catalunya BARCELONA | MATARÓ | LLEIDA | GIRONA IAESTE LC > 2013
www.iaeste.es
welcome! Info for the Traines coming to Catalunya
Dear IAESTE trainee: Congratulations! Being accepted for a traineeship in Catalunya is a great opportunity to work, learn and have fun. We would like you to have an enjoyable stay here and the aim of this booklet is to make things easier to you.
index 1.
Before Coming
5.
Visa Health Insurance 2.
Arrival
in
Ctalunya
First minutes here Accommodation Contact between trainees and LC 3.
Our Local Comitees
Barcelona Matar贸 Lleida Girona 4.
Registration
in
Spain
EU/EEA applicants Non EU/EEA applicants (lees than 6 months) Non EU/EEA applicants (more than 6 months)
Travelling
around
Catalunya Train/metro Bus Car
Spain By air By train By bus By boat
6.
Climate, L anguage & Culture
7.
Weekends
More Info:
and
Other Activities
www.catalunya .com
Barcelona From coastal views to the rich art and architectural heritage, you’ll quickly see why Barcelona is such a wonderful city. The privileged location, its vibrant street life, its spectacular architecture and its superb cuisine will create a desire to return over and over again.
Girona is one of the main destinations in Catalunya, the old town stands on the steep hill of the Capuchins to the west of the river, while the more modern section stands on the plains to the east.
Mataró Check out this amazing video plenty of info about Mataró by using the QR code above or by clicking on: http://goo.gl/TpQJH
Lleida is the capital of Segrià region and one of the oldest towns in Catalonia, the city has been always a urban, commercial and demographic hotspot in the central Catalunya.
1. before coming
1.1. Visa
Trainees from the European Union or European Economic Area countries do not need visa. Just don’t forget to ALWAYS bring with you a valid identification card or passport, as you may be required to show it if requested by Police. If you are not identified you may have some problems… Trainees from non-EU countries are kindly requested you to contact your nearest Spanish Consulate to fill in the application to get the visa after receiving the acceptance note. 1.2.
Health Insurance
Before leaving your country, you must be insured against illness, disablement, accidents and death for the whole duration of your stay and journey. Please bring the insurance policy with you, and keep it in your pocket any time you travel around Spain. You should send your insurance details to your IAESTE LC as soon as you have it. It’s compulsory that you carry some kind of identification document with if you are going to travel.
> EEA countries and Switzerland If your country belongs to the EEA or has a reciprocal agreement covering National Insurance with Spain, you only have to bring with you your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Austria-Belgium-Bulgaria-Cyprus-Czech Republic-Denmark-Estonia-Finland-FranceGermany-Gibraltar-Greece-Hungary-Iceland-Ireland-Italy-Latvia-LiechtensteinLithuania-Luxembourg-Maltha-Netherlands-Norway-Poland-Portugal-RomaniaSlovakia-Slovenia-Sweden-SwitzerlandUnited Kingdom. > Non-member countries It is a requirement that IAESTE trainees should take a personal insurance covering all written above. Please, send a copy to us as soon as you get it in order to forward it to the company. You should also know the hospitals in the area you are living in so that you can go to any of them in case something happens to you and the telephone number of the company to call them in case of doubts or simply to let them know.
2. arrival in Catalunya
2.1.
First minutes here
You are requested to mail your arrival data to your National Committee and TO US (iaestecatalunya@gmail.com). Otherwise we can not assure you will have lodging and nobody will be able to pick you up at the airport. There are sometimes when it is impossible to arrange anybody to go to the airport to pick you up. In that case you will be informed about it and given information on how to get to the place you will be living during your traineeship. 2.2. Accommodation Trainees here usually live in flats, having their own private room and sharing kitchen, living room and rest of facilities. The price depends on the area. The most expensive one is Barcelona, where prices are no more than 350€/per month, all expenses included (water, light, internet…). A single room usually has a bed, wardrobe and desk. Usually you will have to pay a deposit when arriving at the flat (one or two months of the monthly price). It is a guarantee for the owner to ensure you are not going to leave
the flat without notifying or break something and not paying it. You will get it back before leaving. Sometimes you are asked to pay a contract fee (about 120€). All that depends on the lodging and you will be informed before coming here. 2.3.
Contact between trainees and LC
The official mail address of IAESTE Catalunya Local Committee is iaestecatalunya@ gmail.com. Please, don’t hesitate to write to us in case you need anything. Should you require to get in touch with the company it is preferable doing it through us instead of doing it directly by yourself. If you want to contact other trainees (we strongly recommend it), join our Facebook group and inform the others of your plans, what you want to do the following weekend or just if you want to go for a beer. www.facebook.com/groups/6559323 87754591/ We have also created a mailing list. All the activities will be posted both in the facebook group and in the mailing list.
