Housing Information
Some companies offering co-op positions and internships to Georgia Tech students are not within commuting distance of campus. In such cases, housing assistance is a benefit that may encourage students to accept jobs in locations outside of metro Atlanta. While some employers provide some form of housing assistance, others do not. To help you decide how to approach this issue, we have summarized below the most common forms of housing assistance:
- Provide housing up front at no cost to the student.
- Offer a housing stipend which may cover a portion or all of the costs.
- Deduct a set amount from hourly rate to pay for housing provided by company (e.g., subtract $3/hr.).
- Build the cost of housing into hourly rate paid to students, increasing their salary to help defray the cost of housing.
- Provide list of contracted furnished apartment complexes, rooms for rent and/or extended-stay hotels that offer short-term leases.
- Secure/lease furnished apartments for which students pay a discounted rate (e.g., $400/month, which is taken directly out of wages). The company pays the rest. Students do not pay any extra "hidden" fees such as utilities. The only extra a student pays is for long-distance phone service or high-speed Internet.
- Offer a "transitional allowance" at the beginning of the work term. This is a lump sum intended to assist the student with costs associated with moving (housing deposits, utility deposits, premium housing costs for shorter-term leases, contract termination fees, moving costs, etc.). Students receive this amount in their first paycheck.
- Offer realtor contacts/re-location services to assist students.
- Assist incoming students in contacting other students working in the same geographic area so that they can more easily find roommates and share tips about the preferred places to live. Also, provide a list of students working the previous term who may want other students to take over their apartment lease.
- Provide contact information of company employees who offer rooms or houses for short-term rent.
