The International Schools Review Forum

Hello there, As I search through job possibilities and reviews, I feel like I need to know more about the type of housing I will be assigned by a school. I know that some provide an allowance, while others actual school housing. Which schools have the best housing or housing allowance making for a comfortable home? Thanks,

Depends what you are looking for. We don't get a housing allowance at our school, but most families live in 3, 4, and even 5 bedroom houses with yards and driveways, in safe villages/compounds with access to a pool and sometimes a gym.

IS BKK
NIST BKK
Patana BKK

ASIJ. You get an allowance (unless you are admin) but there are also many very nice and good sized (for Tokyo-ish) houses with small yards within a pleasant walk to school (and you are an easy walk to a train line.

BCIS (Beijing) provided very nice and spacious apt.s right across from school or offered the option of taking a generous housing allowance.

American School of Doha.

New teacher compound. Pool: chiller in the summer, heater in the winter. 2 tennis courts, 1 b-ball court. Squash court. Restaurant. workout room. billiards room, shop. And buses to school! Villas for couples, apartments for singles.

Probably not going to be useful, as such a broad question is very difficult to respond to, as a field we have a difficult time defining what an IS is and how many ISs there are. There are just a large number of variables that can influence satisfaction and what happiness with housing is. In general:

1) The higher the tier the better the housing tends to be, as the higher housing benefit they generally provide.

2) ISs in major capital cities offer the widest and most diverse housing options available. Its difficult to fault a smaller sub urban area that has fewer options, in which the high end of whats available may be only mediocre to westerners.

3) What you wouldnt think of as factors can be the deciding factor. In Japan, how far your housing is from a train station is a major factor in cost. What appears run down but is located within sight of one of the stations in Shibuya can be very pricey.

4) ISs that provide housing directly, generally do so in one of three ways: A) The housing is directly on campus; convenient, super short commute time, but you feel like living in a fish bowl, and usually have to be "on" when outside. B) Off campus housing thats within walking or biking distance, typically around 10 minutes. Convenient still, but can be some commute to get anywhere else. C) Off campus housing thats a significant distance away, usually this is to save money or provide western style amenities. ISs will typically provide some form of shuttle service at least twice a day.

5) Housing allowances may be taxed where as provided housing typically isnt. This can create a meaningful differences within an IS.

6) Utilities may fluctuate throughout the year. ISs have different policies for housing and utility allowances. You may find yourself with the utility allowance included in the housing allowance or is a separate allowance. Some ISs pay only what the actual utilities are up to a certain limit. Meaning some months your allowance may not cover all your utility costs and some months it will, but you wont get the difference.

7) You generally have more options if you arrange your own housing and take an allowance. If you live in provided housing often the rules are whatever the IS says they are. You may not be able to remain in your housing over summer holidays, etc.

8) ISs may have policies requiring provided housing for 1st year ITs and the option for an allowance after your first year, or some other time period.

9) Housing quality and costs can vary greatly, in one region you may be able to get 3 bedrooms all high end furnishings (leather, marble, etc) and appliances for a few hundred. In another region you may get the equivalent of a small studio or efficiency thats a couple thousand.

10) What you consider comfortable and desirable may not be what someone else does. A single person might want a crash pad thats in the heart of the city, another single person might want something more culturally authentic. A coupe, might want something more western, and a family with kids might care about the availability of parks or some other priority.