Work & daily life

Ask your future employer or your host organisation if it is possible to provide you with accommodation. Some universities and research organisations have their own accommodation facilities for their employees. If your future employer/host cannot provide you with accommodation, ask them for other possibilities or recommendations.

You can find accommodation yourself, too – properties for rent are advertised in daily newspapers, regional press and on the internet. You can rent a flat directly from an owner or through a real estate agency. When renting a flat, enquire whether the price covers just the rent or if it also includes utility costs (electricity, gas, heating, water, phone bills, etc.). Rents are usually paid monthly and deposits for a few months’ rent are common. It is, of course, necessary to sign a lease.

Rental prices depend on several factors:

• city/town (in the capital city and university towns rents are usually higher),
• locality within a city/town (centre/outskirts),
• type of flat/house (tower block, brick house, new building, flat/house that has or has not been renovated, etc.),
• furnishings, 
• size of flat (number of bedrooms, surface area, etc.).

Useful links

Long‑term accommodation

• Reality.sk – nationwide search database, provides regularly updated rental offers from more than 400 real estate agencies, a list of real estate agencies with contact phone numbers, websites and emails;
• Roommates.sk – search engines for finding roommates and listing available rooms to rent (in Slovak only);  www.spolubyvanie.sk – private advertising website for accommodation rentals (craigslist style, in Slovak only). Short‑term accommodation  www.reality.sk – a nationwide search database (also in English), regularly updated rental offers by more than 400 real estate agencies, a list of real estate agencies with contact phone numbers, websites and emails;  http://reality.server.sk – search database; offers from real estate agencies and private advertisements (in Slovak only) In this chapter you can find useful information regarding your daily life in Slovakia. The topics are various and listed according to the alphabet. Information covers topics that may arise upon your arrival or during your stay in Slovakia, and it should help you find your way through these situations – be it finding a flat or finding your way from the airport. Also approximate prices of different services are mentioned, so you can calculate the costs of your stay in advance. This chapter gives a picture of what life in Slovakia may be. For more information follow the links that are posted by each section or do not hesitate to contact local EURAXESS Service Centres. 6.1 Accommodation and housing Ask your future employer or your host organisation if it is possible to provide you with accommodation. Some universities and research organisations have their own accommodation facilities for their employees. If your future employer/host cannot provide you with accommodation, ask them for other possibilities or recommendations. You can find an accommodation yourself, too – properties for rent are advertised in daily newspapers, regional press and on the internet. You can rent a flat directly from an owner or through a real estate agency. When renting a flat, enquire whether the price covers just the rent or if it also includes utility costs (electricity, gas, heating, water, phone bills, etc.). Rents are usually paid monthly and deposits for a few months’ rent are common. It is, of course, necessary to sign a lease. 134 EURAXESS SLOVAKIA Daily life in Slovakia  http://living.spectator.sme.sk/ – a rental portal providing information and contact phone numbers, websites and emails of several rental companies operating in Slovakia;  www.ubytovanievmeste.sk – search database (in Slovak only).

Dormitories

Most higher education institutions offer housing in dormitories. Their standards may differ. There are usually 2 – 4 students accommodated in one room, but rooms for a single student are also available. Rooms are furnished with beds, tables and wardrobes. Bathrooms are usually shared between two rooms, or there is a common bathroom for the whole floor.

Most dormitories have their dining hall or buffet, where meals are available for lower prices and usually are open during the academic year. Lunch or dinner costs from €4 to €6. Some dormitories have their own gyms, swimming pools, fitness centres, etc.

The price per bed varies from dormitory to dormitory, depending on city, location and type of room. You can pay from €70 per month up to €170.

The majority of the rooms have internet access.

There are also self‑service laundries in dormitories in Slovakia (www.cent.sk; www.pramako.sk/samoobsluzne-pracovne, in Slovak only; www.flipperwash.sk).

NOTE: Students who wish to study in the Slovak Republic outside the framework of bilateral agreements or exchange programmes cannot be guaranteed a place in a dormitory due to the limited capacity of each dormitory. If a student is interested in living in a dormitory, he/she should contact the university at least 3 months before commencing his/her studies or before the start of the respective academic year. Many universities provide information about their dormitories on their websites.

Renting a flat

The easiest way (except for staying in a hotel) is to rent a private apartment. In such cases, it is recommended to sign a lease with your future landlord defining precisely the terms and conditions of your stay in the apartment.

The apartments should be equipped with pots, dishes, linens, etc. Most apartments have washing machines, but automatic dryers are usually not used.

You can also find a shared room or flat via social networks or via www.flatmates.sk, www.spolubyvanie.sk – both websites in Slovak only. There are also Facebook groups dedicated to finding flatmates and flats to rent, or Facebook groups for international students in each city where it is easy to find yourself a flatmate.

FACEBOOK groups, where you can find a flat and rent a room:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/100684056944091/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/493169417389137/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/BratislavaTOPAPARTMENTSFLATS/