Schools that provide housing

[tdaley26]

Housing here is in a high rise apt. Great views of the city. Only problem is the kitchen is tiny.

[shadowjack]

From what I have heard, ISU in Ulaanbaatar now gives a very good housing allowance and teachers are free to live where they choose. Have a friend there who seems quite happy with the housing situation since the change...

[inman]

From anywhere I've been and with anyone I've known, the UAE has definitely been the most hit and miss when it comes to housing. There have been a few situations there where housing has suddenly been in very high demand, and prices gone through the roof, and then a few months later there's way too much housing available and prices drop down. The housing crisis in 2009 in Abu Dhabi was a nightmare for schools as they had to pay crazy prices for basic accommodation. Still though, there's no excuses. If a school wants teachers to be happy then give them somewhere that can be a home away from home.

My friends working in Dubai were all quite satisfied with what they'd been provided, but in Abu Dhabi you should be a bit wary of anything outside of the city. There is a heavily industrial area called Mussafah which has very cheap housing. It's not unknown for schools to try it on and get teachers out there, but I wouldn't wish the place on my worst enemy. The school where I worked that did try to put teachers new out there received conditional resignation letters within the first month (In the UAE you have a 6 month probationary period in which either side can terminate the contract with no notice) (Of course, the school buckled and out the teachers somewhere acceptable). Khalifa City A is outside the main city but has built up a lot recently and there's plenty happening in the area. It's not perfect, but it's not bad, especially if you have a family.

As a tip for anyone going to work in the UAE, do ask your potential employer about the housing. Get as much info as you can, and possibly even some pictures. Maybe tell them that you heard a few horrible stories about housing in the UAE and you just want to make sure. They should probably expect such questions, though I would also expect that ACS and ASD have good provision. Those are good schools.

Accommodation provision in Thailand is sweet. If schools are providing housing then the least you can expect is clean apartments with with a few facilities, such as laundry shop downstairs, a mini 7-11 type place. Most apartments have nice balconies and and should be close to public transport. In Thailand, I've heard of some people having nicer apartments than others, and of course some schools don't offer accommodation at all, but for those that do have apartments provided I've never heard of anyone hating their place. Thailand do apartments well.

[nikkor]

I remember hearing some time back that there is a school in Morocco that has a row of teacher houses all facing the beach. Does that ring a bell for anyone?

[jbiersteker]

Have had many friends at JIS and the housing has always been exceptional, though Jakarta is not everybodies' cup of tea. We live in Seoul in an apartment, but it has three bedrooms and the neighbourhood is quiet at night.

[PrettyExpatriate]

*bump*

Can anyone speak on or post photos of housing accommodations for:

Universal American School Dubai
Bradenton Prep Sports City
Shanghai American
GEMS Metropole Motor City
American International School Abu Dhabi?

Thanks in advance!

[Fraisinette]

Mike - can I ask which school you are at? My family and I would Ideally like to be placed in the ME .

Thanks!

[vandsmith]

i work at a school in abu dhabi. the school provided housing is a bit better now, but it took the school a long time to move. the apartments they had before were mould-filled, pipes were leaking and flooding, electrical was giving me shocks whenever i touched the stove - it was in the downtown area so location was good it was just old. one teacher even contracted some sickness due to the mould. locals rolling up choking the streets honking at the lebanese food places - pretty ridiculous actually. one of the main reasons the school left was because it was to be torn down next year! it's hard to find good places for teachers on island, but at the same time they are a little chincey with the allowance amount. UASD is our sister school and the two schools couldn't be further apart in terms of...well, everything.

and the housing came with a roommate your first year unless you were a couple. silly in my opinion, making grown people live with a room mate. a lot of teachers didn't like that aspect but they were warned at interview. after the first year, you could move to a new place if you chose to take the housing allowance to find your own place, but not much decent stuff available in the city for the amount they give. i've had more luck finding a great place with my housing but i'm married so we get double.

i have friends (also married) at ACS and they have a pretty sweet house. i know they they get a good amount for housing. ADEC teachers get the most in abu dhabi i think, so their houses are alright.

don't know about dubai.

[sciteach]

I guess there are many different factors when considering accommodation and schools. I'm currently based in central asia and my apartment is large, reasonably nice and includes most of the basics that you need. My co-workers also have reasonable apartments but I'm also aware that other schools in the same country in which I live have horrendous apartments.

However - in developing nations I guess it's more about what is available. In the country that I'm in, I think that my school has chosen the best they can get for a reasonable price. All I'll say is that some countries have no idea of good use of space (but I guess that's better than having a small apartment)....

[Overhere]

Shanghai American generally has excellent housing. The Puxi housing is very close to the school in a couple of different compounds, with the option after the first year of taking a housing allowance and moving downtown. Pudong has housing about 45 minutes away as well as some close to the school for families as well as the option of a housing allowance. Overall we have been very happy with what has been supplied.

[pattenke]

I'm in Salvador, Brazil and we all have 2-3 bedroom apartments directly on the beach. A lot of buildings also have nice pools and gyms. I would say housing and good neighborhoods are definitely some of the perks of living here. The city itself, however, leaves much to be desired :)

[Yo Teach']

.

[nikkor]

I would prefer SAS Pudong's Green Court 1 housing over Puxi's Racket Club. The Green Court 1 apartments retail for well over 1 mil USD! Plus the Jinqiao neighborhood has a lot more to offer than Judy town.

http://www.joannarealestate.com.cn/shan ... sp?pid=116

[turinbrakes]

GEMS schools in Dubai and the rest of the UAE are currently providing VERY POOR accommodation.

Many horror stories that as a company they are trying to supress and many staff have left because of issues.

These include....

Apartments directly next to building sites where work takes place 24 hours a day.
Bathrooms flooding and kitchens tiny/unusable and also furniture provided terrible.
Staff housed in known red light areas.
Air con not working when absolutely essential because of the heat.
Operations teams at the schools with a poor grasp of English so problems don't get sorted or are just completely ignored.
Staff housed in apartments blocks with no connection to phone or internet services.

this list could go on.......

AVOID

[wayfarer]

any asian school provide housing.

Any opinions / views / comments ?