Find a Local Friend, Find your Buddy! 

The International Relations Office at Universidade de Coimbra (UC), Politécnico de Coimbra (IPC) and Instituto Superior Miguel Torga (ISMT) have joined forces with ESN Coimbra to promote the ESN Coimbra Buddy Programme.

This programme aims to better integrate foreign students who come to study at Universidade de Coimbra (FLUC, FDUC, FMUC, FCTUC, FFUC, FEUC, FPCE, FCDEF, CA, III, ICNAS), Politécnico de Coimbra (ESAC, ESEC, ESTeSC, ISCAC, ISEC) or at Instituto Superior Miguel Torga, offering the help of a Portuguese student – your buddy.

Your buddy will be the main person responsible for helping you before and after your arrival, so if you have any doubts concerning aspects of living or studying in Coimbra, ask him/her or contact ESN Coimbra through our Facebook page: https://facebook.com/esncoimbra 

If you would like to have a buddy, or to become a buddy please register here: https://papaya.iter-idea.com/ or down bellow! Once you get a buddy, you will receive a notification on the Papaya App with all the contacts to reach your Buddy! 

We hope that your Internacional Mobility experience will be unforgettable. Erasmus Student Network is always here to help you. If you have any question during this experience, just contact us by Facebook, Instagram or e-mail. For more information about the ESN Coimbra Buddy Programme, contact: secretary@esncoimbra.org

 

 

FAQ
 

How can your Buddy help you?

  • Contact you before your arrival.
  • Answer your doubts before your arrival.
  • Pick you up at the train station/bus station.
  • Take you to your hostel/hotel/dorm and help you with housing questions.
  • Show you how public transportation works in the city.
  • Accompany you during first purchases.
  • Show you how to get to the Institution and help you there.
  • Help you with bureaucracies. 
  • Be supportive during the whole semester.

Do you want to become a Buddy?

Have you ever travelled alone in a foreign place that you did not know? Have you ever felt lost for not having your friends or family by your side? International students are roughly your age and are faced with a different language and culture than the one they are used to. They don't know anyone in Portugal and YOU can be the friend they need the most!
 

What does a Buddy do?

As a buddy, you must help integrate the international student! Some of your tasks should be:

  • Contact them before their arrival.
  • Pick them up at the train or bus station.
  • Take them to the place where they are staying and help them with accommodation.
  • Show them how public transport works.
  • Show the Institute that will welcome them and how it works.
  • Let them know the city.
  • Be a support point during their stay.

What can the Buddy Programme give you?

You will be able to live an Erasmus experience in your own city while expanding your horizons, training a foreign language, helping a person ... and even gaining a friend!
 

Do you need to speak English?

No, it is not mandatory to speak English. If you have English skills you can develop them in this program but, if you don't have them, you can also apply as well. There are international students with whom you can contact in Portuguese, you just need to indicate that in your application.