10 Euro per minute.
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

OV-chipkaart                                            onto your card at the station vending machine, or at
The OV-chipkaart is a single card for all the public    your public transport company’s ticket office. You can
transport (train, bus, tram or metro) in the            load travel credit onto your card using your bank card
Netherlands. The OV-chipkaart is the new means          and PIN code at a vending machine or ticket office.
of payment for the public transport system in the       If you have a personal OV-chipkaart, you can also
Netherlands. The smart card is the size of a bank       select the auto-reload option, to ensure you always       24
card and contains an invisible chip. The OV-chipkaart   have enough OV-chipkaart credit to be able to travel.
can be loaded with credit in Euros with which you       Orders from the web shop have to be loaded on the
can travel anywhere within the Netherlands.             OV-chipkaart at a pick-up device.
Note: in this paragraph you will find some general
information about the OV-chipkaart. Please consult      Checking in and checking out
the official OV-chipkaart site www.ov-chipkaart.nl      At the start of your journey, you can check in at the
for further information. This website also shows        gate by holding your OV-chipkaart up to the screen.
short films on how to use the OV-chipkaart.             The sound and light signal indicates that your card
                                                        has been read. At the end of your journey, you can
Which card?                                             check out by holding your card up to the gate screen.
You may choose between a personal, anonymous            The sound and light signal once again indicates that
and disposable card.                                    your card has been read.
• Apply for the personal OV-chipkaart online:
   www.ov-chipkaart.nl                                  Transfer
• Get an anonymous OV-chipkaart at the counters        Checking in and out is required when you transfer
   of public transport companies, vending machines      from any form of transport to another, except when
   at the station or supermarkets.                      you transfer from one train to another within the
• Purchase a disposable card at the station vending    same company (e.g. NS, Arriva). It is important to
   machine.                                             check out as more money might be taken from card.

You can load travel credit or products onto the OV-     Trains
chipkaart; without these, you cannot travel using       The Netherlands has as dense railway network that
the OV- chipkaart. Travel products are, for example,    offers frequent service, as well as the quickest way to
single but also season tickets. You can load these      travel between city centres. The carriages are modern
MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | STUDENT GUIDE 2020-2021

and clean and, although many Dutch people
complain about delays, the trains usually run on
time. On the train you have a choice of carriages:
first or second class, which is indicated by a large 1
or 2 painted on the outside of each wagon. First
class costs about 50% more and gives you a slightly
larger seat in a compartment that is less likely to be
full. Smoking is not allowed on any train station.
Anyone caught smoking will receive a heavy fine.

From Maastricht you can travel by train to practically
any destination in the Netherlands. Some destinations
can be reached directly from Maastricht; for other
destinations you have to transfer to another train at
a station. Information about the departure times of        6. Sports
trains going to and leaving from Maastricht can be
found on the websites: www.ns.nl in Dutch and              Maastricht offers many resources for those of you
English, www.9292.nl (this site also gives                 who enjoy sports.
information about bus, tram and metro schedules).
On the website www.holland.com/global you can
find tips for interesting places to visit in the           6.1 Sport & fitness centers
Netherlands.                                                                                                           27
                                                           Maastricht University has agreed to open its sport
Taxis                                                      facilities to MSM students. It is possible to get a \
All regular Dutch taxis use meters and all charge          membership card that gives you admission to:
roughly the same rate. When you use a taxi, the
meter will already show a balance of several Euros.        UM Sports
This ensures the driver of a minimum fare.                 This sports center is located near the hospital. For
Otherwise you pay the price indicated by the meter.        further details on the membership procedure and
It is customary to give taxi drivers a tip, by rounding    available facilities, call the sports center at: +31(0)43
up the amount to be paid. If you need a taxi you can       38 85 311. P Debyeplein 15, 6229 HA Maastricht.
either call or go to a taxi stand where taxis are
stationed. Taxi stands can be found for example at the     Another option is the small fitness-center situated
market square or the train station in Maastricht. Please   opposite the hospital:
note that taxis in the Netherlands are quite expensive!
                                                           Sportdomein Fitness and Beauty Center
                                                           Aubeldomein 1, 6229 EB Maastricht
                                                           T: +31(0)43 36 71 691
                                                           www.sportdomein-maastricht.nl

                                                           Other well known sports centers in Maastricht are Il
                                                           Fiore, Mac Sports (located in city center) and Pelikaan.
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