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Do
I need a visa to come to France?
Nationals of the European Union don’t need a visa. Special agreements
exist with other countries and might allow you to stay for up to 3 months
without visa.
For detailed information have a look at: http://www.diplomatie.fr/venir/visas/
What do I have to bring along (clothes, etc)
?
You can find all you need in Nice. To get an idea about the weather : in winter
temeratures are between 11 and 15°C (50 and 60 °F), in spring and
automn between 16 and 22°C (60 and 70 °F) and in summer between 23
and 30°C (75 and 90 °F).
Voltage for electronic devices is 220/240 volts.
If I come by car or motorbike, what do I
need to know?
- We drive on the right side and speed limit is as following : 130 Km/h (80
miles) on the motorway, 90 Km/h (55 miles) on roads and 50 Km/h (30 miles)
in town.
- Alcohol limit is of 0,5 g for 1 liter of blood. This corresponds to about
2 glasses of wine.
- Security belts have to been fasten at front and back seats of the car.
- You are not allowed to use a mobile phone while driving.
- Motorcyclists have to wear a crash helmet and have to put headlights on.
- Always fix your motorbike or bicycle to a solid base by using a thief-proof
lock. Never leave personal affaires (bags, coats…) or values in your
car.
How will I get to my accommodation? Is there
a pick-up included ?
The geographical situation makes transportation in Nice very easy. In case
of host family accommodation, your family is offering free of charge pick-up
on arrival (but no pick-up between. 22.00 and 8.00). For other accommodation
types you have the following possibilities: When arriving at the airport a
taxi will take you in 20 minutes to your accommodation for the cost of 25
/ 30 €. The Airport bus is less expensive (4 €) and you will reach
the town centre in less than 40 minutes. When arriving at the train station
you are already in the town centre and can go to your accommodation by taxi
(15 €) or bus (1,5 €) in less than 10 minutes. You will receive
detailed information about local transport with your confirmation package.
Regardless the accommodation type we will need your arrival details (arrival
time and place, flight or train no.) at least 3 days before your arrival date
in Nice in order to arrange a transfer or your reception in the accommodation.
How much « pocket money » will
I need?
Currency in France is the Euro.
To get an idea of your budget, here some prices in Nice :
1 coffee : 1,80€ // 1 coca-cola : 3€ // 1 pizza : 8,50€ //
1 sandwich : 3,50€ // 1 lunch : 9€ // 1 entrance in a disco including
a drink: 20€ // 1 car rent for a weekend : 100€ //
1 cinema entrance : 8€ // 1 entrance fee to a museum : between 2 and
5 € // 1 bus fare 1,5€.
Which network for my mobile phone ?
In France, 90% of mobile communications are covered by 3 main networks : Orange
– SFR – Bouygues.
Is Nice really expensive?
Contrary to what you might have been told, Nice isn’t more expensive
than other European cities of same impact. You will find the same price structure
as in Barcelona, Cologne, Florence…
Like any other tourist site, you will of course pay your coffee much more
higher if you take it in a tourist place. Private beaches, cafés of
4 star hotels or the pedestrian zone means a price increase of 30 to 70%..
Same thing for your meals and your night life. A drink in a « in »
pub will be 2 to 3 times higher than in an ordinary place. But isn’t
that the same for any country ?
But it is right that lodging in Nice is quite expensive, and not only for
tourists but also for the inhabitants. VAT at 19,6% for nearly any product
besides food (here it is of 5,5%) might be something you know from your own
country.
I’m ill, what should I do?
If you need an urgency, you should go to the Saint Roch hosptial : Urgences
de l’hôpital Saint Roch (24h/24h), 5 rue Pierre Dévoluy
– Nice. Phone 04 92 03 33 75.
If you can’t go by your own, call 18 or 15 to get an ambulance.
In other cases you might only need a doctor’s visit at your home. Call
(24h/24h): S.O.S. Médecins Phone 04 93 85 01 01 or Médecins
de garde Phone 04 93 53 03 03 or Nice Médecins Phone 04 93 52 42 42.
– (administration and doctors are English speaking)
The formula E111 has to be given to the C.P.A.M. – International Relations,
Phone. 04 92 09 42 64.
Where is my consulate?
Any information at « Secrétariat Général du Corps
Consulaire des Alpes-Maritimes » in Nice. Phone 04 93 88 01 49 or http://www.nice-coteazur.org/
Is Nice a dangerous city ?
Alpha.b is now running for 12 years and during this time we had 4 cases where
students were « attacked ». In all cases students went home at
night and were assaulted for their money. No injuries or further pursuits
took place. Nobody of the 18 Alpha.b staff members had ever been attacked
during all the years they live in Nice.
