We are a group of graduates from Athens University of Economics and Business, with vision and creativity. We have all been in many different countries of Europe with the Erasmus exchange program and we have lived this unique once-in-a-lifetime experience. During our stay abroad we noticed that the biggest difficulty of the Erasmus exchange program, apart from the language, is the lack of an accommodation system for foreign students that visit a country for a short term period.
When we came back to Athens in 2000 and became members of the Erasmus student association ESN, we faced the issue of accommodation once again, this time having to find accommodation for the incoming Erasmus students of our University.
By that time, the number of incoming foreign students had already begun to increase in AUEB, and we were trying to help them and to meet their needs in terms of housing. We organized a voluntary group whose main purpose was to find houses and match them with the incoming students. For 6 years, the group offered its services in a volunteer basis. But by 2006 we faced the challenge of covering 150 requests from Erasmus students for accommodation per academic semester.
Finding homes and taking care of incoming students became so time consuming, that it took a great part of our lives. This is why we decided in 2007 to make this part of our lives, that we really enjoyed our job. So, in 2007 we founded StayInAthens. This company began by presenting houses for rent over the Internet but has come to mean much more to the community for Erasmus students in Athens.
StayInAthens is a platform where each foreign Erasmus student has the ability to choose and rent the apartment best suited for him for a short-time period. All the apartments have the necessary furnishings and all electrical equipment needed during their stay. Our prices include all expenses and the use of the Internet to make their living in Athens easier and not to stress over the bills (electricity, water etc).
Our services are not only limited to accommodation. StayInAthens aspires to build a network of services in which Erasmus students will be able to take Greek courses before the beginning of their academic semester at their University and also by the end of their academic year they will be able to make short internship (short term traineeship) in Athens.
StayInAthens operates through a dynamic site which presents houses for rent, but in practice manages a student from the first moment that arrives in Athens until his return to his country:
All of the above would not be possible without the voluntary contribution of all the members of Erasmus student clubs, international student organization AIESEC and our partners for Greek language courses. Furthermore, this network could not have been created without the patience of the owners and their compliance with our requirements.
Because, as said by Socrates (I am not an Athenian, a Greek citizen but a citizen of the world) we feel citizens of the world, a feeling that you get during your Erasmus experiences. We know the needs of students because we have experienced it ourselves years ago.
Through years, our engagement with the Erasmus program as volunteers and as a company, gives us the assurance and confidence to manage issues relating to Erasmus students. With respect to Erasmus student clubs and International Relations Offices of all the Universities, we try to facilitate Erasmus students at various levels and improve their lives in the host country Greece.
