Accommodation Guide for Seasonal Workers
Where seasonaires actually live. Staff accommodation, private rentals, what to ask before signing, and how to share a room with strangers for five months without losing your mind.
Types of accommodation
Where you sleep for the season depends almost entirely on your employer. Seasonaires fall into three broad camps: those with staff accommodation included, those with a housing stipend, and the small minority who organise their own place. Each comes with trade-offs.
- Staff accommodation (included): The norm for winter chalet, hotel and lift company jobs. Usually a shared room in a staff block or inside the property. Basic but free.
- Employer-arranged flat share: Common with summer Mediterranean hotels. You are given a room in a shared apartment the company rents for staff. Deductions from wages vary.
- Housing stipend: Some watersports and beach clubs pay a monthly housing allowance and leave you to find your own. Popular in Greek islands and Croatia.
- Private rental: Rare in winter (almost no landlord rents for five months at a reasonable rate). More feasible in summer and for returning seasonaires with local contacts.
- Festival camping: A tent or campervan in a staff field for the event. Short-term, no frills.
What's included and what's not
"Accommodation included" is a broad term. Two offers using the same phrase can mean very different things. Before accepting, get specific answers on the following.
Questions to ask before signing
Room setup: Private or shared? How many per room? Bunks or separate beds?
Bathroom: En-suite, shared per floor, shared per block? Roughly how many share?
Meals: How many included per day on working days? On days off? Is there a staff canteen?
Bills: Is heating, electricity and wi-fi included? Any laundry charges?
Distance: How far from where you work? Walking distance or staff shuttle?
Deductions: Is there any rent deducted from wages, even nominally?
A legitimate employer will answer all of these directly. If answers are vague or deferred ("we'll sort it when you get here"), treat that as a warning. The best-run operators are proud of their staff setup and explain it clearly.
Red flags in a contract
Most operators are straightforward. A small minority are not. These are the warning signs that come up most often.
- No written accommodation terms: If the offer email does not mention acco, it may not be included. Ask in writing before accepting.
- High "nominal" deductions: A £100 a month charge for bunk-bed accommodation is reasonable. £400 a month is not. Compare against the local market.
- Vague room counts: "Could be 2 to 6 per room" usually means 6.
- Accommodation conditional on behaviour: Some contracts reserve the right to remove you from acco for vague reasons. Read the clause.
- Location unspecified: "Nearby" in a resort can mean a 45-minute bus ride.
- Curfews and visitor bans: Reasonable if stated up front, unreasonable if sprung on you later.
The acco-linked-to-employment clause
In most staff accommodation, losing your job means losing your bed the same day. This is standard and legal. The issue is mid-season dismissals without notice. A good contract specifies notice periods for both sides. A vague contract gives the employer all the leverage. Read before you sign.
Finding your own (if you must)
Occasionally you will need to organise your own. This is usually because you are in a role without included housing, or you want more privacy than a shared room allows. It is doable in summer, harder in winter.
- Alpine winter: Private rentals in ski resorts are thin on the ground and expensive. A studio in Morzine or Chamonix can be €800–€1,200 per month. Shared apartments are cheaper, around €400–€600 per room.
- Mediterranean summer: More supply, still pricey in peak months. A room in a shared flat in Ibiza or Mykonos often runs €500–€900. Book before arrival; walk-up prices are worse.
- UK festivals and summer work: Campsites, Airbnb rooms, or couchsurfing with local friends. Short-term, so flexible.
- Facebook groups: Most resorts have a long-running seasonaire housing group. Post early, be specific about dates, message direct landlords rather than agents.
Paying €600–€1,000 a month for rent turns the savings maths of a season on its head. If you can find a role with accommodation included for the same pay, take it.
Settling in with strangers
The hardest part of staff accommodation is the social side, not the physical one. You will share a small space with people you did not choose, often in a foreign country, sometimes in a different language. A few habits help enormously.
- Set norms in the first week. Cleaning rota, bedtime noise, shower times, shared fridge rules. Awkward once, easy forever.
- Invest in earplugs and an eye mask. Shift work means someone will always be coming or going when you are trying to sleep.
- Keep a padlock for your locker or case. Theft is rare but it does happen.
- Do not assume roommates will be your main friends. Most seasonaires socialise with colleagues from work rather than the people they sleep near.
- Leave the room during arguments. Resort towns are small. Unresolved friction in a shared room poisons the whole season.
- Respect the quiet hours. Coming in at 3am half-drunk and slamming the door is the fastest way to make enemies.
The small things that transform shared living
Earplugs, a decent eye mask, flip-flops for the shared shower, a hanging toiletries bag, a USB-charging battery pack, and a small reading light. None of these cost much. Together they turn a rough shared room into a liveable one. Pack them before you arrive.
Acceptance checklist
Before you sign any contract with accommodation included, make sure you have clear written answers on the following.
- Room type and number of roommates confirmed in writing.
- Bathroom arrangement and ratio.
- Meals included on working and non-working days.
- Utility bills, wi-fi and laundry treatment.
- Distance to work and shuttle availability.
- Any deductions from wages, stated in pounds or euros.
- Notice period on both sides of the contract.
- Partner and visitor policy, if relevant.
Create a profile on PeakWave and filter roles by accommodation included, staff meals and resort. It takes five minutes and costs nothing, ever.
Frequently asked questions
Is accommodation always included with seasonal jobs?
No, but it is the norm for winter ski roles. Over 90 percent of chalet, hotel and lift company jobs in the Alps include a bed. Summer Mediterranean work is more mixed. Hotel roles usually include accommodation, while independent bars, beach clubs and restaurants often do not. Festival jobs are almost always a tent or a campervan, not a room. Always confirm in writing before accepting.
Will I get my own room or share?
Shared is the default. Two to four people per room is typical, with a single shared bathroom for the floor. Private rooms usually come with senior roles (chalet manager, hotel supervisor) or are offered as a perk for returning staff. If a private room matters to you, ask on the interview, not after you have signed. Some operators offer a private room upgrade for a small monthly deduction.
Is food included with staff accommodation?
Sometimes. Chalet operators usually include one or two meals on working days. Hotel staff often get a staff canteen with free meals during shifts. Bar and restaurant roles rarely include food. Summer beach clubs almost never do. Read the offer carefully. A job paying slightly less with full board almost always saves you more than a higher-paid role with no meals.
What if I hate my roommates?
This happens. Staff accommodation is a lottery and some combinations do not work. Most operators will try to move you if there is space, but space is limited mid-season. Go in with low expectations, communicate directly about basic things like bedtime noise and cleaning, and accept that you will spend a lot of time out of the room. The people you share with are not usually the ones you socialise with most.
How does summer accommodation differ from winter?
Winter is tighter, colder and more communal. Chalet and hotel acco is usually inside the main property or a nearby staff block. Summer Mediterranean roles vary hugely. Some hotels have modern staff quarters, others give you a shared apartment ten minutes away, and some roles (beach clubs, watersports) offer a stipend and expect you to find your own. Check before you accept.
Can I bring a partner or a pet?
Partners in the same role occasionally get a shared double room, especially with larger operators. If only one of you is hired, your partner is almost never allowed in staff accommodation. Pets are a firm no in the vast majority of staff setups. If this matters, you need to rent privately, which changes the savings maths significantly.
Roles with bed and board included.
Create your profile and let employers with staff accommodation find you. Free, always.