But you really have to pay attention to pickpockets !
Especially during summer they are very busy in shops, in the bus, in pubs
and at the beach. We also highly recommend that girls don’t return home
on their own during night. There is the possibility of being bothered by men.
Usually, they aren’t dangerours but it might be disquieting …
Better take the bus (1,50€ the fare and the night bus is running until
1.30am) or a taxi (about 15€, but ask the price for the fare before ).
Police !
Phone : 17 or 04 92 17 20 31 Foreigners Deparment. Complaints, loss or theft
of passports, etc…
Commissariat de Police – 1 Avenue Maréchal Foch – 06000
Nice
At what time do shops and banks close?
Usually, shops are open from 9.00 to 19.00 from Monday to Saturday.
Banks, post offices and administrations are open from 8.30 to 17.00.
When do I have to book my course at the latest?
- If you don’t need accommodation, you can still enroll one week before
the beginning of your chosen course. Nevertheless, you should know that during
high season and also for some courses, places are limited. To avoid any problem,
we recommend to book your coure 4 weeks before course start.
- If in addition to your course you want to book your accommodation through
Alpha.b, we highly recommend to send your booking as soon as possible. For
certain accommodation types, there might be no availibility even 3 or 4 weeks
prior to your course start.
How and at what time I have to come to the
school on the first morning ?
Your first morning is set aside for the placement test which starts at 9.00.
You will have been told in your information pack how to go to the school.
However, don’t hesitate to ask your host family or residence for any
further information. In any case, you should know that the school can be easily
reached by bus or by walking.
Once arrived at school, may I change my course?
- If you have booked and started a Continuous French Course (20 lessons per
week) you can change in to an Intensif Course (30 lessons per week ) or to
a Combination Course (20+5 or 20+10 lessons per week). It depends of course
of availability and you will have to pay the difference of the course price.
- If you have booked and started an Intensif French Course, you can change
to a Combination Course by paying the course difference. You are also free
to change your Intensif Course to a Continuous Course but in this case there
won’t be any refund as for the price difference.
Can I change the course level ?
Absolutely ! If you think that you haven’t been placed in the right
level, please talk immediately to your teacher or the director of studies
(Brenda or Sandra).
Is there any refund if I want to leave before
the end of my course ?
Please understand that space is booked for the whole time you have stated
in your booking. Therefore a programme already started has to be paied in
full. In case of illness or accident, you will get a credit note for the remaining
course fees.
What do I have to bring to school?
Paper and a pen! (a dictionnary is recommended)
All other documents are delivered by the school : grammar book, exercises,
copies, newspapers, etc…
You can also bring your laptop and use the free WIFI connection.
Is there any study work outside tuition?
Usually teachers give some homework to do. On request, they can supply for
additional exercises.
Most of your questions are treated in the chapter « Accommodation
» of this Website. Go to the PDF file « General Accommodation
Conditions ».
When do I have to book my accommodation?
We highly recommend to book your accommodation as soon as possible. During
certain periods availability for certain accommodation types is very limited.
Does my host family provide for lunch?
No. Host family accommodation is on half board basis. Also it is isn’t
forseen that the student has access to the kitchen..
Does my host family take breakfast with me?
Contrary to diner, which is a moment of exchange and talk to share with the
host family, you might take your breakfast on your own. It actually depends
if your host family has to leave early for work, has children to bring to
school, etc…
How does a typical host family look like?
It becomes more and more difficult to find the nuclear host family (father,
mother and children). A big number of our host families are single living
people or divorced women with children.
May I invite friends or my parents to stay
with my host family ?
This is something which has to be decided by your host family or your French
host. Some accept easily, others don’t. They might also ask you an extra
charge. In any case you should disuss the matter with her or him.
Can I change my host family or French host?
Your accommodation is booked for the total length of your stay and you should
understand that any changing needs careful conideration and justification.
Don’t hesitate to talk to Samantha, our housing coordinator.
Is there any refund if I’m going to
leave my accommodation before the end of my stay ?
Your accommodation is booked for the total lengh of you stay as indicated
in your application form. No refund can be made in case of anticipated departure.
Use of phone ?
You should know that high number of host familes only have mobile phones.
Therefore you can’t always be easily reached by you friends or parents.
Does my hostfamily do my laundry?
Laundry isn’t forseen in the general conditions we sign with our host
families. Nevertheless, a lot of families will do it free of charge or by
asking a little money. However, there are laundries in every district of the
city.
