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- Health insurance
- Student halls of residence
- Cost of living
- Public transport
- Communication
- Jobs
Health insurance
The affiliation to the student Social Security system (reserved for students
less than 28 years old) gives access to services from 1st October to next 30th September and costs around € 186.
It covers:
• 70 % of medical expenses,
• 35 to 65 % of medicine,
• Dental and eye care are only partially covered and reimbursement depends on prior agreement with social security services.
>Complementary social security cover: student "mutuelles"
For a relatively low fee the complementary student insurance scheme (mutuelles) offer extra health cover. They also cover for third party liability risks and are an accident and death insurance.
• For international students more than 28 years old: universal health coverage (CMU) free or not, depending on income.
Student Halls of Residence
http://www.crous-aix-marseille.com.fr/etrangers.htm
> Exchange programme students
Rooms in Halls of Residence are open to exchange programme students, as well as grant holders from the French government. You have to reserve your room before
arrival. Reservations are made via a form which will be sent to you by the International Relations Office. However, these reservations remain conditioned by the availability offered by the CROUS. If you don’t want to benefit from a room in Halls of Residence, please inform the International Relations Office.
> International Students in an individual
capacity – non-exchange students
- Students who are registered in “Licence” and 1st year of Master cannot
be allocated a room in Halls of Residence.
• Students in 2nd year of Master (who are less than 28 years old) can
apply to the CROUS between the middle of February and 30 April at
the latest.
> Accommodation description in Halls of Residence (CROUS) Single rooms
• around 10 m2 with washbasin
• very simple and basically furnished
• no possibility of Internet connection
in the room
On every floor:
• communal showers and toilets
• a kitchen with cooking rings and refrigerators (which can be rented on arrival)
Communal premises: TV room, study room, telephone boxes, Internet.
Monthly rent: 136 €
• plus a returnable deposit of 140 € (to be paid on arrival),
• exchange students must pay three months’ rent on arrival.
Private student residences
Private student residences are more comfortable, but more expensive (from € 450 a month). Generally, as early as August there are no more vacancies and we advise
you to make the reservation in June. To reserve, a deposit and a guarantee
letter from a person who resides in France or in Europe is often requested.
Cost of living
An international student has to be able to justify sufficient resources during his stay to obtain his visa and the residencepermit (monthly statements, certificate of the amount and the duration of a possible grant…). The amount officially requested by the French authorities is € 450 a month, but this amount is insufficient.
Private accommodation is more expensive:
monthly rent averages at € 350, with other expenses being the same, the monthly budget amounts to around € 850. Obviously, your expenses depend on your way of life.
Additional expenses are to be foreseen on arrival
Your first month’s expenditures will be nearly twice as much the next month’s:
> A returnable deposit for your accommodation
(1 to 2 months rent) + a month’s rent in advance.
> Initial expenditures (sheets, towels, cooking utensils, books…).
> Different fees and subscriptions
(sport…).
> Tuition fees for non exchange programme students.
> Health insurance (186 €) and mutual insurance company expenses
(for non European students)
Students are often entitled to discount
(shops, transport, theatre,cinema, museums,bookshops…),remember to show your student card. In France, you can apply for the APL (Aide Personnalisée au Logement) accommodation allowance,
from the CAF (Caisse d’Allocations Familiales),as soon as you
obtain your residence permit.
>Bank account
Opening a bank account is strongly recommended. You will need to
have a bank account to receive the accommodation allowance.
The major French banks have branches in the centres of the cities in
Aix-en-Provence and Marseille: Crédit Lyonnais, Société Générale, Crédit
Agricole, BNP Paribas,… and are generally open from Monday to Friday
from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You can put money into your current
account, either a lump sum when you arrive (with traveller’s
cheques for example) or by a transfer from bank to bank from abroad.
Make enquiries about exact procedures from your bank before leaving
home. Make sure your credit card is valid in France. Credit cards commonly
accepted in Europe are Visa, Mastercard and American Express.
If your credit card is lost or stolen, call immediately in order to cancel
the card:
• American Express:
Tel: 01 47 77 72 00
• Visa/Carte Bleue:
Tel: 0892 705 705
• Eurocard/Mastercard:
Tel: 01 45 67 84 84
Public Transport
>AIX-EN-PROVENCE
The city of Aix has an efficient bus network “Aix en bus”, information
is available at the Tourist Office, where you can buy your tickets and
get maps and timetables of the network.
