Accommodation: Finding the right place to live can make all the difference

• Often, you’ll be offered help from your host institution in finding a place to live abroad; if you’re attending a university you may be provided with suitable accommodation, usually in students’ Halls of Residence. This may not always be the case though, so you need to clear before you leave. Read Edward’s experience here.

  You can also share rented flats, but try to do extensive research on the best places to live. As Newcastle University advises, sometimes it may be worth contacting students who’ve previously been to the same destination about this topic, perhaps even to actually ask about renting their flat when they leave.

  If you’re learning a language, you should consider the upsides of living with native speakers of your target language, instead of with other UK students, but this can be harder to arrange if you’re not in-country when you’re researching accommodation. This can be a real benefit of living in Halls of Residence, particularly if they are self-catered - the opportunity to make friends in the kitchens and dining hall every evening can make your Year Abroad truly memorable.

  It is also possible that if you are undertaking work such as a teaching post in a village or a small town you may be offered the opportunity to live with a local family. At small rural schools, for example, it is not uncommon for a teacher to offer their home for the year. This is a fantastic opportunity to expose yourself to both the target language and local culture in a welcoming environment where you should be able to get help with anything you need to do or know. It is also likely to be quite a bit cheaper than renting your own place, although of course you should offer to contribute towards costs!

  If you have any advice, reviews or stories relating to accommodation, please post them here for inclusion by our moderators.