Practical informations for foreign students

Disclaimer

Provided information are collection of remarks from students from KP1 department at GSI. Informations reflect personal experience and thus can be incomplete and are not legally binding

Introduction

GSI and City of Darmstadt provide friendly, international enviroment for study and development. Most of the people in the city speaks English.

Formal Status

Ph.D students are employed at GSI according to German Social Service regulations (BAT). Students are employed as a half time workers in class BAT-IIA. Length of vacations depends on age and is around 30 days.

VISA informations

To start Ph.D study at GSI it is necessary to posses proper VISA. VISA formalism depends on the Country of origin. GSI provides the future student with all necessary documents. Issuing VISA could take from one week to a month.

University

Beside working at GSI students, to obtain Ph.D. degree have to be registered at the University. The University depends on the "Doctor Father" and can be either Technical University in Darmstadt or University in Frankfurt. Ph. D. Students at GSI do not have any teaching duties.

Infrastructure

GSI have an extensive library with textbooks and scientific journals. Access for many scientific on-line journals is subscribed, those include ScienceDirect and PROLA.

Pension Schema and Health Insurance

Since students have normal employment from their salary insurances and taxes are paid. Thsose include among others pension schema and health insurance. Health insurance covers all standard treatments including dentist.

Housing

GSI operates lodging facility for experimentalists and several guest rooms and small apartments in GSI-owned housing about 1 km from the laboratory. For a longer stay, however, an apartment in the neighbourhood can be rented. In the nearby towns: Wixhausen, Arhailgen, Erzhausen furnished apartments are offered for rental.

The standard apartment usualy consist of a room with an equipped kitchen corner and a bathroom (shower). Usualy Landlord provides place in a cell for bikes and sometimes laundry facility. Price for a single person apartment depends on the size, location and equipment and vary around 300-400 euro. (including heating, water, etc.)

Apartment rental advertisement can be found in local newspapers. In addition GSI authorities help in finding an appartment.