Checklist for international NeuroSchool PhD students

	A	B	C	D	E	F
1	link to supervisor's checklist					Updated Nov. 15, 2024
2	This checklist aims at helping international PhD students paid by NeuroSchool prepare their arrival in their lab and in Marseille. Please let us know if there are improvements to be made : neuroschool@univ-amu.fr
3	Most important/difficult steps are in red.
4	Warning: never assume that university/administrative services are well coordinated, so be pro-active and check regularly that someone is taking care of your file.
5	For up-to-date information about French formalities, check the Euraxess website : https://euraxess.univ-amu.fr/en
6	Link to supervisor's checklist
7	Done ?	Category	When ?	Priority	Task	Comment
8		General information
9			Before arrival	High	Confirm you'll be accepting NeuroSchool (NS) scholarship
10			Before arrival	High	Confirm contract dates with NS and supervisor
11			Before arrival	High	Inform supervisor and NS of arrival date	It can be a bit before your contract starts.
12			Before arrival	Low	Find a buddy and/or ask for help at arrival	Through the lab, https://buddysystem.eu/en/ , students' societies or NeuroSchool (for instance previous international students)
13			Before arrival	Medium	Check regulations for entering France, esp. during sanitary crisis (vaccines, quarantine...)
14		International affairs (DRI) - for students from outside the European Union			Follow closely the convention d'accueil and visa. Information : https://euraxess.univ-amu.fr/en/administrative-formalities/visa-entry-requirements For excellent French-English translation : https://www.deepl.com/translator	The host lab must fill out a form to ask DRV for a convention d'accueil (Cerfa n° 16079*03). Once this convention signed by AMU authorities, it will be sent to your lab. The lab must send it BY EXPRESS COURIER to the student, who will then ask for a Passeport Talent visa. Last validation steps are online.
15		Convention d'accueil	Before arrival	High	Have your supervisor fill out the FORMULAIRE DE DEMANDE D’UNE CONVENTION D’ACCUEIL D’UN CHERCHEUR OU D’UN ENSEIGNANT ETRANGER", which will have to be signed by the lab head. This form is to ask for a convention d'accueil.
16		Convention d'accueil	Before arrival	High	Provide postal address and phone number in order to receive the signed (paper) convention sent by express courier from you lab	Usually the longest step, it may delay everything.
17		Visa	Before arrival	High	Ask for a Passeport Talent Chercheur visa at your local ambassy Check needed documents. If you cannot get contract in time, ask supervisor/lab for an "attestation d'embauche".	https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F16922
18		Stamp on passport	Upon arrival	Low	Make sure the custom agent stamps your passport when you arrive in France
19		Resident permit	After arrival	Medium	Once in France, apply for the resident permit ("Titre de séjour" ) within 3 months of your arrival	Can now be done online, see Passeport Talent - Chercheur : https://euraxess.univ-amu.fr/en/administrative-formalities
20		Human Resources (HR), work contract			HR is in the process of translating the documents into English The following information only applies to students paid on NeuroSchool funds. It may not apply to your situation. Check with your lab HR agent first and adapt this document to your situation.
21		Paperwork upstream of contract	Before arrival	Medium	For students paid by NeuroSchool : Help NS fill out "profil de candidature" and "état des services" about your degrees, skills and previous employment in France
22		Bank account	Upon arrival	High	Upon arrival, open a bank account and get a French Relevé d'identité bancaire (RIB)	This is THE most urgent task when you arrive. The salary payment depends on it. Salaries from French administration can only be paid into a bank account in France. European banks may be accepted for the first months. AMU has contacts with some banks but you may check bank comparators or ask other incoming students on your campus to find the most suitable one. A signed contract or promise to hire ("promesse d'embauche") is generally necessary. Information here : https://euraxess.univ-amu.fr/en/practical-information/banks https://www.univ-amu.fr/en/public/opening-bank-account
23		Paperwork upstream of contract	Before arrival	High	Prepare the incredible number of forms required by HR agent	Ask NS or HR agent for updated list, usually includes ID, CV, degrees, university transcripts of records (with grades) and several forms. https://euraxess.univ-amu.fr/en/administrative-formalities/important-documents-for-your-stay-in-france
24		Paperwork upstream of contract	Before arrival	High	Fill out the Fiche de renseignements INSTALLATION D’UN DOCTORANT CONTRACTUEL sent by HR to you	It will probably look like this but make sure there is not a newer version : https://amubox.univ-amu.fr/s/mGPmeAocyjNBQSD
25		Paperwork upstream of contract	Before arrival	High	Fill out the demande d'extrait de casier judiciaire	It will look like this : https://amubox.univ-amu.fr/s/HmbS34f6kYYCeE4
26		Work contract	Before arrival	High	Sign contract, send back to HR	Should be sent to you by HR, usually late/close to arrival date, especially if there was missing information (e.g. bank details). Delayed contract means delayed salary : ask HR agent about when to expect your first payment and if it'll be a full salary or a partial payment.
