Accommodation

Finding accommodation as an international student in Galway

By Alli Stoppkotte

Finding accommodation as an international student in Galway can be very challenging, but if you start early and keep looking, your hard work will eventually pay off. And when I say early, I mean very early!

When I first started planning my move from Nebraska in the United States to Galway, Ireland, I mistakenly thought that finding accommodation would be easier in Ireland than the US. I knew it was tough trying to find housing in America but I never thought I would struggle with finding housing as much as I did here in Ireland. The one thing I’ve learned is: if it seems too easy or too good to be true, it probably is.

The thing that they don’t tell you about finding accommodation, is that you must start early. By early, I mean months in advance as opposed to weeks in advance. I wasn’t used to how the housing market worked in Ireland, so I just went from what I knew about finding housing in sweet, empty, spaced-out Nebraska. That was the wrong decision.

I found out I was going to be attending my master’s degree at NUI Galway at the end of April 2021, and my first mistake was starting the search in July. I should have started when I got the acceptance email. What I didn’t anticipate was the fact that Galway, like much of Ireland, is experiencing a housing crisis, made worse by the global pandemic.

Everyone knows how tough it can be to move to a new city. Having to pack up all your things, saying goodbye to your family and friends (and dog), and leaving everything you know behind is one of the toughest things a person can do in their life. But what do you do when you move to an entirely different country? On top of that, how do you find somewhere to live?

It’s hard to rely on any one method for house-hunting, for instance the Facebook group ‘Galway House Hunting for Sound People’ looks like a good idea on paper but most people I know said they never got any leads through it. The majority of communication is through Facebook private messages, which is a danger in itself because more often than not messages get lost in the shuffle.

Something that every person needs to be aware of amid their house-hunt are scammers. I didn’t even have the slightest that something like this could be a problem in the housing market, but boy was I wrong. I never knew that there could be so many people out there that take pride in scamming someone into thinking they’ve just scored a room in a house. I’m ashamed to say that I have even fallen victim to a scammer or two while house-hunting in Galway. One sure fire way of identifying a scammer is if they offer you the room right away and then start asking you for your personal details and/or your bank information. This should always go without saying, but DO NOT GIVE OUT ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOURSELF ONLINE. It’s a recipe for disaster and will just have you being forced to deal with a bunch of unnecessary stress in the long run.

Something I’ve found to be incredibly beneficial when house-hunting is to have connections with people. I know what you’re thinking… how am I going to make connections when I’m not over in Ireland yet? It probably seems near impossible. On the bright side, there are oodles of ways to make good connections before you move across the pond. First of all, if you’re going to school, there more than likely will be a Facebook group dedicated to your specific course. You can also contact your programme director and they would be able to connect you with people. Also, NUI Galway’s accommodation office will either be able to help you find housing or point you in the direction of someone who can.

At the same time, you most likely will experience some hardships before settling down in your house. For example, I spent three weeks living in a hotel before I was able to move into my accommodation. You may think living in a hotel sounds nice, but it can turn out to be an expensive nightmare. The important thing is that you learn to push through.

The bottom line is, do not be discouraged when it comes to finding accommodation in Galway. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t complicated and frustrating, but it can all work out in the end. All you need to know is where to look.