Accommodation
Aside from finding the perfect English course and getting the right visa to study in the UK, the next most important thing is to find accommodation.
At Ingla, we don’t directly offer accommodation, but we can help you in your search for a place to live. Here are some common ways that our students find accommodation.
Private Rented Accommodation
Renting a room, or a flat, through an estate agent or directly from a private landlord is one of the most common ways to find accommodation in London. There are many good sources to help you to find the type of accommodation you want at a price that fits your budget.
Spare Room – Spare Room is another search engine, like Zoopla and RightMove, but this one focuses on shared accommodation. If you have a smaller budget, and don’t mind sharing a house or a flat with other people. One of the benefits of Spare Room is that you’ll normally find cheaper accommodation here, and sharing a flat can have the benefit of making you speak English outside the classroom.
Estate Agents – In Turnpike Lane / Wood Green, Ingla’s neighbourhood in London, there are a number of estate agents who can help you find accommodation for a fee. Capital Homes is one such estate agent, just opposite Ingla. Other agents in the area include Castles, Foxtons, and Wilkinson Byrne.
RightMove – This is another search engine, like Zoopla, that lets you search the London housing market for your specific needs.
Hotels, Bed & Breakfasts, and Airbnb
Another option for short-term accommodation are hotels, bed and breakfasts and Airbnb. The downside of this type of accommodation is that it’s a little more expensive, but the benefit is that it’s usually cleaner, better maintained and you have less responsibility as a tenant. Here are some useful links for this type of accommodation.
Airbnb – Airbnb is internationally recognised as a great way to find good, clean, safe accommodation at a reasonable price. Airbnb offers a variety of types of accommodation, either sharing with people or alone. One of the big benefits of Airbnb is that you have access to a kitchen and can make your own food. This helps to save money if you are travelling and studying on a small budget.
Green Rooms – Green Rooms is a hotel / hostel that is a community centre for the arts. Rooms and beds are affordable at Green Rooms, and the atmosphere is creative and friendly. They regularly host art exhibitions and musical performances for local artists.
Linton Apartments and Turnpike House – These are two options if you’re looking specifically for a high-quality apartment to rent for a short time. Both are very close to Ingla in Turnpike Lane and both offer flats in perfect condition.
As for hotels, the Travelodge in Wood Green, Premier Inn in Tottenham, and the Best Western in Finsbury Park are good, affordable options that are in close range of Ingla.
Homestay
Another common type of accommodation for students studying English in London is to live with a homestay family. This offers you the opportunity to spend all of your time at home with a family of native speakers from London.
Some people stay with a family for a short time, while others work for a family as an au pair taking care of their children. There are a number of organisations that will help to connect you to a family such as Britannia and Hosts International. For Au Pairs, there’s AuPairWorld and Smart AuPairs among other agencies. Homestay accommodation starts from approximately £125 a week.
Homestay Options
When choosing to stay with a homestay family, you’ll have your own bedroom, a desk to do your homework, and access to the family home. You’ll also have several meal plan options to choose from. Most meals are to be eaten with your host family unless you make different arrangements.
You are provided breakfast by your host family, but all other meals are your responsibility. Some Bed and Breakfast meal options allow you to use the family’s kitchen to cook the rest of your meals.
This includes breakfast and an evening meal. You will be responsible for your own lunch.
A Full Board meal plan means that you’ll be given breakfast and dinner at home, and you’ll be provided with a packed lunch to take with you during the day.
For this option, you’ll be given access to your homestay family’s kitchen to cook your own meals and space to store your food.
If you have special dietary or religious needs, most homestay families will be able to provide you with a vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, lactose-free, or halal meal plan for a small, extra fee.
We recommend arranging your accommodation through an accredited accommodation provider.
Here’s a website to help.
| Private Rented Accommodation | Hostel | Homestay | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Live with native English speakers |
Maybe |
Maybe |
Yes |
|
Price |
££ - £££ |
££ |
££ |
|
Own bedroom |
Maybe |
Maybe |
Yes |
|
Internet access |
Maybe |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Food provided |
No |
Probably breakfast |
Yes |
|
Location |
Anywhere in London |
Anywhere in London |
Anywhere in London |
When looking for a place to live in London there are so many options, and we haven’t even mentioned living with friends and family.
Each step of the way, Ingla can help you, so if you book a course with us feel free to contact us about accommodation.
The information on this page is intended as advice and opinion only. Ingla School of English does not provide accommodation, and cannot claim responsibility for the services provided by any of the third parties mentioned.