27		Work contract	Upon arrival	High	Sign Procès verbal d'installation (PVI), give to HR agent in your lab, who will have it signed by lab head and send it to central HR	Must be signed on the day you arrive in the lab
28		Medical certificate ("visite médicale d'embauche")	Upon arrival	Low	Go see a medical doctor who will attest that you are fit to work at the university.	This has to be done in your first month here and only at one of the doctors indicated on the list provided by HR (often not up-to-date...).
29		Holidays	After arrival	Low	Learn about time off ("congés") and French bank holidays, ask supervisor or HR person in your lab	See : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_France Note : In Marseille, on Labour Day (May 1), EVERYTHING WILL BE CLOSED even buses/metro
30		Work hours	Upon arrival	Low	Ask supervisor about expected work hours (usually 35 hours/week)
31		Salary and income tax	After arrival	Medium	The salary indicated in your contract will be gross (brut) and net (net) but neither will correspond to what will end up in your bank account (which will be lower)! Indeed, there are several contributions (social security, retirement...) that are taken from the net income before it reaches your account. Declare your income every year : Income tax is deducted from your salary every month but it is still mandatory to declare the income you have received every year (around May).	Estimate your take-home pay : https://exploreintown.com/2022/01/20/gross-salary-net-salary-calculator/ Information : https://euraxess.univ-amu.fr/en/practical-information/income-taxes https://www.economie.gouv.fr/particuliers/impot-revenu Pay slips can be found online on https://ensap.gouv.fr once you have a social security number.
32		If 2 co-supervisors in different universities (“Co-direction” or "co-tutelle")	Before arrival	High	If the PhD salary is in part paid by the partner institution, make sure you get a decent income for the entire PhD. Check hiring process and registration with partner university.
33		Practical information
34		Phone	Upon arrival	Medium	Get a phone number: a prepaid card is enough to start other procedures like opening a bank account, then you can always change companies.
35		Housing	Before arrival	Medium	Write an ad to circulate in the lab(s), ask buddy or NS for help	Information on campus (billboards), online (social networks...). Do not pay for agencies that ask for money in advance. Tell landlords you are university staff (3-year CDD) rather than a student. Some information here : https://euraxess.univ-amu.fr/en/practical-information/accommodation#tab-2514
36		Housing	Upon arrival	Medium	Get a "garant"	https://euraxess.univ-amu.fr/en/practical-information/accommodation#section-3043
37		Home insurance	Upon arrival	Medium	Get home insurance ("assurance habitation")	For instance through your bank. A previous student suggests LUKO (easy + a fast way to get an "attestation d'hébergement")
38		Temporary health insurance	Before arrival	Medium	Get temporary health insurance for the start of your stay, before Social Security really starts
39		Health insurance (Social Security)	Upon arrival	High	Register to Social security Information : https://euraxess.univ-amu.fr/en/practical-information/healthcare	General rule for PhD students paid by NeuroSchool : - from EU country : then register through MGEN (contact list) ; call or go in person and very important to have documents such as: contract, ID and birth certificate. - from outside the EU : then register through CPAM Paris through the Passeport Talent procedure Ask HR for your first payslip with your (possibly temporary) Social Security number.
40		Complementary health insurance ("mutuelle")	Upon arrival	High	Register for complementary health insurance	https://euraxess.univ-amu.fr/en/practical-information/healthcare#section-2849 https://procedures.univ-amu.fr/drh/gu-drh-1101-guide-synthese-prise-charge-partielle-frais-mutuelle
41		Liability insurance	After arrival	High	Check that one of your insurance covers you for liability (responsabilité civile), i.e. if by accident you injure someone (esp. at the university). Often included in your home insurance or your complementary health insurance.	Necessary to register at the university
42		Learning French	After arrival	Low	If needed, register for French classes : https://neuro-marseille.org/en/blog/learning-french/	https://euraxess.univ-amu.fr/en/language-culture-leisure/learning-french#tab-2957
43		Map	After arrival	Low	Google map of interesting/useful places	Share ideas of nice places in Marseille on this interactive map, prepared by PhD students
44		NeuroLink students' society	After arrival	Low	FREE membership : neurolink.amu@gmail.com	NeuroLink is the new neuroscience postgraduate students' and postdocs' society
45		Registration to the university and to NeuroSchool PhD Program
46		Fees	After arrival	Medium	Pay registration fees	https://www.univ-amu.fr/en/public/registration-fees-cvec-financial-aid In 2024-25 : CVEC = 103 € per year fees = 380 € per year
47		Registration to the university	Upon arrival	High	Register to the university / Ecole doctorale (through the ADUM platform). Although it is counterintuitive, there is a distinction between the Doctoral School and NeuroSchool. The registration form is terribly complex, get help from another student. Students who have never studied in France must first pay their CVEC to get their INE number.	https://ecole-doctorale-62.univ-amu.fr/fr/futur-doctorant/inscription-1ere-annee-these In September 2024, ED62 is splitting in 2 new Doctoral schools : ED Sciences du vivant, ED: Recherches biomédicales : ask your supervisors which is theirs.
