Some of our biggest questions from people looking to teach English abroad are “Where am I going to live?” and “What will my TEFL accommodation be like?”
Lots of TEFL jobs have accommodation included and all of our TEFL internships include accommodation for free! We’ve headed out to our TEFL internship destinations to find out more about the accommodation and what you should expect when you arrive.
Cambodia
During your internship in Cambodia, you’ll be staying on the school campus in a converted classroom provided by the school. You’ll be staying with at least one other intern as each room houses two or three beds!
What to expect:
- You’ll be living in a shared room with at least one or two other interns – no need to worry about being lonely or feeling homesick, your roommates will quickly become your best friends during your internship and it’s great to have someone to share lesson plans and activities with!
- An on-campus location – you’ll never be late for class living here!
- You’ll be in a city centre location, our Cambodia internships are based in Phnom Penh, so you’ll be close to supermarkets, shopping centres, bars and restaurants – great for socialising after work!
- A basic kitchen to prepare meals, but it’s so cheap to eat out we expect you won’t spend much time in the kitchen
- Basic washing facilities – there will be a toilet, a sink and a shower for you to use on campus
- A safe for your valuables
- A clean and safe environment, although it will be your responsibility to keep your room clean and tidy!
- Free WIFI- you’ll be able to stay in contact with friends and family from home easily!
What not to expect:
- Modern living quarters – your room will be very basic with a couple of beds, a desk and a chair are generally all that will be included
- Private washing facilities – there will be toilets and washing facilities close to your room, however, these will be shared with other people living on campus.
Thailand
During your internship, you’ll be staying on the school campus in accommodation provided by the school. You’ll be living with at least one other intern and you’ll also be given a bike to get around on so there’s plenty of opportunity to get out and about in your free time!
What to expect:
- An on-campus house with a shared room – you’ll be sharing with at least one or two other interns. Our Thailand Internship lasts for 2 months, so you’ll quickly become very good friends with your roommates when sharing.
- Your house will include a basic kitchen with appliances such as refrigerator, kettle, microwave and toaster
- You’re in luck! In Thailand your lunches are provided by the school, so you don’t need to worry about meal prepping
- Free WIFIi – WIFI can often reach your house from the school
- A bike will be provided to you by the school to get around on – great for after-work socialising
- Clean and safe living environment – your safety is the most important thing to us, we do everything we can to make sure you are safe and supported during your internship
- Basic washing facilities are included in your house
What not to expect:
- Hot showers – a lot of showers in Southeast Asia are cold, but this is a great way to cool down from the lovely hot weather you’ll be getting!
- Modern houses – your house will be very basic, but you’ll have everything you need to get by.
Check out this video from two of our TEFL teachers in Thailand for more info. Spoiler alert, they say it’s better than any apartment they have EVER lived in, including their uni halls!
Spain
Internships in Spain do differ slightly from Thailand and Cambodia as you’ll be living in homestays with local Spanish families who’ll be there for you throughout your time in Spain.
What to expect:
- Your own private room, generally with a double bed and a desk
- You will be sharing the rest of the house with your family – make the most of this, they will have all the inside knowledge on the best places to go in your free time and help you pick up the local phrases
- A friendly family to live with – by the time your placement reaches an end, you’ll be speaking the lingo, having made new friends and might even have a second family in Spain!
- A clean and safe environment
- Houses in Spain are generally more modern than those in Southeast Asia -you’ll be living in a Western house with modern appliances
- Free WIFI – your family will have WIFI that you will be free to use anytime – so you can watch Netflix in bed (winner!)
- A kitchen with cooking facilities, often your family will include you in their meals (yes please!)
- Shared bathroom with toilet and washing facilities.
What not to expect:
- A private house to yourself, but this means you’ll never get lonely!
- Shared housing with other interns – there will be other interns at your school though and you can arrange to meet them in your spare time.
Vietnam
Although you will still be working in a school on your Vietnam Internship, you’ll be staying off-campus in shared accommodation with at least one other intern.
What to expect:
- Shared apartment or house with other interns, this can vary from one anywhere up six or seven – you’ll make loads of friends teaching English in Vietnam!
- A common living room that you will share with the other interns
- A basic shared kitchen with basic cooking facilities, including a refrigerator and a washing machine
- Depending on the house or apartment you are put in, you may have your own private room or you could be sharing with one other intern. Your room will have at least a bed and a desk
- You will have a shared bathroom in your accommodation with a toilet, sink and shower. Note, showers will generally be warm, but temperatures can be temperamental in Southeast Asia
- A clean and safe environment
- Free WIFI – WIFI will generally be installed in your accommodation.
What not to expect:
- Private living quarters – you will be sharing your home with other interns
- A modern apartment with lots of modern equipment – you’re living in Vietnam, so expect to live like the Vietnamese
- A kitchen with lots of appliances, you’ll just have the basics – we LOVE the food in Vietnam though, so you’ll probably end up eating out most of the time.
China
Much like Vietnam, on your China Internship you’ll be staying off-campus in shared accommodation with other interns in an apartment near your school.
What to expect:
- You’ll have a shared apartment – you’ll be sharing with at least one other intern but generally more
- Your apartment will be in a good location, near to your school so you don’t have to travel too far to get to class
- Communal living room that you will share with the other interns – great if you don’t want to go out, but still want to socialise after class
- Shared kitchen with all the basic appliances you will need to cook – if you choose to, China is cheap to eat out and the food is delicious!
- A shared bathroom in your apartment with a toilet, sink and shower – you’ll most likely get a hot shower in China!
- A clean and safe environment to live in – it will be yours and your housemate’s responsibility to clean
- WIFI – you’ll get WIFI in your apartment, but we doubt you’ll spend much time there with all the exploring you could be doing!
What not to expect:
- A really modern apartment, although China is generally more modern than Southeast Asia
- A large apartment as most apartments in China are relatively small – there will be enough space to live comfortably though!
Check out this blog by Aileen, one of our TEFL teachers in China, for her insight into what to expect from your accommodation.
Generally speaking, the accommodation in most of our TEFL Internship destinations is quite basic, but we think that makes your experience feel more authentic to the country you’re in. . You’ll be able to experience what life is really like in these countries as you’ll be living like the locals -not just as tourists!
