Erasmus
(European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students)

What is Erasmus?
The Erasmus program was created by the European Union in 1887 and supports the cooperation of universities within the EU and other European countries (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Turkey and parts of Switzerland). Furthermore, it enables a huge number of students and lectures to study at a university in another european country. They are also given the chance to get to know the culture, language and way of life of the host country. To recognize their achievements for this period, the students are given credits by the European Credit Transfer Systems (ECTS). All Erasmus students are awarded a monthly grant by the European Commission during their stay abroad. For more information about Erasmus and offers of particular Erasmus studies please ask the international students' office, Erasmus coordinator or participated universities.

How important is Erasmus to Valencia?
Valencia is a city which has a lot to offer to their Erasmus students:  It is the third largest city in Spain with a population of 800,000 people, it is located directly on the Mediterranean and it enjoys almost a perfect climate with an average of 320 days of sunshine a year. With a coastline of more than 485 km the area of Valencia has some of Europe's finest beaches which are a perfect place to relax and to go swimming. Additionally, numerous parks and countless palm trees help make Valencia a very green Spanish city. In the dry riverbed of the Turia, which was re-routed some years ago, sport and recreation facilities are intermingled among even more green areas.
Here in Valencia will find both tradition and modernism. The people are cordially and full of the joys of life. Therefore it is not surprising that Valencia is a very popular city with Erasmus students who want to study and to life here. For this reason Valencia developed to one of the most favourit Erasmus cities in Europe. Referring to the number of participated Erasmus students, the universities of Valencia actually belong to one of the most popular Erasmus universities. The universities "Universidad de Valencia" and "Universidad Politécnica" de Valencia occupied the second and third place in Europe regarding the number of incoming Erasmus students.

In the following we will give more information and answer questions that are important for a stay with Erasmus in Valencia

 

flat-/ room hunting
It is actually quite easy for Erasmus-students to find a room or shared flat in Valencia. Spanish students enjoy living together with Erasmus students, especially because of the language. Even though it is a bit of running, as you don’t know your way around at the beginning of your stay. First of all you need to look for notification for flats and rooms at the black board or search on the internet, than you need to make phone calls, make appointments to visit the flats and at least compare the different options you have….and this for a couple of days.
The following internet address is helpful when looking for a flat in Valencia for both searching in advance and locally: www.loquo.com.
For those who want to find a flat in Valencia in advance it is also quite useful to have a look at the “Erasmus in Valencia groups” on the network StudiVZ. For those who want to search for something suitable locally (advantage: you know you flat mates personally), just have a look at the notifications at the black boards of each faculty, at notifications at phone boxes and crossroads or read the announcements in the newspaper. Therefore we can recommend the valencian “Trajin”.
During your stay with Erasmus it is definitely advisable to live together with Spanish students in a shared flat, as you have no other option but to speak Spanish than. You can attend as much language courses as you want, but living together with Spanish students is the most effective way to practice the language. It is even better when your flat mates invite you to visit their family in their village for the weekend and to get to know Spain this way.

rental contract
Usually there are no rental contracts in writing made. The Spanish students come back from their holidays at the beginning of September and start looking for a flat which they can rent, sometimes together with friends. Free rooms will be sublet then. It is especially advantageous if you want to rent a flat for a whole year; girls are usually preferred. Usually a caution of the amount of the monthly rent is required. If the amount of the caution is more than this than you should be warned that something is wrong. Additionally costs, such as water, electricity and gas are approximately 40 €. They have to be paid separately and are usually due every two month.

bicycles
To by/to sell Valencia is quite even and is therefore ideal for bicycling. More important than a good bike is a safe bike lock, as bicycle thefts are unfortunately very common. Valencia is no exception. Therefore it is easy to find cheap bikes at the flea market, however, their origin are mostly doubtful – so be careful!
Especially during the summertime you will find a lot of offers from Erasmus students at the “Erasmus in Valencia” groups on StudiVZ who want to sell their bikes at a good price.

