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Imagine this: having traversed land and sea, you arrive in a foreign land. The culture, laws, language, are all (somewhat) unknown, and the place and people you call home are nowhere to be seen, as they continue to live their lives, in spite of your absence. Left all alone, you must fend for yourself. Is this… exile? No, this is not exile. This is the year abroad.
The year abroad can be daunting, and it’s not uncommon for universities to offer students the bare minimum in terms of support, meaning you’re left to navigate endless admin, find accommodation, obtain a visa, and many other things all by yourself, which is tough to say the least. But worry not! This guide (based on my experience as a British student working in France) will give you some tips and information that should hopefully make your transition into the year abroad smoother.
Choosing what to do
Your university is probably more concerned about how much time you spend abroad as opposed to what you actually do there, so it’s really up to you to decide what to do. The most common options include:
- job/internship
- studying at a university
- English language assistantship in a school
Whatever you decide, it’s best to start applying as soon as possible, as many application deadlines are early in the year.
Admin
Admin is a real pain. It’s boring, long, and repetitive. To make things easier for yourself, make sure you have access to the following documents:
- Passport (in date!)
- Birth certificate
- Work contract
- Bank statements
- Proof of salary/funds
- Passport size photographs
- Visa (we’ll get more into this later)
It’s best to have a folder containing multiple physical copies of each of these, as well as an online file with scans of everything.
There will be countless forms and applications, which will vary depending on what activity you undertake. But everyone should consider the following:
- Getting insurance for yourself and any valuables – you may be able to do this through your university
- Getting a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) – you can apply for this online and will need your national insurance number
- Opening a bank account in your abroad country or having an international bank account
- Getting a SIM card in your abroad country
N.B. It’s possible that you will need to put down an abroad address for certain applications, which you may not have at the time. In this case, see if it possible to put down the address of your place of work instead.
Costs
Some things to bear in mind:
- You will still have to pay some tuition fees. You can still apply for an SFE loan to cover this, as well as for a maintenance loan.
- Your university should tell you about the other funds you can apply for, such as the Turing Scheme.
- Rent prices can be high. In France, you may want to look into CAF (caisse d’allocations familiales), to see if you can get some rent money back.
- If you have to travel a lot to your place of work/study, consider getting a transport subscription for your area.
- Travel costs during holiday periods are extortionate, so if you plan on coming home for the holidays, book this as far in advance as possible.
- If you work with children, you will need an International Child Protection Certificate, costing £99.
- Obtaining a Visa will require certain expenses, detailed below.
Visa
Depending on your passport, destination, duration of stay, you may need a Visa. If you’re travelling to Germany for over 90 days, you may need a residence permit. If you need a Visa, you’ll most likely apply for this through TLS contact. Here’s what you need to know about the process:
- You’ll need documents, and lots of them. In addition to the documents mentioned in the admin section, you will need to fill out a Visa application form.
- You will have to book an appointment at a Visa Application Centre. TLScontact have centres in London, Manchester, and Edinburgh. The appointments are in person, so you will have to travel to your nearest centre, bringing all the required documents. The appointment costs £32 and you will have to cover any travel costs for this.
- While you can get an appointment quite quickly, they will hold on to your passport for a few weeks. If you’re going on holiday, make sure it doesn’t clash with your application process.
- Once ready, you can either collect your passport from the centre or pay to have it delivered to you.
- Depending on where you are travelling, you may also need to validate your Visa upon arrival. In France, you’ll have to do this within the first three months, costing €200.
Accommodation
If, before you depart, you have your accommodation all figured out, that’s great. But if you haven’t, don’t panic. It’s not uncommon for people to start off in temporary accommodation, like an Airbnb, and then find a more permanent place within the first few weeks there. Accommodation types are probably very similar across different countries, but here were some of my options while in France:
- Colocations (flat shares): there are some websites dedicated to this (La Carte des Colocs, Studapart, Appartager). While this is cheaper and easier on the administrative side, it’s possible that you may end up sharing a space with people you don’t really like.
- Foyers de jeunes travailleurs (FJTs) are youth hostels for young workers. For a decent price, you typically get your own ensuite and kitchenette. The problem is, you need many documents, including your visa, to apply, and due to the popularity of FJTs, they may fill up quickly before you have everything you need.
- You can also use classified ad sites. A popular one is Leboncoin but you will need a French phone number to sign up.
It may take a minute to settle into your year abroad, and you may find yourself overwhelmed by the uncertainty of it all. But this is to be expected from any transitional period, especially a big one like this. Give yourself some time to find your bearings and remember to be kind to yourself. By the end of it, not only will you have improved your language proficiency, but you will have gained confidence, experience, and perspective, which you can proudly take home. Good luck!
