It is very important to get a buddy or student sponsor once you have arrived and settled in France. Students are usually advised to begin looking for one even before their departure.
A sponsor is a French student who offers to help a foreign student when they arrive in the country. The sponsor may help you complete your first administrative procedures. Through your sponsor, as a student you are also able to meet other students, either French or from other countries and in return, get quickly acquainted to the French culture.
Through the use of the Erasmus Student Network - ESN (Réseau d’Associations Etudiantes in French) an international student can be put in touch with a student sponsor who will help you settle well in France via the Buddy System platform.
Depending on the university or higher education institution a student enrolls at, the institutions relations department could have sponsorship programmes available for foreign students.
There are several sponsorship networks, usually at least one per city or university. For example, in Montpellier, Nîmes and Perpignan, the Parrainage International (International Sponsorship) network offers this type of service.
