February 11, 2022
An exchange abroad is always a good list of things to deal with beforehand. And it can be a bit scary at first.
So we asked Studely to put together a few tips to help you prepare for your arrival in France!
But first, some introductions are in order!
Studely is the first French financial service dedicated to student mobility. Created by and for international students, they accompany them from their country in all their consular procedures, until they settle in their host country. Studely provides them with proof of financial resources, accompanies them in their search for student accommodation and also, thanks to its network of partners, in opening a bank account before their arrival, as well as taking out full insurance. All this with one goal in mind: to accompany students in their studies abroad with complete peace of mind!
Studely has accompanied more than 10,000 students in their mobility to France since 2016, and has also just opened its services for students from all over the world wishing to study in Germany.
And now that the introductions have been made, let's move on to the advice!
Going on an exchange abroad is expensive, and when you are a student with little income, this cost can quickly become a barrier.
But don't panic, there are several ways to finance your studies in France:
Andif you want to know more about each of these solutions, you can check out our article on this subject!
If you wish, you can also get an online student loan without a guarantor.
All students who are not from the European Union.
Studely tells us that your student visa allows you "to stay in France for one year in order to follow higher education. It also allows you to travel freely in all the countries of the Schengen area.
And as an added bonus, it also allows you to work in France "up to 964 hours per year, or 20 hours per week".
Studely tells us that "the application for a student visa in France is only made in the three months before the start of the school year, generally from June onwards".
But if you have a delayed start (i.e. not in September), you can apply as soon as you receive the acceptance from your school/university.
Here is a list of all the documents you will need to apply:
It is advisable to obtain information on the exhaustive list of documents to be provided from the French consulate in your country of origin.
Would you like to know more about the procedure to obtain your student visa, about exceptional cases, the guarantor etc.? We advise you to take a look at Studely's article on this subject.
The step is a bit long and tedious, but exciting nonetheless!
Option 1: If you are not very comfortable with finding accommodation abroad, Studely can help you with their accommodation support service. You can find more information right here.
Option 2: if you like the research part, we advise you to use websites specialized in student housing in France such as Studapart, location-etudiant.com, or Colette Club which helps students and young workers to find accommodation by living with hosts who have a room to rent.
You should also check with your host school/university, which may be able to offer you university residences, on-campus accommodation or grants.
We advise you to plan ahead, because the last minute can bring you some good surprises in terms of price, but it doesn't always work!
Use comparison sites like Kayak, Google Flights or Expedia to find the best price for the dates you want!
And a little tip (which you may already know, but you never know), always use private browsing when doing your searches, otherwise prices may go up.
Another important step is to open an account in France. Once you have settled in France, you will need an account to pay your rent, school fees, transport, and your daily life in general.
Again, Studely offers a service that allows you to open an account, from your home country. So if you are not very motivated by administrative tasks, you can find more information by clicking here.
If you want to do the procedures yourself, we advise you to make a comparison of the different options available (traditional banks, online banks, or neo-banks), and to list your needs in order to determine the bank that can best meet your needs.
You can also ask your host school/university about potential partnerships with banks, in order to benefit from preferential rates.
Pst: we made a comparison between the different types of banksTo help you choose the best option for you, don't hesitate to have a look at it.
Be careful not to skip this step! Travel insurance is very important and will allow you to cover yourself against any small inconvenience that may occur during your exchange.
You are advised to make a list of your insurance needs and compare the offers available to determine which one will suit you best.
PS: If you have decided to use Studely for several services, you should know that they also offer travel insurance.
It's a small detail, but one that will save you some unpleasant overruns on your monthly bill!
The best thing to do is to anticipate and find out about the different options available (keep the same operator that offers a foreign offer, take a SIM that can be recharged on the spot, etc.).
Here is a list of different documents to take with you (on a USB key, or to send to you by e-mail), which can be used throughout your exchange:
Once you've got all that sorted out, you'll be ready to fly to your exchange!
But we still have a few tips to help you prepare:
And that's it!
We hope that all this advice will help you to be more serene about your departure to France, and avoid last minute stress (you already have your parents' stress, let's not add to it).
Good to know: Studely offers a complete guide for students wishing to study in FranceIt contains advice to help you make your choices, prepare for your exchange, and for your arrival in France.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask us on our community!
If you want to know everything about scholarships for higher educationplease read our blog.
