Erasmus La Rochelle
Welcome Desk

On the Welcome Desk, you’ll find all the resources and information you’ll need to prepare your Erasmus stay in La Rochelle 😉

Explore the Welcome Desk
Erasmus La Rochelle Welcome Desk

Hello! 👋

Welcome to the Erasmus La Rochelle Welcome Desk, a place where we have put together all the information, tips and resources you’ll need for your student life in La Rochelle.

On top of that, we recommend you to check out the survival guide created by ESN La Rochelle: you will find a lot of useful information for your Erasmus stay.

Erasmus survival guide

Student life

Buddy system (hey!)
Bank account
Mobile plan
ESN card
Student jobs
Learn French

Accommodation

Student housing aid (~€150/month)
Guarantors
Home insurance
Electricity & gas
Broadband deals
Departure notice

Healthcare

European health insurance card
Mandatory health insurance
Complementary health insurance

Moving around

Public transports in La Rochelle
Carpooling
Train (discount cards)

| Student life

Buddy system - Erasmus student life

Buddy system

Ask for your buddy, he/she will be your mentor during your Erasmus exchange 🤗

Ask for a buddy
Bank account - Erasmus student life

Bank account

You’ll need a bank account for your stay in France, we’ve selected two free options.

Mobile plan - Erasmus student life

Mobile plan

We’ve been looking for an affordable plan without commitment for your stay in France.

ESN card - Erasmus student life

ESN card

Very useful for your student life in La Rochelle, you’ll get discounts for most events we’ll organise.

Student job - Erasmus student life

Student jobs

We explain how and where to look for a student job or internship for your Erasmus stay in La Rochelle 🙂

Learn French - Erasmus student life

Learn French

If you’re looking to learn French, we recommend you to choose schools holding the FLE label.

| Healthcare

European Health Insurance Card - Erasmus France

EHIC

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is free and super important for your Erasmus exchange.

Mandatory health insurance - Erasmus France

French healthcare

If you do not have an EHIC, then you must register to the French healthcare system (it’s free).

Complementary health insurances - Erasmus France

Complementary HI

Complementary health insurances cover what the mandatory health insurance (or the EHIC) does not.

| Accommodation

Student housing aid - Erasmus accommodation

Student housing aid

Most French and international students can apply for a grant (~€150/month) to help them pay rent ✌

Guarantors - Erasmus accommodation

Guarantors

Your landlord will most likely ask you for one or two guarantors when you apply for your accommodation.

Home insurance - Erasmus accommodation

Home insurance

Take out home insurance is the first thing to do when you move-in, it’s a legal requirement in France.

Electricity plans - Erasmus Accommodation

Electricity/ gas plan

You’re wondering if it’s normal that your landlord does not take care of it? It is, but we’ve tried to make it easy for you to get it done 😊

Broadband deals - Erasmus Accommodation

Broadband deals

In case you don’t have Internet access in your accommodation, we’ve looked for the best value broadband deals that students usually get 🤗

Departure notice - Erasmus accommodation

Departure notice

Before you leave your accommodation in La Rochelle, you’ll need to give your landlord a notice of departure (it’s a legal requirement in France).

| Moving around

Public transports - Erasmus France

Public transports

You might need a student transport card for your stay in La Rochelle.

Train discount cards - Erasmus France

Train discount cards

Quick tip if you’re planning to travel a bit, get one train discount card 😉

Carpooling - Erasmus France

Carpooling

Carpooling is another option, it’s widely used in France and fairly inexpensive.