Student Accomodation

[Aitch]

My daughter has started her 2nd year of her 4 years @ Exeter University studying for a combined French/ Spanish degree. Her third year abroad is in a country of her choice providing they are French or Spanish  Speaking. She would like to have a work placement during that time. We are starting to think about accomodation and she would be considering Paris or Limoges or another large city. Does anyone have an experience of using accomodation bureaux or similar to get accomodation during her year abroad? Or are there any other alternative routes/ ideas she can consider. Exeter are helpful enough in many ways but they "don't do accomodation" so information is limited. Any help much appreciated.

Thanks,

Aitch

[Lucinda]

Will your daughter be studying here in France? That is, doing a year in a French uni? Or is she to be working?

If she's going to a French university for the year then the uni of choice will be able to help with accomodation - well not them exactly but the CROUS who run student appartments. Otherwise, look at the university in the city she wants to be - many have bulletin boards for flat shares etc.

Lucinda

[ninahookins]

Hi

We host students on the same course that your daughter is on. We are an English family but speak French, my daughters also speak Spanish.

We can provide work placements in a local language school. They teach different languages, offer a translation service and web design. The placement is non paid but it is good experience.

Placements can be from 1 week to several months.

We are near Angouleme in the Charente region. Angouleme is city with alot to offer students.

If I can be of help to you please email me direct by PM or email (contact details edited by a moderator)

I look forward to hearing from you

Regards

Nina

[Aitch]

Thanks for the replies. My daughter does not want to do her year in a French University or to consider a TEFL option, and would prefer a placement for work purposes. She is also considering doing her year abroad as a split, i.e. 6months France, 6months Spain but no definitive plans have been made yet, but obviously we have to start planning now as this current year of hers will go ever so quickly.

Some years ago we had Gite in Ruffec, and visited Angouleme a couple of times so the Charente is not too unfamiliar to us as a region. We are out in France over the next week so perhaps I will contact you Nina for more info on our return. Thanks again.

Regards,

Aitch 

[Deby]

My advice would be to contact foregn Multi-Nationals who have offices/departments in both France and Spain.  I would apply to their HR department direct, they certainly would be keener if she is going to work the unpaid!  You could look on their websites to see what training programmes they might have.  Do any of your friends work for Multi-Nationals and are they a good contact.  Has she any work experience at all.   You are trying to do two things at once, both business and language experience, these things are hard enough to find employment with on their own, you may wish to narrow it down to the language option. If you focus on getting this right when she graduates she will have good language experience and then will be more capable of a business placement with a language. 

Try Hewlett-Packard (HP) have offices in Grenoble and also in Spain or other IT companies.  What links does her university have with multi-nationals?  I did a business degree with a language (German) and gained my link through that route. I went to HP in Germany, some of my colleagues went to Airbus (French) and some to companies in Spain.  A point to note is that the Language school at my university took a different route by focussing on teaching English or TEFL, whereas the Business school took a different route via multi-nationals.

Deby

 

[Tourangelle]

I think it is really hard to get a placement from the UK, when I was at uni only one girl managed it and it was through a personal contact.  The rest of us went to uni or were assistants, just as well for us, really, because it is really expensive if you pay for it yourself (the erasmus people got a grant, I don't know if that is still the case, and assistants of course are paid).  As for accomodation, I know it might sound like a leap in the dark, but if she really wants to improve her French she needs be renting with other French students and going to a university town, even if she is going to work. 

[Deby]

Yes, I did receive the Erasmus grant, there is another grant too da Vinci  or Leonardo I believe it was called.  You could google it I suppose.  Usually most decent UK universities do have links with industry, should be a factor when considering your young adults place in my opinion.    I would definitly go through this connection or as Tourangelle said a family friend.  Its is exactly what the French do for their youth - the old boy network reigns surpreme.

Deby