How to Find Paid Work Abroad with Accommodation

One of the biggest things to think about when you’re trying to move abroad is where you’re going to live. Especially if you’re not familiar with the city or town, or you’re trying to find your bearings, it can feel like a lot of pressure to find a place to live. That’s why finding paid work abroad with accommodation is a great way to move abroad with all your logistics in one neat package.

How to Find Paid Work Abroad with Accommodation

Now, as paid work with accommodation abroad is a commodity, it’s not super easy to find a role. There are a few dedicated websites that you can search on, but a lot of them are fairly niche, so here are some quick guidelines for finding paid work abroad with accommodation.

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Keep your options open

First things first, you’re going to want to keep your options open. If you’re super narrow-minded or specific with your requirements, it’s going to be difficult to find something. If you know you want to be a ski instructor, keep your locations open, and maybe don’t set your heart on one specific resort.

On the other hand, if you’re set on a particular location, don’t limit yourself to just one type of role.

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Check the reviews and references

So, a lot of the people and businesses who are offering accommodation with paid work will have done so before. If you’re on a site like Workaway, you can easily see the reviews of previous workers, and from the owners themselves.

If you can’t find any online reviews of the business, ask them for references from previous workers.

Given that you’re going to be putting your working situation and accommodation choices in their hands, you’re going to want to know that they’re legit and they’re not going to con you in any way or leave you high and dry after you fly all the way out there.

Many paid work with accommodation businesses will be used to this question and be more than happy to assist you. If you can’t find any reviews or references, this might be a bit of a red flag.

Double-check the terms

As with any job contract or rental lease, you need to check the paperwork and the terms. Considering you’re tying your job to your living situation, you need to be extra careful about what you’re signing up for. Specifically, look at how easily you can get up and leave if you need to.

Also check if utilities are included or not, or if you need to pay a deposit upfront. All these little things add up and can really throw out your budget for your trip.

Paid Jobs Abroad with Accommodation

So, there are quite a lot of jobs and industries that offer paid jobs with accommodation. Whether that means that the accommodation is included in the job offer, or that the business will help you find reasonable accommodation in the area, there are normally a fair amount of options to choose from, especially if you’re not super fussy about the destination.

1. Ski Instructor

First up we have a classic work abroad job that normally has accommodation included in the remuneration package or they’ll at least have a whole host of recommendations for seasonal workers. This goes for many ski resort jobs, including chefs, bartenders, working in the chalets, and more.

As a ski instructor, you can work all around the world, but the most popular spots are in the Alps, Canada, the US, Japan, and New Zealand.

Obviously, ski resorts can be expensive places, far away from any other towns or cities where you might be able to find accommodation, which is one of the key reasons why many ski resort jobs include a place to stay.

Normally you’ll also have your ski pass included as well as some meals in certain cases.

2. Au Pair

If you’re looking for a job that revolves around looking after children, with a guaranteed place to stay, consider looking into becoming an Au Pair.

You’ll definitely need some kind of childcare experience, whether that’s babysitting, a college qualification, or substantial references, but it’s a great way to live and work in another country, without having to save a ton of money upfront.

Now, Au Pair salaries are notoriously low, but you’re going to have very limited expenses. You’ll be living with the family themselves, so you’ll also be eating with them the majority of the time.

Depending on the arrangement, you might also have access to the family car, or go on day trips to explore the local area’s attractions with the kids.

3. Workaway

Want to work in a hostel, or a vineyard, help set up a vegan community, or assist someone with their website? This is just a handful of the thousands of different roles available on the Workaway platform.

The whole ethos is that you can help out someone or a business with something they need in return for accommodation.

While the majority of the gigs on this site are voluntary in return for accommodation, there are some positions on the site that offer extra payment as well as accommodation. They’re very well labeled, so you don’t have to hunt that hard for them when you’re searching.

The site covers countries and cities all over the world, with some taking in multiple Workawayers at a time, so if you’re traveling as a couple or with friends, there are options open to you.

4. Pet Sitting

Consider yourself to be good with furry friends? You can easily stay in different cities and countries as a verified pet sitter. Much like with becoming an Au Pair, it’s all about the experience. After all, you wouldn’t want to entrust your beloved pet to a stranger with no clue about looking after animals.

You can find plenty of websites that’ll help connect you with jet-setting pet owners who are looking for a responsible person to stay in their home and look after their animals.

Sometimes it can be a small dog, sometimes it’s a full-on smallholding complete with chickens and goats, and everything in between. Take your pick!

5. House Sitting

Similar to pet sitting, house sitting is basically the same without having to take care of an animal. It’s normally people who just want to make sure that their house doesn’t look empty while they’re away on their travels.

So, you’ll live in their house and look after the place, it’s pretty simple. As you’re not paying for accommodation, there aren’t many expenses to consider. A lot of house sitting jobs are not paid, but there are some professional house sitters who can get paid up to £200 a day. Like I said, this is rare, but it is possible.

A lot of the time, house owners prefer couples rather than solo travelers, so if you’re traveling with a loved one, this might be an ideal solution.

6. English Language Teacher

Finally, we have a classic. If you get a job abroad as an English language teacher, then the remuneration packages tend to be pretty great. In return for your work, you’ll get a pretty decent salary – rising to amazing depending on which part of the world you’re in – and either help finding reasonable housing, subsidized housing, or accommodation included entirely free of charge.

a woman teaching an English class in China

If you’re working at a boarding school, you’ll also likely have your meals included. In some cases, the school or education company will also pay for your flights and bonus flights home for the holidays.

All in all, it’s a pretty sweet deal, but the hours are pretty intense as is the amount of work you have to put in outside of school hours, with lesson plans and admin.

So, if you’re looking for paid work abroad with accommodation either included in the remuneration package, or at least a company that’ll help you find a reasonable place to live, there are a ton of options.

One of the key things to remember is that you’ll have to be flexible with either your location or your role, but if that’s something that you can do, it’s a great and affordable way to see the world and live like a local! What are you waiting for?