3 Best Erasmus Tips

3 Best Eramus Tips

Have you had the news very recently, or are you interested in Erasmus or university exchange programs abroad? You must ask yourself thousands of questions, but you do not worry! I will give you my 3 best erasmus tips to prepare you best for your departure !

Tip 1 : PREPARE your trip !

Throughout the year preceding your departure, you will have to prepare all the important administrative procedures. The first is the subscription to a health insurance, abroad a health glitch, even benign, can quickly turn into a nightmare, to avoid any unpleasant surprises DO NOT NEGLECT this step. If your destination is in Europe, the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) greatly facilitates the health process between the different countries of the European Union. The international relations office of my university warned us that students who did not have health insurance would be refused their departure abroad, so think about it!

Start asking yourself the question about the student accommodation, are you going to favor student accommodation or flatsharing. Find out about the average rent of where you are staying, this is very important because it will allow you to get an idea of ​​the budget you will have to allocate for this expense. You will not pay the same rent for London and Glasgow for example. I live in Glasgow, and I find the prices rather reasonable compared to London where the rent is very expensive nearly 1100 £/month on average versus 470£/month for Glasgow.

As you can see, rent prices are also an IMPORTANT factor to take into account before the departure!

Tip 2 : Have a SUBSTANTIAL budget !

Most of you know, going abroad for a long time still requires a big erasmus budget  as we have seen above, rent is part of the heaviest expense of your stay abroad, so do not neglect this point to avoid any problems related to your finances during your long stay. Financial aid to go abroad exist, from France we still have some scholarships that can help us finance our year abroad, but do not count on it to cover additional expenses such as activities, shopping, or even travel. Indeed, these scholarships are used to give a little help to the students, and are not intended to cover the expenses of the entirety of your stay.

For example, if you are European students, the Erasmus+ program provide a scholarship ranging from 150 to 390 € /month, the amount varies because  depending on the country of destination. Good news, for those who have already done an Erasmus year, this scholarship is valid 2 times during your school course! There are also several other scholarships, it is necessary to inquire because according to the countries the financial aids are not same, if you have an office for international relations in your university do not hesitate to go to ask which scholarships you can apply for your stay abroad. There are also other ways to go abroad without financial hassle, student loans! Indeed, some banks can offer zero rate loans for students leaving abroad, do not hesitate to consult your bank to find out if it offers this type of loans.

For my part, I preferred to save money because I had the chance (or not) to work during  two summer vacation before my departure abroad, it allowed me to leave without any apprehension, and to gain rewarding professional experience. For those who do not have this chance or who simply do not want to work in the summer #NoWayToWorkDuringSummerHolidays, it does not matter, as I explained previously there are several alternatives to financing your year abroad you just have to inquire!

Tip 3 : Start your language IMMERSION !

I am already certain that you have started to do your research on the city and country in which you will spend your semester / year, the things to do, as well as the outings and place you would like to visit, once there. This is fine if you already have an idea of ​​how you will arrange your stay directly to your arrival, but I advise you not to make big trips as soon as you arrive. 

Indeed, there will probably be administrative tasks to do from the beginning (enrolment at the university, opening of a bank account and some various purchases for your apartment). As soon as these elements are done, you can then start to discover your host country serenely, and I also advise you to find out about organized travel agencies for Erasmus student, it's a great way to see the maximum of things and to meet other Erasmus, for a very affordable price! But before that, 1 or 2 months before NO MORE movies or series in your native language, your phone must also put in the language that you will have to practice for several months! This is the best way to become familiar with the language very quickly, and not to be in struggle when you arrive.

Congratulations ! You've already started following one of my 3 tips, the beginning of your immersion, if you haven’t used Google Translate to read my article, you're on the right track!

See you soon for a new article!

PS : Don't hesitate to ask your questions in comment, I'll answer you !