Types of Accommodation for Language Study Abroad A | Share House

Hello, this is Awork Academy.

If you're heading off on a long-term language study abroad program rather than a short trip,
you'll need to secure a "place to live" for your time abroad.

Which type of housing you choose
depends a lot on your budget, lifestyle, and priorities.

This time, among the many types of accommodation available,
we'll introduce the "share house," which many students choose.

What Is a Share House?

A share house is
a type of housing where several people live in the same home and share the living space.

Some share common areas like the kitchen, bathroom, and living room

Others are "room share" types, where even the bedrooms are shared by multiple people

There are a few different forms like this.

You'll find them in Japan too, especially around universities and in city centers, but
overseas, share houses are one of the easiest types of housing to find for language study.

Advantages of a Share House

① Lower Living Costs

Since you're sharing a home with several other people instead of living alone,

a major advantage is that rent and utility costs are easier to keep down.

Rent is relatively cheap

The deposit is often small, or sometimes not required at all

Utility costs can be split among everyone

Because of this, share houses are popular among language students who want to keep costs as low as possible.

② More Chances to Use English

Unless it's a share house exclusively for Japanese people,
it's common to live together with students of various nationalities.

Even if everyone's native language is different,
English is often used as a common language,
which naturally creates an environment where you use English in daily life.

Since English speakers often live there too,
it's a great environment in terms of improving your English ability.

③ Relatively High Freedom

With homestay, another type of accommodation,
you need to fit in with your host family's lifestyle and rules.

There may be a curfew

Mealtimes may be fixed

Household rules can sometimes be strict

In that respect, while a share house does have some minimum rules,
it's characterized by relatively free living and easier privacy.

Disadvantages of a Share House

① Trouble with Roommates

Communal living takes more consideration than you might expect.

Especially in an environment where people of different nationalities and cultures come together,
trouble can arise from differences in lifestyle habits and values.

Of course, you might also meet friends you really click with, but
you need to understand that compatibility issues can happen.

② Inconvenience of Shared Spaces

In many share houses,
the bathroom and kitchen are used by multiple people.

The bathroom might not be free during busy morning hours

You might not be able to shower right away at night

and small stresses like this can build up over time.

③ Housing Management May Be Lacking

If the owner doesn't live on-site,
and the rules are vague, management can sometimes be lacking.

For example,

Shared spaces staying dirty

Parties happening frequently late into the night

Too many visitors making it hard to settle down

You may find yourself troubled by situations like these.

Summary | Choosing the Right Share House for You Matters

This time, we introduced
the features, advantages, and disadvantages of share houses.

A share house

lets you keep costs down

and offers a high degree of freedom

but along with these appeals,
there are also things to watch out for in relationships and daily life.

For that reason, when choosing a share house,
it's very important to actually view the place in person, check the rules carefully,
and choose a property that suits you.

Also, when looking for housing overseas,
be very careful, as there are cases of getting caught up in scams and other trouble.

In our next piece,
we plan to introduce other types of accommodation besides share houses (homestay, student dormitories, etc.).

On Awork Academy's official website,
we share information on a variety of topics to help with your language study life.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us anytime.