3. our local commitees
Catalunya has got 4 Local Committees, which are in charge of managing all your traineeships, arrivals and organizing activities for the summer period. Your lodging will be arranged in the same city as you work, so it is important to know how to get there.
strictly prohibited on trains and stations. There are excellent train connections between Barcelona city and Mataró or Girona. Trains leave every 8-10 minutes all over the day (6 am to 11 pm)
From the airport, you have two cheap ways to get to Mataró: 3.1. >
Trainees going to Barcelona If you arrive at Barcelona airport:
You can take the Aerobus in Terminal 1 or 2. It will take you to Plaça Catalunya, which is the central square in Barcelona. There you can take the Metro to your final destination. (Every 15 minutes avg., from 6am to 1am). If you arrive later, there is also the possibility to take a night bus to the same place (N17). You can also take the train from Terminal 2 to Sants station or to Passeig de Gràcia station, and then take any metro to your final destination.
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2. Take the airport train to Sants train station. There you take a second train to Mataró. It takes about 45 minutes. There are trains finishing at Mataró railway station and others going to Blanes and Maçanet/ Massanes. All of them stop at Mataró. >
By Bus
There are also buses from Barcelona centre to Mataró (Casas company), and viceversa, with a frequency of 30 minutes. Web: www.sarfa.com
If you arrive at Girona airport:
You can take the bus to Barcelona Nord Station (1hour) and then take the Metro or Bus to your final destination.
3.2.
1. Take the airport bus to Plaça Catalunya in Barcelona. There you take a train to Mataró. It takes about 40 minutes.
Trainees going to Mataró
How to arrive from Barcelona: > By Train www.renfe.com Trains in Spain are a cheap, clean and safe mean of getting around. You’ll also notice that trains generally run on time, but be careful because sometimes they leave a minute or two before schedule! Smoking is
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By Car
From Barcelona, take the Autopista/Motorway C-32 (in some maps it’s still called the former A-19) to Mataró/Girona direction. Leave the motorway at the exit “Mataró Sud” (about 25 minutes from Barcelona). On leaving the motorway you’ll come to a large roundabout with a huge metal sculpture, where you will have to take the 2nd exit into the Camí Ral, leading you to the city centre. You may contact Mataró IAESTE Local Committee by sending a mail to: uacu@tecnocampus.cat
3.3.
Trainees going to Lleida
You can take the bus to Lleida at the airport. The bus company to and from Lleida is Alsa (www.alsa.es). Then, head to your final destination. That is the easiest way. There aren’t many buses, so check the timetables, in some cases you may prefer to go to Barcelona first and then from there to Lleida. From Barcelona (to get there, check “Trainees going to Barcelona”), you can take a bus from Barcelona Nord station to Lleida. You can also take a train to Lleida from Sants station. However, there are just few cheap trains everyday, others are really expensive. Lleida LC has its own webpage. Here you will find some more useful information: www.iaeste.udl.cat 3.4. >
Trainees going to Girona If you arrive at Barcelona airport:
You can take the bus to Girona at the airport. The bus company to and from Giro-
na is Alsa (www.alsa.es). Then, head to your final destination. That is the easiest way. There aren’t many buses, so check the timetables, in some cases you may prefer to go to Barcelona first and then from there to Girona. From Barcelona (you can go there by train or Aerobus, check “Trainees going to Barcelona”), you can take a train to Girona from Sants station or Passeig de Gràcia station. If you arrive late, be aware that trains to Girona are only working till 9-10p.m. aprox. (more information at www.iaeste.udl.cat, and if you can’t find what you are searching for, don’t hesitate to ask us). You also have the option to take a bus from Barcelona Nord station to Girona. >
If you arrive at Girona airport:
Take the bus to Girona at the airport. The bus company to and from Girona is Sagalés (www.sagales.com). Then, head to your final destination.
4. registration in Spain In some cases it is compulsory to report and register your stay in Spain to the government. Moreover if your company is paying you via bank transfer, the most common way of payment here, you’ll need to open a bank account in Spain. To open one, you will need to show the agreement IAESTE-Company and a Spanish ID for foreigners, which is called NIE. Depending on different situations you will have to take one of these two options: 4.1.
