Where to find a job that provides accommodation

The main types of jobs that come with accommodation are:

Hotel and catering jobs

The employers offering jobs with accommodation might be pubs, hotels and some restaurants. The types of jobs on offer could include:

• chefs
• waiting staff (waiters and waitresses)
• chambermaids and
• bar staff.

There used to be lots of opportunities for jobs of this type in London, but the numbers have fallen dramatically in recent years. The specialist Hotel and Catering job centre in London now only gets around five jobs offering accommodation a week and they are quickly snapped up.

The places to look for jobs of this type are:

The Lady Magazine - comes out every Tuesday and is priced at 85p. It includes jobs in the catering and domestic trades, many of which come with accommodation. The jobs on offer are in London, across the UK and abroad. The types of jobs advertised routinely include:

• nannies
• au pairs
• mothers' helps
• cooks
• chefs
• wardens
• matrons
• butlers
• gardeners.

Your local library should have a copy.

The jobs pages of your local paper are worth watching as is the local job centre. In London the Evening Standard features jobs in the hotel and catering trade on Thursdays. For details of your nearest job centre click on www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk.

TNT magazine - comes out every Monday and is free. It is available from pick up points across London (outside Tube Stations in central London) but covers jobs outside of London too. It often carries details of jobs that provide accommodation and these are also on its website which you can see by clicking on www.tntmagazine.com.

In London you could try the Hotel and Catering Job Centre at 1-3 Denmark Street, WC1 (nearest tube Tottenham Court Road). There is a specialist worker based at the job centre who tries to help homeless people get both jobs and homes. His name is Mike Driscoll and he can be contacted via the job centre or by phone on 07770 346539. Mike also runs a drop-in service outside the Odeon Cinema in Leicester Square between 9.30 am to 12.30 pm Monday to Thursday.

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Jobs with the National Health Service

The NHS has accommodation officers whose job it is to arrange accommodation for NHS employees if they need it. This includes rented accommodation as well as low cost home ownership (for more information on low cost home ownership click on Buying a home). Rented accommodation can often be arranged before you start your job.

You don't have to be a doctor or nurse. Any NHS employee can get accommodation if it is available, and there are a wide range of jobs. Some examples are:

• caretakers
• drivers
• hairdressers
• housekeepers
• laundry workers
• porters
• clerks and
• window cleaners.

For details of jobs available in the NHS click on www.nhscareers.nhs.uk. You can also phone the NHS Careers Helpline on 0845 606 0655.

For details of the accommodation on offer in different areas of London or elsewhere in the country click on www.nhs.uk/accommodation.

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Childcare and domestic staff

The types of jobs in this category include:

• nannies
• mothers' helps
• au pairs
• housekeepers
• carers.

Because of the nature of the work and because the accommodation offered is often in the employers own home, you will usually have to have good references to get a job of this type. Many of the posts are traditionally filled by women, but men are able to apply and there are also sometimes opportunities for butlers, gardeners, chauffeurs and handypersons.

Places to look include:

The Lady Magazine and TNT magazine (see details by clicking on Hotel and catering to go to the section above). Both of these magazines have adverts from employment agencies specialising in these types of jobs. They might be worth contacting for details of the types of jobs on offer, wages, what experience and references you'll need.

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Seasonal work

There are other types of jobs that offer accommodation, but which may last for a limited period only. Examples include:

• Farm work - farmers often offer accommodation to people taken on to help them with the harvest. TNT magazine (see details by clicking on Hotel and catering to go to the section above) sometimes carries adverts for jobs of this type.
• Holiday trade - holiday camps, hotels, restaurants and bars in holiday areas around the country often offer jobs with accommodation for the holiday season only (usually the summer only, but can stretch from Easter to October). Good places to look include The Lady and TNT magazines (see details by clicking on Hotel and catering to go to the section above). You might also want to try job centres in holiday areas which you can find by clicking on www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk.

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Click on these links to reach different parts of the website:
Private renting - Council or housing association - Buying your own home
Hostels - Jobs with accommodation - Moving out of London
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