Practical Information for Interviewees
Interviews 2012: when and where
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Thursday 22 March (LLM only)
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Friday 23 March (LLM only)
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Monday 26 March
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Tuesday 27 March
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Wednesday 28 March
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Thursday 29 March
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Friday 30 March
Interviews for the Department of Economics will take place in:
Villa San Paolo
Via della Piazzola 43, Florence.
Interviews for the Departments of History & Civilization and Law will take place in:
Villa Schifanoia
Via Boccaccio 121, Florence.
Interviews for the Department of Political & Social Sciences (SPS) will take place in:
Badia Fiesolana
Via dei Roccettini 9, San Domenico di Fiesole (Florence).
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Economics candidates (attending interviews at Villa San Paolo) are recommended to read very carefully “How long am I expected to stay in Florence for the interview?”)
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What does the interview consist of?
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Duration of the interview: 30 minutes approximately.
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PowerPoint presentations or slides are not allowed.
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How the interview is conducted:
There are slight variations in the organization of the interview from department to department, but generally speaking, all four departments will ask you to give an oral presentation of your work and interests. There are no written tests set by the departments. More specifically:
History and Law candidates will be asked to give concise presentation of their research proposal and research interests (approx. 10 minutes). This will be followed by questions from the interviewing panel (approx. 15 minutes) and then the candidate is free to ask the panel questions e.g. on the department and the programme (approx. 5 minutes).
Political and Social Sciences department candidates will be asked to present their research proposal in no more than 5 minutes. They will discuss this with the panel for 10 minutes. A further 10 minutes will be devoted to more general questions. During the last 5 minutes, candidates will have the opportunity to ask questions about the department and the doctoral programme.
Economics department candidates will be asked simple questions to test their knowledge of basic mathematics, statistics and economics - this will take up most of the interview. The Economics department advises that candidates revise basic mathematical, statistical and economic concepts. Slides or any other technical support are not allowed.
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Language of the interview
Generally speaking, the language used in the interviews is English, but you might be asked questions in another language (which could be your native language or one of the languages you have marked as being important for research purposes).
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Composition of the panel
EUI professors and a research student representative. We cannot give information on the names of professors who will be sitting on the panels.
Language Tests
For further information on the language tests consult the Language Centre website .
There will be signs throughout the buildings to direct you to the rooms where the tests are held.
English test
The language test in English is obligatory for all non-native speakers of English. Certificates of proficiency in English, whatever their source, are not accepted as a substitute for the EUI test.
The language test itself will consist of a written part (approximately one hour) and a short oral test (about 10 minutes).
Second language test
A second language test is not necessary for Economics candidates as their research is carried out in English. For candidates to the History, Law, and Political & Social Sciences departments, a test may also be required in a second (non-native) language which the department may eventually recommend for the candidate’s research. The Language Centre will contact directly those candidates who have been recommended by the department to sit a second language test and will inform them of the date, time and place of their test.
Second language tests can, however, only be held for French, German Italian or Spanish – if another non-native language has been indicated, this will be briefly commented on during the interview with the panel.
How Long am I expected to stay in Florence for the interview
You will be able to do everything quite easily in one day, even in half a day.
Economics candidates should bear in mind that, apart from the interview at Villa San Paolo, they will need to go to the main building of the Institute, the Badia Fiesolana for the travel reimbursement at the bank and for the English language test. If therefore the interview is in the afternoon, they should plan to take the language test and settle travel reimbursement in the morning.
A shuttle bus service from/to Villa San Paolo / Badia Fiesolana will be in place all week, from 26 to 30 March so that Economics candidates can get up to the Badia Fiesolana for the travel reimbursement and the English language test.
The timetable will be posted at the respective porters' offices.
The bank will close at 4.00pm.
For English language tests, see the timetable on the Language Centre website
Reimbursement Procedure
You will be reimbursed for just one day of your stay in Florence (a €35 per diem allowance), plus a flat-rate contribution for the round trip.
The flat-rate reimbursement of travel expenses shall be based on the distance between Florence and the postal address you have indicated on the application. i.e. the address you can be reached during the selection period. If your current postal address is no longer the same you have indicated in your application, please inform Academic Service immediately. (applyres@eui.eu )
Payment will be in cash, via the Institute bank at the Badia Fiesolana.
The bank will be open for the payment of travel/per diem expenses from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm on Thursday 22 March, Friday 24 3March and for the week of 26-30 March.
For full details regarding travel reimbursement, consult the Regulation On reimbursement of travel and subsistence expenses to researcher candidates invited to Florence for interviews .
Places to stay
For suggestions on hotel and hostel accommodation, consult the Logistic Service’s housing page.
Places to eat and drink
EUI Coffee Bar and Canteen: for breakfast, lunch and snacks:
A 3-course lunch will cost €5.00 - you will be able to buy a special luncheon-voucher for interviewees from the porters.
Breakfast and lunch are served in the EUI canteens at the Badia and Villa Schifanoia: lunch is served from 12:15h to 14:30h, from Monday to Friday.
The Badia
Coffee bar is open for drinks and snacks from 8.30 to 18.00h.
Villa San Paolo
(Economics Department), the coffee bar is open from 8:30h until 16:30h and lunch is available from 12:00h to 14:00h.
As a rough idea of costs, estimate that for breakfast you will spend about €1.50 for a coffee and pastry (compared with €2.50 in most cafés in town).
In and around town:
Pizzerie - there are lots of pizzerie in Florence, but they are not necessarily the cheapest places to eat.
At San Domenico, just a few hundred metres away from the Institute, there is a
Pizzeria which has fair prices (and a reduced-price lunch menu). It is open till late in the evening.
In Florence itself, you might try:
Nuti
Borgo San Lorenzo, 39r (area: central market).
Da Pepe
Pacinotti 5r, tel: 055 574392 (between EUI and town).
I’ Giuggiolo, Viale Righi (opposite the Villa Camerata youth hostel).
Trattorie
These small restaurants also abound in Florence. There are those where you can spend about € 12-15 for a 3-course dinner (ask for the tourist menu) and others where you spend € 30-35 for much the same.
In the former category, you could try:
Il Contadino, Via Palazzuolo 71/r, tel: 055 2382673 (near the station)
Zà-Zà , Piazza del Mercato Centrale 21/r, tel: 055 215411 (near central market)
Palle d'Oro, Via S. Antonino 43r, tel: 055 288383 (near central market)
Pantera Viola, Via Pacinotti 10/r, tel: 055 588846 (between EUI and town)
Mario, Via Rosina 2/r, tel: 055 218550 (corner of piazza Mercato Centrale)
La Casalinga, Via del Michelozzi 9/r, tel: 055 218624 (piazza Santo Spirito, Oltrarno)
Il Micio, Via Fra Bartolomeo 52/r, tel: 055 573257 (piazza Libertà, between EUI and town)
Kosher/Vegetarian: Ruth’s, Via Farini 2/a– tel: 055 2480888 (S. Ambrogio)
Bars … The Bar …
Which bar? The "Bar Fiasco" of course, run by EUI research students and usually open from 17:30h until ... …the last client goes home.
Over the interview period, there are special opening times and you will most probably find the research student representatives there shortly after lunch, ready to pour out a drink and chat to you about the Institute. Please do not hesitate to ask them questions - no doubt you will have plenty to ask, and the researcher reps, and indeed all students there, will be ready to answer them.