Another possibility is to rent a bike in Valencia. Therefore you will find more information at the links below:
www.orangebikes.net
www.doyoubike.com
www.cyclotourbike.com
http://www.megabikevalencia.com/
www.valenciabikes.com
You can also have a look at Valenbisi: http://www.valenbisi.es/ which is an urban bicycle hire with many bicycle stations in Valencia. With an annual subscription of 20 € you can take a bike from one of these stations at any time. The first 30 minutes are free.

mobile phone
The Spanish mobile phone sector offers a huge variety of provider and charges. The main providers are MoviStar, Vodafone and Orange and HappyMovil and Yoigo are the cheapest. (But they do not always keep what they promise). We recommend you to buy a pre-paid-card either in a locutorio, such as PhoneHouse or go directly to the stores of the providers. Which ones? That is your own (difficult) decision.
Recommendation from a former student: http://www.brightmobile.es/en

bank account in Spain
Within the countries of the EU, terms and fees of a bank account are equal to those in your home country. So if you want to withdraw money from a cash machine you will be charged as much money in Spain as in your country. Therefore it not necessary to open a bank account in Spain. However, it is advisable to have a bank account at a bank in your country that has also a subsidiary in Spain and Valencia (Santander Bank, Barclays Bank, Deutsche Bank). Another interesting possibility is the Sparcard by the Deutsche Postbank: www.postbank.de/

how to meet people and where to go out
Valencia is a city that never sleeps which is perfect for studying here. During the summertime most of the activities are taking place around the harbor area and during wintertime there are a lot of things you can do in the historical city center. Besides these two areas, there are plenty of other places to go. Valencia offers activities for everyone’s likening. Participants of long-term courses for Erasmus in our language school Costa de Valencia can join a lot of the schools extracurricular activities and meet new people. Just have a look at our socio-cultural programme where you can get many ideas for activities in Valencia. At Erasmus association and at the “Erasmus in Valencia” groups on StudiVZ you can also find information on what and when something is going on in Valencia, especially about Erasmus parties. You will receive so many invitations for Erasmus parties that you will find it hard to decide where to go first. Besides, there are also people that are looking for or offering a lift and people that still need someone to join them on a trip through Spain. A lot of Erasmus associations also offer organized travels, but we would like to advise you to be careful with this and to inform yourself thoroughly to avoid disappointments and frauds. .

spanish courses before start of studies
To be well prepared for university, it is worth it to attend a language course in Valencia before you start your studies abroad. Please ask the international students' office or an Erasmus-coordinator whether a Spanish course could be part of the Erasmus scholarship or not. The universities of Valencia offer Spanish courses for Erasmus students, but they are mostly crowded and relatively expensive. As Catalan is only spoken locally and it is more important to be able to speak Castellan, we would also like to advise you against attending Catalan courses although you would be given credit points for them.
It is almost the same with Erasmus students who would like to take Spanish courses in Gandia. This course is very expensive for what it actually provides. Besides, it starts at the same time as the flat-hunting in Valencia. Participants should have already found a flat in Valencia before then.

And now a bit self promotion concerning Spanish language courses before starting the Erasmus program. To start with we would like to recommend an intensive course. , as you have got the possibility to learn quite a lot Spanish in a relatively short time and to set basic knowledge. During your studies we offer long duration courses for Erasmus students an.

information on universities
Below you find links that provide you with information on particular universities that offer Erasmus programs in Valencia, as well as lectures, language courses and everything concerning Erasmus studies, Erasmus scholarships and your stay abroad. Don’t expect too much of the online-service regarding to completeness of contents, up-to-dateness and clarity.
Don’t expect responds to your e-mails either, at least not immediately. The service differs from university to university, office to office and even from staff to staff.

Universidad de Valencia
www.uv.es (pages partly available in english)
For Erasmus students is the Oficina de relaciones internacionales y cooperación the right contact point: www.uv.es/relint/ It provides information for students of  the University of Valencia that want to study abroad and for foreign students that want to study in Valencia with Erasmus. Besides, details about entry requirements, contact information of the University of Valencia and accommodation for Erasmus students are given. Furthermore there is a page with more interesting links for foreign students that want to do their study abroad in Valencia.

Universidad Politécnica de Valencia
www.upv.es(pages partly available in english)
At the UPV the Oficina de Programas internacionales de intercambio is in responsible for the Erasmus studies: www.opii.upv.es Here you can find contact details and information about studying with Erasmus in Valencia, as well as the exchange program Erasmus itself and its possibilities. Furthermore, requirements for being Erasmus students at UPV are given, as well as accommodation and Spanish courses. It is also possible to fill in an Erasmus application form online.

