Accommodation In Australia

One of the biggest worry that a student undergoes during their overseas education planning, is the need for an affordable and safe accommodation. However, students can rest assured as there are various types of accommodation options that are available to international students. Most educational institutes have a dedicated office to help out international students in various matters and also provide assistance in matters of choosing a safe and affordable accommodation.

Before you come to Australia and start looking for accommodation, it is advisable to arrange some form of temporary accommodation. This will give you ample time to go about and look for a better and more permanent accommodation.

Arrangements for temporary accommodation are easy to make. There are a lot of websites that allow students to make reservations. These reservations can also be made with the option of paying on arrival and as such gives you a greater flexibility. It would also be a good idea to talk to your educational institute and see if they can provide any alternative temporary accommodation.

Students generally have the option of choosing either one of the following:

a) Homestay                      b) Hostel

 

In places with a prominent educational institute or places where many educational institutes are located, local families often offer accommodation in their homes. Homestay can be either with full boarding facilities, where the householder provides all meals, or with part boarding facilities, in which a student is himself/herself responsible for taking care of his/her own meals and other needs. Students can however use kitchen facilities available at the home. In a homestay, a student is generally provided with a bedroom with basic amenities like table, chair, bed, etc., a study room (sometimes study place is in the bedroom itself). A student is also provided with a bathroom, access to kitchen and other facilities in the home.

 

The atmosphere in a homestay varies greatly depending on the nature of homestay family. A homestay can be in the house of an entire family, although at most times a homestay is generally   provided by a couple or a single person.  Whatever may be the general conditions of a homestay, a few things that are generally expected are: 

·         Telephone bills of students have to be paid students themselves.

·         Homestay with full boarding facilities: $AUD250 per week

Many universities or colleges have hostel facilities for students, particularly international students. These hostels are usually located on campus premises itself, or otherwise very near to the campus. Accommodation is generally in the form of residential halls or residential colleges. The costs of accommodation in such scenarios vary on type of accommodation as well as services provided along with accommodation. For example, residential colleges provide better services to inhabitants in comparison to those provided by residential halls and as such, are costlier. Moreover residential colleges have better facilities such as a library, a cyber cafe, etc. Whatever be the accommodation, one must keep in mind that there is a high demand for such services and as such one should apply as early as possible for availing these hostel facilities.

If a student does not want to go for a hostel provided by institute, then he/she also has the option of availing private, off-campus hostels. Accommodation is available for both short-term and long-term. Rooms available are also of different types, such as private and shared, depending on what a student wants to spend.  It is important to note that a student may not get an accommodation of his choice as there will be many other students opting for similar options. Hence it is advisable to book an accommodation prior to arrival. Usually organisations like YMCA or YHA run hostels across the country. The living conditions fulfil basic requirements with students sharing kitchen and bathroom facilities. Hostels generally cost around Australian $80-135 per week.

Other options

* Guest houses (Approx. A$100 per week)

* Shared accommodation (A$70–250 per week depending on number of shared occupants)

* Rental accommodation (A$100–400 a week): Many international students take up shared rental accommodation instead of renting a place alone. This has mane benefits such as reduction in rent costs, presence of company, etc. Moreover, this way you get to meet a lot of new people through your roommates and make new friends. Advertisements are generally put up by students themselves in common notice boards. Keep an eye out for such notices. However, before moving in it anyone, try to ensure sure that the person or people with whom you are going to share the accommodation are reliable.

*Boarding schools (A$10,000–20,000 a year): This is more for students who are going to Australia for schooling rather than ones gong for bachelor’s or a master’s program. Private secondary schools usually provide students with accommodation, accompanied by meals and easily accessible laundry services for international students. However, this is a very costly service and may not be affordable to everyone.