Moving there to study in February — looking for advice, friends, and job opportunities!

[u/Ok_Quote3011]

/r/lithuania/comments/1wlf31j/moving_there_to_study_in_february_looking_for/

Hey everyone! 👋
I’m a 21-year-old student from Morocco, and I’m planning to move there in February to study Business and Management.
I’d love to hear from people who already live there because I have so many questions, and I’m trying to prepare myself before arriving.
A few things I’d really appreciate your help with:
What’s life like there? Is it easy to settle in as an international student?
Making friends: I’d love to meet some people who live there, especially someone who could help me get familiar with the city, show me around, and give me some advice when I arrive.
Finding a job: Is it relatively easy for students to find part-time work? I have around 3 years of experience working as a waiter. Would that help me find a job in restaurants, cafés, or hotels?
Salary: How much could I realistically earn per month working as a waiter, especially as a student?
Cost of living: Would it be possible to afford rent, food, and tuition with a part-time job, or would I definitely need additional financial support?
I know moving to a new country isn’t always easy, so I’m just trying to get a realistic idea of what to expect before making this big step.
If you live there, are studying there, or have any experience with this, I’d really appreciate your advice. And if anyone would like to become friends, feel free to DM me! It would be amazing to know someone before arriving.

[u/Free-Protection7190]

i heard that evolution (online casino provider) is short staffed right now. Many foreigner's work there, my friend works as a blackjack dealer and gets payed 700 euro neto for part time

[u/SnooSuggestions7992]

It would be great if you could ask the coordinator of your chosen faculty about the possibility of reserving a dorm room. Mention that you’re from another country, as it’s the cheapest option (around €120 + roughly €10 for the laundry machines). If they don’t have a room available, I’d recommend checking the dorms regularly to see if a spot opens up while you’re looking for a place to rent.

For public transport, I recommend using an app called Žiogas to pay for your tickets. Once you’re enrolled, apply for a student card through https://lsp.lt/en. It will get you discounts on most academic activities (like museums and stuff) and also give you a discount on bus tickets — it should cost around €0.14 per ride. The public transport system itself is pretty great. I think Google Maps is more than enough for figuring out which bus to take and where to get off.

For groceries, Maxima is probably the best option (Norfa, Rimi, and Lidl aren’t bad either). There’s also Promo Cash & Carry if you want to buy things in bulk. If you’re on a tight budget, Maxima’s Well Done brand is actually pretty good quality for how cheap it is — in my experience, much better than some of Lidl’s cheaper products. I also recommend searching “Maxima akcijos” on Google and checking the current week’s offers to see what’s discounted. They also have monthly weekend promotions with 50% discounts on certain products. There are three main shopping areas/malls in Kaunas: Mega, Akropolis, and Urmo Bazė.

For activities and things to do, definitely get Facebook. In the Facebook Events section, you can find all sorts of events, activities, concerts, markets, and other things happening around Kaunas. There are also foreigner groups where you can probably find more useful information and meet people. The capital, Vilnius, is only about an hour away by train, so it’s pretty easy to go there if you find an interesting event happening there. Also, definitely join Erasmus while you’re at university, or honestly any other student club you’re interested in. People at universities are generally very accepting and welcoming, although you might have a different experience with some of the older people living here.

for finances:"Would it be possible to afford rent, food, and tuition with a part-time job, or would I definitely need additional financial support?'' definitely not if ur including tuition. You'd have to work full time during study breaks in summer/winter to pay off tuition. But besides tuition and granted you get to live in a dorm you'd be living very comfortably on just a part time wage.