Welcome Partners!

Welcome Partners! This is the official IESE Couples and Family Club site. In this blog you will find all the information you need to make the IESE Partner experience the best! We are waiting for your questions and comments!

Mar 31, 2011

Where to live in BCN?

Fernanda de Herrera  a 2011 Partner, wanted to share with you some of her personal experiences when choosing a "barrio" to live. We would love to read your own stories!

"Barcelona offers a lot of diversity when it comes to flats, depending on the district you choose. It is probably good that you have an idea of what you are looking for and then look for that in a specific district. What we did was decide on a budget (good flats rented by students here range from 900 to 1600 euro more or less) and on some musts (for us, for example, being close to metro station with lift, having a terrace and having a washing machine were important).

You can then search in different webpages... we reccomend SHBarcelona or Elix, they facilitate the process a lot since you don't need a spanish co-signer when you show your letter of acceptance from IESE. Also, there is lots of flexibility on the lenght of the contract. Ours, for example was in months instead of years, since we were planning on doing the internship outside BCN.

Also, it's a good idea that you pin the different options you like on a map and look for the metro or bus you would take to IESE and how well connected the flat is. This becomes even more important for those who come with wife and kids. You can check the bus, metro and train lines that pass nearby at www.tmb.cat by clicking on "Where am I" under Move around, then typing the address and clicking on "Find the appropriate transport" and then again on "Find which means of transport you have". You will see a map with all the options. If you click on the metro lines and pick the station you would use the most, you can check if it has a lift too (important for families with strollers!).

You can also click on "plan a trip" on the main page and type the flat's address and then IESE's address (avenida pearson, 21, 08034) to see how long it would take to get there and how much you would have to walk (in case you don't get a moto or car... many of us don't have those and it's not a problem).


About the zones...

What I've seen is that it depends on your budget (since you are not splitting the rent with other MBAs), culture and also personal preferences. For example, Gracia is a popular zone for young people and it can get noisy at night. Sant Gervasi and Sarria are very popular among IESE students but some zones are up hill and it can get unconfortable for families with strollers, specially since you walk everywhere! They are usually more expensive.  Also, L'Eixample is really nice! And stroller friendly too. But (since it's so big) you have to make sure you don't go too far away - or close to a good metro station - if you won't be buying a moto, otherwise traffic will make every day's ride a long one. I would recomend La esquerra or La nova esquerra de L'Eixample, which means the left half of L'Eixample (in spanish refered to as Ensanche).
The truth is Barcelona is a great city, and it changes a lot from zone to zone but they have all their special traits that win your love."
 
Thank you Fer for sharing your experience with us!

Mar 28, 2011

Class 2013 - VISA Questions?

Hi Partners! We have received many questions regarding VISA applications - so here you go, some experiences from partners:

The rules for the VISA very with each country. However, persons from the EU do not need a VISA. It is best to go to the website of the Spanish consulate in the country where you reside at this time. The VISA is only to enter Spain and will last 30 days after entering, after which you need your NIE.  



The NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjero) is the ID for foreigners in Spain and it is what you will need to open a bank account in Barcelona. The process for obtaining it is not very difficult, but it will take some paperwork and time. If you are a citizen of the EU, you will have to go to a different address then if you are from a different country.
It has been mentioned to some that you need a marriage certificate for the NIE, but it has not been asked of us. You do need a letter explaining how you will finance your stay here (students will have this letter from their application to IESE, but make sure your name is included in the letter as well).  Students will also need to show a letter that they were accepted to IESE.

Address for EU citizens:
C/ Balmes 192 (10 minutes walk from Diagonal metro.) The office is open from 9am to 2pm but it is advised to go at an early time.

Address for Non-EU citizens with a student VISA (as well as spouses and children with this VISA):
C/ Guadalajara 1-3 (corner C/Bosch) Metro station: Diagonal. The office is open from 9am to 2pm but it’s advised to go at an early time.


For a detailed list of Spanish consulates around the world, see www.embassiesabroad.com.

Mar 23, 2011

Class of 2013, Welcome!

Are you a new partner  class 2013? We want to meet you!
Please send us your information so we can star sharing the good stuff.