48		Master's exemption	Before arrival	High	If you have a master's degree but it's not recognized by the Bologna convention, ask for master's exemption (Dispense de master)	https://ecole-doctorale-62.univ-amu.fr/fr/international/dispense-master
49		Validation des acquis professionnels (VAP)	Before arrival	High	If you don't have a master's degree at all, but have work experience, then ask for a VAP	https://www.univ-amu.fr/node/101 Note that there are fees associated with this procedure.
50		If 2 supervisors through “Co-direction”: you must register as a student at AMU for the totality of your PhD studies.	Upon arrival	High	For a simple co-direction, the Ecole Doctorale will ask for some documents at the time of registering to the university. See process and documents here : https://guide-recherche.univ-amu.fr/formation-doctorale/organiser-une-codirection-de-these	Check registration process with partner university if AMU is not your primary university.
51		If 2 supervisors through “Co-tutelle”: you pay tuition fees only at one of the two institutions for a given year, you get a degree from both universities.	After arrival	Medium	Co-tutelle : Check this website and follow instructions : https://guide-recherche.univ-amu.fr/formation-doctorale/mettre-en-place-une-cotutelle-internationale-de-doctorat	Check registration process with partner university. Cotutelle paperwork must be sorted out at the latest in April in the first year of the PhD. Warning, registration fees are sometimes quite expensive abroad. Also keep in mind that in North American universities, a pre-doctoral exam is often mandatory to start the PhD. It’s done early, usually after taking classes at that university.
52		Student card	After arrival	Medium	After fees are paid, get your student card.	Note : there is also a staff card if your salary is paid by the university. New (2024) : You get both cards by asking for it through your ENT.
53		Email	After arrival	Low	Activate your email(s) (you get 2 addresses if you're paid by AMU): 1) one as staff :firstname.lastname@univ-amu.fr You'll see it in AMU directory : https://annuaire.univ-amu.fr/personnels The HR agent in your lab or at the campus HR office should be able to help you to activate it (and to get an AMU staff card). 2) one as a student (...@etu.univ-amu.fr), once you've paid your fees at the scolarité. Make sure to check both (or to transfer one onto the other), as you don't get the same information as staff and as a student.	Information here for staff: https://dud.univ-amu.fr/fr/activation-votre-compte-amu-personnels And for your student email account : https://dud.univ-amu.fr/fr/public/votre-compte-etudiant-amu-questions-frequentes
54		NeuroSchool PhD program and training plan	After arrival	Low	Register to the NeuroSchool PhD program, prepare training plan with supervisor, meet the PhD program committe Important : 4th-year and mobility funding depends on students' participation in our program actions	https://neuro-marseille.org/en/training/phd-program/ Training done abroad during a co-directed/co-supervised PhD can be validated by the Doctoral School in Marseille. It is therefore not necessary to complete the full 100 hours of training in Marseille.
55		NeuroSchool PhD program	After arrival	Low	Regularly check the AMeTICE PhD program webpage; login using your student email address : firstname.LASTNAME@etu.univ-amu.fr	https://ametice.univ-amu.fr/course/view.php?id=8577
56		NeuroSchool PhD program	After arrival	Low	Read NeuroMarseille monthly newsletter	https://neuro-marseille.org/en/blog/?news_category=831
57		Animal experimentation	Before arrival	High	If you will be working on animals, register ASAP to upcoming training session (at least "operator" level). A NeuroSchool session (in French with English documents) is planned for the weeks of December 16, 2024, and January 6, 2025.	Check these lists : https://sites.google.com/view/dgrezel-las/bdd-formations or https://formations.bea.cnrs.fr/listForm.php Sessions in English are quite rare. Ask when the next NeuroSchool training is (usually January, in French). Contact the head of the animal facility or the lab's training manager to register for a CNRS or INSERM course.
58		Good student-supervisor relationship	Upon arrival	Low	Learn about good student-supervisor relationship	Check out this poster made by previous PhD students and supervisors : https://neuro-marseille.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/good-mentoring05-12-17-a0.pdf
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