École d'ingénieurs généralistes
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Everyday life in Rouen
Cost of living
Cost of living in France requires about € 600 a month for everyday expenses (including rent, transport, food…)
Examples :
Meal at the cafeteria of the school................................................. ≈ 3.40 €
French bread “baguette”.................................................................... ≈ 0.80 €
Ticket to the movies..................................................................... ≈ 5 €
Bus card …………………………………………….................. ≈ 26 € par mois
Registration fees (bus/metro)........................................... 7,60 € month
One way train ticket to Paris....................................................... ≈ 20,40 €
Litre of petrol....................................................................... ≈ 1,30 €
Banks
The currency in France is the Euro (€). Credit cards are frequently used since all shops, supermarkets, travel agencies, etc accept them. The international VISA card is the most common.
Students have to open a bank account in France, the necessaries documents to provide are the following :
- Copy of the passport
- Residence Certificate (certificate to be delivered by the owner of the accommodation or the students residence administration)Attestation de résidence ou justificatif de domicile
- Student card of ESIGELEC or school certificate from ESIGELEC Copie de la carte étudiant ESIGELEC ou un certificat de scolarité
Banks are open from Monday to Friday. Some banks are open on Saturdays, in that case they are closed on Monday. Some banks are open all day (9am – 5pm), some others close at lunchtime.
The banks close to ESIGELEC are located in Saint Etienne du Rouvray. All French banks and some foreign banks have an agency in the centre of Rouen.
A student from the BDI club (international students association) can help you to open a bank account in taking an appointment for you and coming with you to the bank.
The post-office
Stamps can be bought either at the post-office or in a tobacconist's shop. The price of a stamp for a mail under 20 grs is € 0.56 for France and European Union.
Post-Offices are open from 8am to 5pm (they sometimes close at lunchtime) from Monday to Friday. They are also open on Saturday morning. Letter-boxes are yellow.
The closest post-office from ESIGELEC is located in Saint Etienne du Rouvray – metro station Ernest Renan (5 minutes by metro).
Medical Services
The hospital of Rouen is :
CHU Charles NICOLLE
1 rue de Germont
76000 ROUEN
There are many doctors near ESIGELEC or in Rouen. The department of International Relations can help the students to find an English speaking doctor if necessary.
The nearest chemist’s to ESIGELEC is at metro station Ernest Renan (5 minutes by metro).
Transports
Public Transports - Métrobus
Rouen and its agglomeration are served by a tramway and bus network. It is necessary to take the tramway to go to ESIGELEC, direction Technopôle du Madrillet – Saint Etienne du Rouvray.
A ticket for 1 trip costs € 1.40 and is valid for 1 hour. You can buy it in the buses or in the tramway stations.
Students are entitled to a Cogito card, the form to obtain this card can be provided by ESIGELEC, this card gives them access to a monthly bus/metro card for € 26 per month. There is a registry fee of € 7.60. With this card, students can use the bus, metro/tram as much as they want, anywhere they want within the agglomeration of Rouen. The card can be bought in tobacconist’s shops or in TCAR agencies.
Car
For the European Union students, a valid driving licence is compulsory. Other students have to own an international driving licence, to ask in the country of origin. The car insurance is mandatory. It can be subscribed with the Student Mutual Insurance Companies (Mutuelle des Etudiants or SMENO) or another insurance.
Phone
To call in France from abroad: dial the code for France (33) then the 9 digits number (without the 0)
Example: to call ESIGELEC from abroad: +33 2 32 91 58 58.
To call in France from France: dial the 10 digits number.
Example: to call ESIGELEC from France: 02 32 91 58 58.
To call abroad from France: dial 00, then the code of the country and then the phone number.
In France, most of the public phones work with phone cards that can be bought in the post-office or tobacconist’s shop. It is possible to call in France and abroad with a phone card. It costs ≈ € 7.60
Electricity
Voltage in France is of 220 Volts. We highly recommend you to buy an adaptor before your arrival. Adaptors can be bought in DIY shops.
Climate
The temperature in Rouen during the summer is about 25°C. During the winter, it hardly snows and freezes a little. However, Rouen being close to the seaside, it often rains.