Send it to-  icfc@iese.net with your Name, Email, and if you have kids.... and any info you think would be helpful.

Thank in advance


Eres  nuev@ partner de la clase 2013? Queremos conocerte!
Envíanos tus datos para empezar a mandarte toda la información

Mandamos un mail a  icfc@iese.net  con tu Nombre, Email y si tienes hijos... y cualquier otra información que quieras compartir.

Gracias


क्या आप २०१३ की कक्षा के किसी छात्र के पार्टनर हैंहम आपसे मिलना चाहतें हैंहमें जल्द से अपनी जानकारी भेजें ताकि हम आपसे संपर्क करना आरम्भ कर सकें!

हमे भेजें अपना नाम, ईमेल, अगर आपके बच्चे हैं (और ऐसी कोई भी दूसरी जानकारी) इस ई-डी पर: icfc@iese.net   



Class2013パートナーのみなさん、お会いするのを楽しみにしてます!
あなたのお名前、Eメールアドレス、お子さんの有無など、下記アドレスまで送ってください。みなさんのお役に立ちたいと思ってます。
よろしくお願いします。

Sessions from MBA Office

Partners, a quick announcement from the MBA Office.
New sessions coming up!


The MBA program and the IESE Couples & Families Club (ICFC) are pleased to invite you   to the following sessions taking place on March 31st and on April 7th.

To reserve a place, please  write to mbaoffice@iese.edu

If you wish to use the babysitting services, please let us have the name and age of the child, and any medical conditions s/he may have.

Please send this information to MBA Office by  Friday 25th March.


31st March 2011
Time: 17:00-18.15
Place: B-102 South Campus, (kinder garden: B-103)
Title: Coaching and Devlopment - Prof. Yih-teen Lee

We will discuss the concept of leadership and coaching with an exercise in the session. The objective of this session is to help participants understand the importance of a key component of leadership: coaching and talent development. Moreover, the exercise will offer deeper knowledge on how coaching and talent development can be conducted properly in organizations.

7th April2011
Time: 17.15 - 18.30
Place: Q-402 North Campus, (kinder garden: S-409)
Title: Experiencing Repatriation - Prof. Sebastian Reiche
 
Moving to a different culture is associated with a range of challenges that include settling into a new city , adjusting to a new cultural environment, building new social relationships, and many more. When we leave our home country we tend to be aware of some of the challenges that await us. However, we often place much less attention on the return to our home country after completing a stay abroad. The aim of this session is to discuss the challenges and issues related to the process of repatriating to your home countries. The discussion will be organized around a specific case, which will be distributed to you and which will also give you a taste of the type of case discussions your partners have been experiencing in the MBA program.

Case material will be distributed in class:
Richard Debenham in Vienna : Between Velvet Divorce and the Sydney Olympics (A)

Mar 11, 2011

Where to buy some food?

If you were wondering where to go with your grocery list, we give you the most voted supermarkets from the IESE patners

Si estas pérdida y no sabes a donde ir a comprar tu lista de super, te recomendamos los supermercados mas votados por IESE partners

- Caprabo ($$$)
- Mercadona ($$)
- Consum ($$)
- Veritas (organic supermarket $$$)
- Carrefour ($$$)
- Corte Inglés ($$$$)
- Dia  ($)

Choosing your new home

Hey partners! We know how difficult is to find the perfect place to live for these 2 years in Barcelona.
Don´t panic! We´ve got the best links of rental agencies to help you look for your cozy home.




¡Hola partners! Sabemos lo dificil que encontrar el lugar perfecto para vivir por esots 2 años en Barcelona.
No se agobien! Tenemos los mejores links de agencias de renta para que puedas encontrar tu hogar.


Here you go!

¡Aquí van! 



COLEGIO DE ADMINISTRADORES DE FINCAS:

LUXHABITAT: www.luxhabitat.com

RENTBARCELONA: www.rentbarcelona.com

VISCASILLAS: www.viscasillas.com

IDEALISTA:  www.idealista.com

FOTOCASA: www.fotocasa.es

LOQUO: www.loquo.com