Universidad Católica de Valencia, San Vicente Mártir
www.ucv.es (partly available in english)
At this university the Internacional - Mobilidad de estudiantes is in charge for Erasmus students: www.ucv.es
The pages only contain information on studying with Erasmus, internships with Erasmus, contact details and applications for students for their year abroad.

CEU- Universidad Cardenal Herrera
www.uch.ceu.es(partly available in english)
The contact point for matters concerning Erasmus is the Dpt de Relaciones Internationales: www.uch.ceu.es Here you find information on contacting the CEU and the ancillary staff in charge for foreign Erasmus students. Furthermore, information on the beginning of the semester and lectures during your year abroad (different language options for lectures).

ESTEMA escuela de negocios -
UEM-Universidad Europea de Madrid/centro adscrito Valencia
http://valencia.uem.es/
People in charge of Erasmus exchange students are the Alumnos internacionales: http://Valencia.uem.es
Here you find the most important contact details and you have access to the “International Student Handbook”. It is also possible to fill in application forms for Erasmus online. Furthermore there are a lot of useful information on accomodation, the city Valencia and the spanish language given.

Universidad Privada Florida Valencia, Catarroja
http://www.florida-uni.es
The responsible department for Erasmus programs is the Oficina de relaciones internacionales: http://www.florida-uni.es
It provides all information on studying with Erasmus and international projects at this university. Also a guidline for Erasmus students in Catarroja is available

side job
Unfortunately the chance to get a job in Spain is recently low. Due to a high rate of unemployement even side jobs got less, especially for students. If you want to work as a waiter or waitress, the best way to find a job is to read announcements (Trajin) in the newspaper or to be on site and to ask in restaurants, bars and pubs. For foreign Erasmus students it is also possible to work as a language teacher - depending on the qulification you can get a job in one of the various language schools or search on your own. The best place for notifications are apartment buildings and private english schools (english) or the Colegio Aleman (german)

illnesses
In case of an illness you can either go to a casualty department in one of the hospitals (for instants the university hospital at Av. Blasco Ibañez or the Clinica Quiron for private insuranced people which is also at Av. Blasco Ibañez) or to a Centro Salud of the particular part of the city. These health centers have an information desk in the entrance area where you have to register and make an appointment with one of the doctors. The doctor prescribes recipes or sends the patient to another specialist (mostly to specialized health centers or hospitals). Think of getting a european health insurance card of your health insurance before you leave. In case of an illness you have to show this card and payment will be effected automatically, so you don’t need to disburse money. Private insured patients have to pay for the service and present the invoice in their home country.

parcelservice
After one year’s stay with Erasmus in Valencia there are a lot of things that need to be transported back home. There are also things you need for a year abroad in Valencia.

Here are some useful links of shipping companies:
www.ups.com
www.DPD.com/
www.dhl.de
www.iloxx.de
www.fedex.com
www.unipost.es
You can find more german companies at the german version of Erasmus.

football
In Valencia you can watch english football live in various Irish Pubs. If you want to watch the “Bundesliga” we can recommend you the bar International at C/ Escultor Alfonso Gabino12 (Corner of C./ Honduras). The owner is german. For football matches of France, Holland or other countries, please ask in one of these bars.

recommendations for the first week(s)
For the first weeks we recommend you to attend an intensive course and to book an accommodation in one of the school flats. From the beginning of September there is no need to book an accommodation for more than one or two weeks. During this time of the year it is quite easy to find a room in a shared flat with Spanish students. In case you don’t find a flat you can extend your reservation.

recommendation for a language degree
We advice you to take out the best of your time with Erasmus by improving your Spanish skills and passing an exam at the end of your stay. The DELE (Spanish diploma for Spanish as a foreign language) is a certificate that is issued by the Cervantes Institute and recognized as only Spanish certificate in all over the world. (More information: diplomas.cervantes.es) Costa de Valencia is a center for registration, preparation and examination of the Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera (DELE). Sign up and pass the examn a tour school.