TasTAFE Student Accommodation Options
For TasTAFE students, there are a number of options available:
- Temporary Accommodation
- TAFE on campus Accommodation
- Homestay with TasTAFE
- Rental Accommodation
Temporary or short term accommodation is a good option when you first arrive in Australia. This gives you time to explore living options and find the right place to live. Before you arrive it is a good idea to book short term accommodation. This allows you time to look for permanent accommodation so that you can choose something that is best for you.
Help and advice
We have international student advisors in Hobart and Launceston, who can assist with TasTAFE homestay and TAFE on-campus accommodation. Please note If you choose to live in a private rental or shared house accommodation, It is your responsibility to make these arrangements.
Temporary Accommodation
Temporary or short term accommodation is a good option when you first arrive in Australia. This allows you time to look for permanent accommodation so that you can choose something that is best for you.
Budget accommodation – Hostels
There are hostels in and around the cities of Hobart and Launceston, which offer affordable short term accommodation. Most have a mix of private rooms and dormitory style accommodation.
These websites allow you to compare hostels by price and read reviews (please note these are all external websites and are not related to Government Education Training International):
Discounted online rates – hotels
You can access cheaper hotel rates by booking online, if you book close to the time of your departure (please note these are all external websites and are not related to Government Education Training International):
Homestay with TasTAFE
A homestay involves an international student paying to live with an Australian family in their home.
Homestay is like a home away from home; a welcoming place where you can study, relax, and be part of a local Tasmanian family. Living in a Homestay is also a fantastic way for you practice your language skills in an English-speaking environment.
TasTAFE offers a very flexible homestay program. The cost of your homestay will vary depending on what you would like your homestay host to provide. The cost will vary based on whether you would like full board including all meals, or whether you just require a room and will manage your own meals. You are encouraged to negotiate the kind of arrangement you want with your homestay host, including laundry and meals.
For example:
- Full board – access to food for three meals per day, from AU$200-AU$240 per week
- Room only – students supply own food and share household chores, from AU$140-AU$180 per week
Your homestay accommodation will be organised by your TasTAFE International Student Advisor before you arrive in Tasmania. If you would like to live in a Homestay when you arrive in Tasmania, you will need to advise GETI soon after you apply to study.
If you choose to live in a homestay, you can move in up to one week before your course start date.
TAFE on campus Accommodation
Student accommodations are an excellent option for those looking to live near to or on campus, with the independence of having one’s own apartment plus the ease of an inclusive housing plan.
The residences are large buildings containing a number of units. Each unit is shared by four students. The units have four private bedrooms – one for each resident – and a shared lounge room with TV, bathroom, toilet, and kitchen with a refrigerator and small stove.
You will not have to worry about furnishing your place or organising utilities, and you can live to your own schedule.
There’s a real emphasis on community within student apartments and accommodation, Within the residences, there are also shared facilities available to all student residents. These include Wifi, a games room with billiard and table tennis tables, a general student lounge, and a coin-operated laundry.
Student residences are located on TasTAFE campuses in Hobart and Launceston. In Hobart, Student residences are located at the Clarence Campus. In Launceston, the residences are located at the Alanvale Campus. Both residences are serviced by public transport and are approximately 20 minutes from Hobart and Launceston cities, although bus services are limited of an evening and on weekends.
If you would like to live in a Student Residence, you will need to advise GETI soon after you apply to study.
Rental Accommodation
Renting a place means you select the location, people, furniture, food and internet connection. However, you are responsible for organising and paying for these things yourself.
Expect to pay anywhere between $150 to $270 a week for rent, depending on how many people you share with and where you live. Utilities such as gas, electricity and water bills are not usually covered in rental costs.
Most places require an upfront security payment, often called a bond. This is generally the equivalent of one month’s rent and is used in case you cause any damage to the property.
Many students studying at TasTAFE choose to live in a private rental property, often with a friend or two. Hobart and Launceston are very accessible cities. There is no need to live far away from the city as in Sydney and Melbourne. There are no traffic jams and it is much more affordable in Hobart so you can find the right place, very close to your studies and the city.
Private rental in a flat or house can only be arranged after you have arrived in Tasmania. Most students first register with a real estate agency, then apply for a property they are interested in after an inspection. Renting properties in Hobart and Launceston is more affordable than other Australian capital cities. You will find accommodation close to the city and your study campus. There is no need to live far away, as our cities are so accessible. Please note: the rental market in Tasmania can be quite busy around January and February, due to many students commencing their studies. GETI recommends either finding temporary accommodation such as a hostel or homestay. Then once students are more settled, the search for other accommodation options will be easier.
Recommended websites to look for rental accommodation (please note these are all external websites and are not related to Government Education Training International):
Domain website www.domain.com.au/rent
RealEstate.com www.realestate.com.au/rent
Gumtree www.gumtree.com.au
Hobart based Real Estate Agents: LJ Hooker http://hobart.ljhooker.com.au/
Find a house share accommodation with flatmates through:
au.easyroommate.com
flatmates.com.au
flatmates.com.au/hobart
You can also:
- Consult local real estate agencies
- Search Newspaper classifieds