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| Basically my life for the past month. Thank goodness for espresso |
1. Start early, but not too early! AND know what you want
In Nottingham, I started searching for private rented accommodation
after my January exams, but I know some people who had signed even before the
Christmas holidays! In France, it would be highly unlikely you’d find somewhere
this early – the landlords are much more relaxed about finding next academic
year’s tenants. Instead, use your time to decide what kind of accommodation you
want. For me, four options appealed: university halls, private halls,
flat-sharing (or colocation in
French) or renting a studio apartment.
As I’d applied to the university very near to the deadline, it was almost
a given I’d not be allocated university halls accommodation, as there are not
many spaces available.
At first, private halls looked attractive – the ease, simplicity and
certainty of reserving a room appealed to me, but after doing further research
(tips explained below) I decided against – from what I read/heard/saw, the
rooms are tiny (some were only 8m2!) and expensive for what they are, the walls
are thin, the inhabitants are mainly Erasmus/foreign students so the
‘universal’ language (that’s English!) is widely spoken, and the locations were
not great regarding proximity to the Faculté
de droit, centre ville, metro
etc.
Many French students go to university in their home town, and so will still
be surrounded by friends they’ve grown up with. There’s no need for most of
them to move away from the family home as they can easily commute to university.
If they do want to live independently, from my research it seems the majority
opt for a T1 (studio apartment) in the centre of town. This has many
advantages; close to shops, bars, restaurants etc., all of which appealed to
me, too. What’s more, the rent is normally slightly cheaper than halls and the
same price as a flat-share. However, I’ve never lived on my own in England
before, so doing so for the first time in a foreign country would be a bit
daunting! Also, living on my own would give me lots of control over how much
French I spoke, which is not necessarily a good thing…
So, in the end I decided to go for colocation,
preferably with at least one French person. This will (hopefully) force me to
speak French, and works out as the most economical option. Also I'm used to
this way of living, after having spent my second year in Nottingham in a shared
house.
Of course, everyone is different and one of the other accommodation
options may suit you more. I suggest doing as much independent research as
possible so you can make your own informed decision about where to live.
2. If you don’t ask, you don’t get
Cliché, I know, but it really applies here! Make use of all existing
contacts who might know of accommodation – even if there’s only a slim chance, there
is absolutely no harm in asking. I’ve contacted French friends, whether in
Toulouse or not, friends of friends, Nottingham students currently on their
year abroad in Toulouse, even my old French teacher! I avoided much trawling by
being directed to several websites advertising flat shares (see links below)
and Facebook groups (which are more active than you might initially think). I also
found out which quartiers (areas) to
look in and which to avoid, and was given the contact details of several
landlords. Overall, this was probably the least time-consuming and most
productive thing I did during my search for accommodation.
3. Don’t be afraid to make contact – in French!
If you are going to France to improve your French but you email
landlords/post ‘wanted’ adverts in English, you are: a) narrowing your search
to only those who understand English; b) coming across as rude; and c) missing
a brilliant opportunity to get used to communicating in French. I know it’s
easier said than done, but do try to see your accommodation search not as a
daunting test of your conversational abilities but rather as a warm-up to your
year abroad. I’ve learned a ton of vocabulary, got to grips with writing formal
emails and become much more confident in my French verbal communication
abilities. From my experience, if you do make a few errors ce n’est pas grave! The landlords understand you’re not French and
will be patient with you. (After all, you are a potential source of income for
them, whatever your native language is…)
4. Be aware of any financial help you are entitled to
Most UK students who are studying/working abroad at a participating
Erasmus institution are entitled to a grant – yes, a grant! That’s money you
never have to pay back, which from my experience of being a student is a
somewhat rare occurrence nowadays! What’s more, EU students may also be
entitled to housing benefit from the French Government, which can reduce your
rent by a substantial amount. This takes two forms: APL (l'Aide
Personnalisée au Logement) or ALS (l’Allocation Logement Social). More information can be found by
following the links below.
Useful websites:
www.leboncoin.fr/ - France’s
answer to Gumtree – very useful for finding apartments to rent/flat-shares
www.lacartedescolocs.fr/
- create a free profile and get contacting landlords/colocataires!
www.appartager.com/ -
very similar to La carte des colocs
www.crous-toulouse.fr –
Toulouse specific website for Government funded halls of residence. Very
reasonably priced (for halls) but in high demand – apply early!
www.adele.org/ - useful
website to find private halls across France, also contains some practical advice
about searching for accommodation/living as a student in France
www.thirdyearabroad.com/before-you-go/money-matters/item/1020-erasmus-funding.html
- a useful guide to the Erasmus + grant
www.caf.fr – more information about APL
and ALS
Facebook groups (correct and greatly used as of time of writing):
Toulouse location/colocation de bouche à
oreille – by far the most popular group
Colocation sur Toulouse
Colocation Toulouse | La Carte des Colocs – a sister Facebook page to
the website of the same name, but there are some different colocations
advertised to what’s on the website
TOULOUSE: Location appartement, Colocation,
Sous-location
Toulouse Location / Colocations // les murs et leurs oreilles –
a very new group, not many members or posts yet
There may be other Facebook groups I’m unaware of – if anyone knows of
any more, feel free to comment below!
That’s all for now, hope you've found this post useful!