EU/EEA applicants
Where to go: Central Police Station (Guipuzcoa, 72. Barcelona)1 Documents: > Passport (Photo page) > Agreement IAESTE-Company > European Health Insurance Card > Filling a document: ht tp://w w w.inte rior.gob.e s/ file/58/58420/58420.pdf > 10.40€ 4.2. Non EU/EEA applicants (short stay - less than 6 months) Where to go: Foreign Office (Passeig de Sant Joan, 189. Barcelona)1 Documents: > Passport (All pages)-including visa > Agreement IAESTE-Company > Private Health Insurance (ask the Insurance Company to print it in Spanish, if possible) > Filling a document : http://extranjeros.empleo.gob. es/es/modelossolicitudes/mod_ s o l i c i t u d e s2/15 - f o r mu l a r i o _ nie_y_certificados.pdf > 10.40€
4.3. Non EU/EEA applicants stay - more than 6 months)
(long
Where to go: Police Office (Guadalajara 3, Barcelona)1 Documents: > Passport (All pages)-including visa > 3 photos (ID size) > Agreement IAESTE-Company > Private Health Insurance (ask the Insurance Company to print it in Spanish, if possible) > Filling a document : http://www. upf.edu/international/_pdf/estrangeria/estrangeria_11_12/TIE_FORM.pdf > 15.15€
If you’re not staying in Barcelona ask your LC where to present the documents.
1
**Here you have the mail address of our Local Committees: Barcelona: iaestecatalunya@gmail.com Lleida: iaeste@udl.cat Girona: iaestegrn@gmail.com Mataró: jgr@tecnocampus.cat uacu@tecnocampus.cat ***We will do our best to find someone to accompany you and help to fill in the documents.
5. traveling around Catalunya
Spain
> Train Travelling by train is fast but not as cheap as other means of transport. However, if you are aged 25 or under, you can get a discount when getting your ticket showing your European Youth Card (EURO<26).
Spain has a great variety of cities, gastronomy, architectures and cultures. If you have time we would recommend you to do some trips around the country.
The national rail company is Renfe: www.renfe.es > Bus Buses are the cheapest way to travel, with services operating between most towns and cities. In Barcelona there are two main bus stations where you will be able to buy your tickets (Sants Estació and Estació del Nord). These are the three main companies: www.sarfa.com www.sagales.com www.alsa.es > Car If you have planned to spend a weekend visiting different places and have some friends to share the expenses, you might find interesting to rent a car. Hitchhiking in Spain is not common, so it’s really difficult to get a ride. The cheapest way to travel arround is via carpooling. Carpooling website: www.amovens.com
Remember! In Spain we drive on the right! The maximum driving speed on motorways is 120 km/h, on national roads 100 km/h, on local roads 90 km/h and through most towns 40 or 50 km/h. The majority of the motorways in Catalunya have a toll charge.
> By Plane It is by far the fastest way to travel long distances. If you get your tickets early enough you will be able to find really cheap flights. The cheapest company is Ryanair, flying from Girona, Reus and Barcelona airports. www.skyscanner.com > Bus If you are one of those who can sleep in buses, getting a whole night by bus to Madrid or Andalucía with ALSA might be the best option for you as it is the cheapest one. > By Boat If you’re going to the Balearic Island a cheap, but slow, way of getting there is by boat. There are two companies providing this service: www.balearia.com www.transmediterranea.es > Train See above. www.renfe.es
7. climate, laguage & culture Climate in Catalunya is variable but in summer it is mainly hot and sunny. Going to the beach or to the mountain during the weekend is one of the favourite activities of trainees. Please, be careful with sun tanning and get a good sun cream to avoid burning your skin. The official languages in Catalunya are Catalan and Spanish, both languages come from a common root, latin, so they have similar grammar and vocabulary. In the main cities you can easily comunicate in english also. You can find useful info and learning material about catalan at: www.parla.cat | link to visual catalan dictionary
8. weekends and more Trainees usually meet once during the week to have some beers after dinner. Each weekend the LC organizes activities in Barcelona or other cities of Catalunya. All these activities will be posted on the Facebook group wall. If you want to do anything, we encourage you to propose it and we’ll manage to help or join you. Previous year’s social programmes included: > Lleida Weekend: Pyrenees (rafting, hiking and canoeing) > Girona Weekend: Trip to Costa Brava (sea canoeing) > Universal Studios Port-Aventura (amusement park) > Mataró festival (beach and street concerts) > Barcelona Weekend: Festival of Gràcia (biggest street festival in Barcelona)
Local Committees in other parts of Spain also organize activities each weekend and you will be more than welcome to join them. For further information, don’t hesitate in contacting us via email or facebook. We look forward to welcoming you to Catalunya.
welcome! catalunya rc
find us on: IAESTE catalunya iaestecatalunya@gmail.com
our office: Campus nord UPC A3-S105 08034 Barcelona
design by: Gonzalo Heredia