- What were your first impressions of Égide?
For the first year of my postgraduate course at Sciences Po, I was selected for an Eiffel scholarship and asked to get in touch with Égide. Accommodation was naturally one of the first issues I raised with them. I was met at the airport when I landed in France, and taken to the Égide offices, where they offered me a choice of three flats. So I moved into my bedsit the very first night.
- What did you appreciate most?
I found this service very efficient indeed. One accommodation proposal would have been great, but I’d never have expected to be given a choice of three.
- What about your subsequent dealings with Égide?
Same story: a highly efficient, businesslike approach. For example, my course included a week-long project in Montréal. So I called Égide and they got me the plane ticket and paid me the allowances that would help me finance this trip. Then they run a very good programme of cultural events. We’re well looked after.
- Have you experienced other arrangements, without Égide?
Yes: for my first year in France, on a joint programme with Sciences Po and the Sao Paulo university, I didn’t have a grant. So I do notice the difference, and it’s not just financial. Then I’ll be extending my stay in France with a gap year, so I’ll be fending for myself again.