NB: Most bus services stop at 10 p.m.
• Single ticket fare:1,10 €
• 10 trips:7,70 €
• Weekly card: 6,50 €
• Monthly card: 20 €
• Season ticket 12 months: 130 €
> Aix en bus
A l’Office du Tourisme
Place du Général de Gaulle
Tel: 04 42 26 37 28
www.aixenbus.com
Buses to the sites outside the center of Aix
IAE: bus 21
IREA: bus 1
MMSH: bus 6
>MARSEILLE
Marseille has an efficient bus and metro network.
NB: Metro services stop at 9 p.m. during the week, but on week-ends
at 0.30 a.m.There is a night bus service.
• Fare for a single ticket: 1.60 €
• The monthly ticket costs 37 € for passengers under 26 years and
230 €for a 12 month season ticket.
> L’Espace Infos RTM
6-8 rue des Fabres - 13001 Marseille
Tel: 04 91 91 92 10 - www.rtm.fr
Transport to the main campus sites in Marseille
> St Jérôme : Metro La Rose (terminal),
then bus 3
> Château Gombert : Metro La Rose
(terminal), then shuttle (beside Albert
Einstein) : get off at the stop
J.M. Keynes.
> Luminy : Metro Sainte Marguerite/Dromel, then bus 24 B or Metro
Castellane, then bus 21.
> La Timone : Metro La Timone, terminal.
> Shuttle service between Aix-en-Provence and Marseille
The shuttle service “CARTREIZE” between Aix and Marseille
• works every day
• between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., every
5 minutes during rush hour,
• duration of the trip: approx. 30
min.
• fare: 4.40 €(single trip), there are
also various reductions.
> Gare routière Aix (bus station)
Avenue de l’Europe
Tel: 08 91 02 40 25
> Gare routière Marseille St Charles
(bus station)
place Victor Hugo
Tel: 08 91 02 40 25
>Taxi
> Taxi Radio Aixois
Tel: 04 42 27 71 11
or 06 60 75 71 11
www.taxisradioaixois.com
> Taxi Radio Marseille
Tel: 04 91 02 20 20
Communication
Telephone
> Phone boxes : they work with telephone cards that are sold in post offices, tobacco bars, newspaper kiosks and in train stations. You can make international calls from all of those phone boxes.
> You can buy telephone cards for long distance calls in specialised phone shops at very low rates.
Some adresses :
AIX-EN-PROVENCE
Rue Lieutaud, rue des Cordeliers,
20 rue Paul Bert, 2 avenue des
Belges (MEDICOM) …
MARSEILLE
Avenue du Merlan, 14e arr. (Phone
Service) …
> Mobile phones : there are three
main mobile phone operators in
France
• SFR
• Bouygues Télécom
• Orange
They all have special deals for students with a wide choice of different
services, prices and duration of the contract. International calls
are often at extra charge. It is worth comparing the offers!
To make an international phone call, dial :
00 + country code + the number
you want to call.
>Internet
>Access to the Internet
in the following places:
• university libraries
• in most of the faculties
• in the halls of residence
• in public libraries, such as
“Méjanes” in Aix or “Alcazar” in
Marseille
• the cyber cafés in town (between
3,50 € and 4,50 € / hour)
>Most of the university sites are equipped with interactive terminals
connected to the Internet through Wireless
Fidelity WI-FI.
You will get your access code when you register.
Jobs
International students are allowed to work part-time (but no more than 800 hours per year) or 3 months full time during the university holidays from June 1st to October 31st, if they are enrolled in an institution allowing social security.
A work permit (APT) is compulsory for non-European students, it can be obtained
at the “Direction Départementale du Travail” (DDT MO).
Documents to be provided:
• work contract or proof of job offer,
• photocopy of residence permit or
passport,
• photocopy of student card,
• proof of social security.
Europeans students are allowed to work without a work permit. The minimum wage in France (SMIC) was 8,03 €/hour in 2005.
> www.petites-annonces.fr
> CROUS : Job Service
www.crous-aix-marseille.com.fr
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