APPLICATION
All applications must be submitted through this website. We do not accept applications by email or from any other online platforms, such as Eramus platforms.
Each and all needed documents must be sent through this website. Documents sent by email will be ignored.
COSTS OF LIVING
There will be the typical costs of living, such as room, food, etc., naturally. I would say that, for the whole 2 month programme, already including the registration costs in RobotCraft, each student should be willing to spend about 1.700,00€.
ECTS
As a rule of thumb, RobotCraft does not contribute with ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) to your ongoing academical course, unless your University contacts us in this respect. In this case, an agreement may be reached to offer a given number of ECTS as part of your academic training.
PAYMENT
The payment fee only covers the RobotCraft training programme. Therefore, it does not cover expenses, such as accommodation, food and other paid activities.
All the material supplied in the course are held by Ingeniarius, Ltd. and are the company’s property.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
The course will take a place in Ingeniarius Office:
Ingeniarius, Lda
Rua Nossa Senhora da Conceição 146, 4445-147 Alfena, Portugal
Getting to and around the company
From the Oporto airport
Option #1
Get the B bus from the Airport to CampanhãGet the "Linha de Guimarães" Train from Campanhã to Cabeda
Option #2
Get the FlixBus from the Airport to Seroa (Paços de Ferreira)Get the 128 bus from Agrela to Aldeia Nova
VISA INFORMATION
Portugal is a EU member state and grants visa-free entry to all EU/EEA/Swiss citizens, as well as certain family members and relatives even if they are not from the EU themselves. EU nationals can then enter the country for up to three months with the aim of finding a job or setting up a business and, therefore, RobotCraft, being a 2-month programme, falls within that category.
Portuguese immigration policy includes several international agreements with non-EU countries, for example, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, which allows such nationals to enter and stay in Portugal for 3 months within a six-month period without needing any visa for Portugal. A list of countries that require a Portuguese visa to enter Portugal can be found here.
All visitors to Portugal other than the previous exceptions must have a valid visa to travel to and enter Portugal. Take a look at this guide for more information. Also, in case you need a visa, contact the Portuguese embassy in your country (or alternative) as soon as possible. The embassy will then contact Serviços de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (SEF) and they can be very demanding. Have all your documentation prepared, which should include:
- Personal identification documents
- Acceptance letter in the RobotCraft programme signed and stamped by Ingeniarius
- Address where you will stay in Portugal, preferably signed by your landlord or directly retrieved from the platform you booked your room from (e.g., Uniplaces)
- Proof of the income necessary to be in Portugal for two months, which should prove that you will have, at least, 1.330,00 € (twice the Portuguese minimum wage)
- In case you have a grant (e.g., Erasmus Internship Grant), you will need to submit a document highlighting the monthly value you will receive which should be, at least, 665 €/month – if the grant is bellow that monthly value, you can prove that you can cover the remaining €/month with the balance of your bank account.
- In case you do not have any sort of grant, you will need to provide the balance of your bank account, which should be superior to 1.330,00 €.
We had situations where robotcrafters waited more than 3 months for their visa, so do not waste time!
Also take a look at the following guide prepared by our Jordan NCP, Marwa Tarawneh, and this guide prepared by our Portuguese NCP, Muhammed Yavuz. Those guides may be outdated, especially concerning the application cost of RobotCraft, so bear in mind that the information provided in this website always superimposed to any other information found outside it.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Banking and Money
Banks: As a general guide, banks across the city are open for business Monday to Friday 8.30am-3pm. Some banks in local shopping centres are also open Saturday and Sunday (with varying opening hours).
Automatic teller machines (ATMs): ATMs are located throughout the city and will recognise cards issued by most banks. You can find ATMs even inside FCTUC campus.
Credit cards: MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Diners Club are accepted across the city.
Currency exchange: Licensed money change services are available at both Portuguese Airports (Lisbon and Porto) and at a couple of MoneyGram's located throughout the city, Unicâmbio, and at certain shopping malls. Most banks also offer currency exchange services.
Notes: 5€, 10€, 20€, 50€, 100€, 200€ and 500€
Coins: 1¢, 2¢, 5¢, 10¢, 20¢, 50¢, 1€ and 2€
Climate
The weather in Portugal is warm and amazingly sunny! Portugal is defined as a Mediterranean climate and is one of the warmest European countries: the annual average temperature in mainland Portugal varies from 8-12 °C in the mountainous interior north to 16-18 °C in the south. Portugal has around 2500 to 3200 hours of sunshine a year, an average of 4-6 h in winter and 10-12 h in the summer, being the capital of Portugal, Lisbon, considered the 3rd sunniest city in Europe.
Electricity
Mains supply in Australia is 220/240 volts AC, 50Hz with two-pin plugs used across the country, following the most typical socket outlets found worldwide.
Adaptors from UK plugs or other countries to Portuguese can be bought from the airports and from all good travel stores and department stores.
Emergency Services
In a life-threatening or time-critical emergency, dial Emergency Services 112 The 112 service is an operator-assisted service that connects callers to the most relevant emergency service organisation (police, fire brigade or ambulance). Calls to 112 are free and can be made from all telephones (landline, mobile devices and payphones). When you dial 112 services, the most important thing to remember is to stay focused, stay relevant and stay on the line.
Still, remember that Portugal has been considered the third safest country in Europe.
Value-added Tax
The value-added tax (VAT) is a broad-based 23% tax included in the shelf price of most Portuguese goods and services. The Tourist Refund Scheme allows international travellers to claim a VAT refund (subject to certain conditions) on some goods purchased in Portugal. Read the following VAT refund information.
Grocery Shopping
Most stores and outlets are open from 9:30am to 6:00pm during the week, but all shopping malls stay open until 22:00pm, with even late-night shopping on Fridays and Saturdays to 11:00pm.
All three supermarket chains offer a variety of mixed goods, food, fruit and vegetables.
Health and Medical Services
Portugal has a high-standard healthcare system offering a mix of public and private services, wherein Porto is highlighted as having one of the best hospitals in the country. University Hospital Center of São João is located here.
Ingeniarius will provide an insurance to all robotcrafters covering personal accidents occurring in the workplace (during the programme schedule). Yet, we strongly recommend that you take out insurance policies to cover medical and travel expenses. If necessary, consult your travel agent, your university or even the Portuguese embassy in your country.
Be sure to check for the pharmacy guild sign when looking for your pharmaceutical requirements.
Language
Portuguese is the official language in Portugal (obviously), being in the top 10 of the most spoken languages in the world. Nevertheless, many foreign languages are used by local communities, including English, French and Spanish.
Population
Portugal has a population of about 10 million, in which Porto is the second largest city after Lisbon, with nearly 240.000 habitants.
Time Zone
Portugal operates on Western European Time plus zero hour (WET), and, like most European countries, Summer (Daylight-Saving) Time is observed in Portugal, where the time is shifted forward by 1 hour - 1 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+1). After the Summer months, the time is shifted back by 1 hour (GMT+0), but that does not matter to you as a robotcrafter…