During my third year at university, I lived in a hostel in Edinburgh. It was a mixed bag of meeting new friends and having no space to myself!
The facts
A housing crisis is undeniable, and who am I to go against? My previous semester found me contacting every apartment post on Facebook for viewings, without superb results. As a third year student, I was low in priority for campus accommodation, of which, my waitress salary could barely cover one week of the rent!
Many students in the UK sacrifice a personal, quiet room, and choose to share dorms in hostels, even volunteering for free accommodation. I joined this trend and volunteered with 60 others in a hostel, housing 200 visitors per night.
What/where/how?
Most hostels require assistants for cleaning and engaging with their guests. Typically volunteers work a set number of hours per week, in exchange for free accommodation (and sometimes free food or pocket money). My deal included 14 hours of work per week (or two per day) in exchange for accommodation. Despite the equivalent “salary” of £6 per hour, the flexibility of working in my pyjamas saved valuable time.
Tasks were pretty easy and ranged from housekeeping, such as changing bed sheets, to more engaging responsibilities, like reception or breakfasts shifts. The times also varied, from the early mornings (5-7am), to middays, and midnight shifts (12-2am). Even dull tasks, like changing sheets became very entertaining when accompanied by Disney songs in six different languages!
What I liked about living in a hostel:
- Minimum expenses: From heating to toiletries, living in a hostel relieved me of various expenses. The biggest relief of all? The rent, of course! But imagine not stressing about electricity bills either. Laundry was gratis and done for me (unless I was on laundry shift myself) and any leftover foods, toiletries, or clothes were shared on the “free table”. Something like the community fridge.
- Central location: What a privilege to live in Edinburgh’s old town, in the heart of the Gothic architecture. My favourite feature was waking up with bagpipes! (Yet, this feature stopped being my favourite after a couple of months…) Living in Edinburgh also meant having access to a wider job market, especially for side hustles. Tourism enhanced job opportunities in hospitality all year around, unlike the job market in Stirling (that pain).
- Unlimited socialisation: I am wavering whether this is a positive point or not, as it really depends on personality. Certainly, the hostel was a heaven for making friends. Socialising over a cup of tea, or joining the twice-a-week beer-pong provided ample opportunities to connect with travellers and fellow volunteers.
- The sense of community: Shared activities like cooking, random Wednesday jam sessions, and movie nights fostered a strong sense of family. Even a few-months of volunteering brought strong bonds and long-term friendships. While most people won’t be a fit, chances of finding friends in a group of 60 is pretty high.
As expected, things are not always ideal:
- Zero privacy: Sharing a room with 13 more girls, meant minimal personal space. Each volunteer gets a bunk bed and a set of four drawers for ALL their belongings. Forget about Mari-Condo techniques and go live in a hostel to identify the items you really need. Bathrooms, cleaned four times daily, were still shared among 60 people.
- Always noisy: Private rooms became a luxury I craved! My sleep was often disrupted by drunk roommates who returned from pub crawls at 4am, whereas my studies were interrupted by ambitious piano players with terrible skills!
- Lack of motivation to study: In the hostel, surrounded by travellers, the least fun thing to do was to write essays about tapeworms. Most fun activities would -of course- coincide with my deadlines, and I was deeply struggling to keep my career plans alive. Commuting didn’t help either, given the two-plus-two hours in public transport to get to the university and back.
Final thoughts
My experience in the hostel as a student was a mixed bag: I was living a dual life, while not being present in either part of it. I felt disconnected from both worlds: I wasn’t a real student, doing student stuff like being a member of societies. I wasn’t as present to the hostel life either, because my university responsibilities demanded time and energy.
However, I am very glad I did it! Through this experience I developed my time management skills and accomplished a good balance between university and hostel life. I have also learned to communicate better, be assertive, and develop cross-cultural understanding.
While not ideal for full-time students, volunteering in hostels is an experience I would recommend to anyone, and specifically to those who are:
- Exchange students in a less demanding universities (such as European destinations that require less investment in studying).
- Budget ravellers looking for an immersive cultural experience abroad. Good platforms to check out are: Workaway, Helpstay, and Worldpackers.
Next time you enjoy the silence of your room, remember the vibrant hostel life awaiting those who dare to volunteer!
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