SERVICES TO ASSIST YOU AT UPEC
Photo: Some M1 students in Brussels
International students around the world face similar daily struggles. Don’t worry friends- here we will mention some of our own experiences. We know that your struggle is real!
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Being so jetlagged for the first two weeks of class, you thought you’d accidentally enrolled in night school
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Going weeks without talking to your parents because they’re never awake when you are!
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Feeling alone during holidays
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Awaring that the administrative processes are endless
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Banking:
One of the first things you must do after your arrival in france is to open a french bank account, for that you will need an ID document, an address and a document to prove it, and the acceptance letter from the university. Some of traditional french banks are: Société Générale, Credit Agricole, BNP and LCL. You also have online banks as option, such as Boursorama or N26, but these sometimes are not accepted for government aid such as CAF.
Cost of living:
Around the Parisian region costs tend to be higher than the rest of France, the cost will vary with your living style, but for an average student here are the costs:
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550 euros for rent
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15 euros for cellphone
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20 assurances
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150 for food
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100 for going out and others
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Transferring money from/to home country:
For transferring money between countries there are many options, you can use your bank, this option is usually free and the best one for transferring within EU countries, using services such as Western Union or Transferwise, the best option will depend on the country, the amount and how fast you want the transfer to be.
When savings start to run out...
"I know that coming from a developing country to France implies a high financial effort. So many times we can find ourselves in trouble to pay the fees, food, Navigo card and the most expensive thing to live here, the rent. In the beginning, I felt that I could not cover all many expenses and because I did not speak French, it was not easy to find a job either and I really felt very alone. Therefore, I started to ask and look for information about financial support for students in France, and for my good news, I found that in fact, the university has a student association that cares for students' quality of life here. In addition, the Crous social service is wonderful, people are always willing to listen and provide financial aid to all students who demonstrate a need.
So don't let a financial need to take your focus away from pursuing your study goals".
Victoria Bejarano - M1 Student
USEFUL CONTACTS
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Alumni Association: president@fac-creteil.fr
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Crous Social Service: social@crous-creteil.fr
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