Vietnamese international students share their experiences of finding accommodation in Barcelona

 Vietnamese international students share their experiences of finding accommodation in Barcelona

It took 10 days of walking to find a place to live, but Phan Nghia was still praised by friends as "lucky" to settle down for a short time in an expensive place like Barcelona.

Phan Quang Nghia, 24 years old, won a full scholarship Erasmus Mundus, European Politics and Society program worth 47,000 euros (about 1.2 billion VND) in 2020.

In early October 2021, Nghia went to Pompeu Fabra University, Spain, to study abroad. Experiencing difficulties in renting a house, he wants to share his experience to partly support international students who are in a similar situation.

Phan Quang Nghia, a Vietnamese international student in Spain under an Erasmus Mundus scholarship. Photo: Character provided

Phan Quang Nghia, a Vietnamese international student in Spain under an Erasmus Mundus scholarship. Photo: Character provided

My master's program lasted two years in three countries Czech Republic, Poland and Spain. Due to Covid-19 and visa problems, I studied online in Vietnam for the first year.

Because I don't know when my visa to Spain will be approved, I don't find a house and make a deposit early, worrying that the paperwork may continue to fail and not arrive on time. I decided to move to a new place to start looking for a place to live.

On the evening of October 1, I arrived in Barcelona, ​​took a train to a hostel near the school that I had booked before my flight. The rent of this hostel is 25 euros a day (about 660,000 VND), not including the cost of meals. The price of a cheap meal is around 7-10 euros, so after a week I have spent 300-400 euros.

My scholarship support is around 1,000 euros per month for both housing and living expenses. The high cost of lodging and dining out prompted me to find a stable place to live as soon as possible. Moreover to me, without a decent place to live, it will be difficult to study and work effectively.

Barcelona is a large city in Spain, rent is very expensive. In the central area, a good bedroom (sharing a kitchen and bathroom with other rooms) usually costs 500 euros a month, while a self-contained apartment with a small area (studio) about 1,000 euros. The accommodation in the form of self-contained dormitory for students (student housing) also costs an average of 700 euros, many places have reduced this level. I immediately rejected the idea of ​​a studio apartment and student housing because its rent was on par with my monthly scholarship support.

The library of Pompeu Fabra University, where Nghia often goes after school. Photo: Character provided

The library of Pompeu Fabra University, where Nghia often goes after school. Photo: Character provided

In Barcelona, ​​landlords often want to find long-term tenants, and international students, especially those studying in many countries under the Erasmus Mundus program, often only rent for 6-12 months, financially unstable.

Not to mention, if you "close" the lease, you need to deposit 2-5 months, pay the first month and may have to pay additional brokerage fees, totaling up to several thousand euros. International students receive a monthly scholarship, but not the whole package, so the "math" of the deposit has caused me a lot of headaches. To solve this, I aim to ask my classmates to rent a house with 3-4 bedrooms; while sharing expenses and helping me avoid the anxiety of sharing a room with strangers.

After determining that, I would look for a house outside of school hours, some days walking dozens of kilometers. The first few days, I had a crisis because I had to deal with a large amount of homework and settle down in my life.

On the 10th day, when I was continuing my journey to find a house in vain, I happened to see a notice from a real estate brokerage company, specifically for international students, while walking across the street. The house for rent has four bedrooms, priced at 1,600 euros and 200 euros service fee. Calculating that if divided by four, it takes 450 euros a month to pay for the house, and is right in the center and near the school, I am satisfied.

After talking, they said that next week my classmate and I could move in. Many international students, when they heard that I was able to rent a house in Barcelona for 10 days, commented "it's a joke", making me feel lucky too.

Having spent many days struggling to find a house, I think that if you know in advance the time of your flight, international students need to prioritize finding accommodation. With a luggage volume of up to several tens of kilograms, you will have a hard time moving things many times if you don't settle down soon and have to change accommodation. Once you have found a suitable place, you should also make a deposit, otherwise you will lose the opportunity. Because although house prices in Barcelona are very expensive, the demand for rent is always great.

Another important thing is that, similarly when visiting major tourist cities in Europe, you must be especially wary of pickpockets in Barcelona during your search for a home. I was warned by some locals, for those who have just met and they have actively hugged themselves (although this is common communication culture), to be careful because there is a high chance that they are pickpockets.

I fortunately have not experienced this but many international students have been robbed in a similar way. A friend of mine even had his bicycle wheel and saddle stolen even though he was carefully locked while riding