by Elizabeth Cox
Every journey starts with a single step, and that holds true for a career in college and university student housing. While some journeys certainly do follow the previously worn tracks, others forge their own trail. In a time when campuses are reporting an inordinate number of unfilled positions, understanding what these different first steps may be – and where they may lead – is essential to planning for the future of departments, organizations, and institutions.
A March 2023 article published in the Journal of Student Affairs Inquiry explored career entry points for student affairs professionals and revealed the top four influences on the choice to work in the field: experience as a student during their bachelor’s degree, wanting to work in a higher education setting, the type of work done in student affairs, and encouragement from someone in the field. These tend to mirror what can be described as the typical path into campus housing: A student is an RA or has another role in a residence hall, they want to work on a dynamic college campus, they love working with students and helping people, and they were encouraged by a mentor to join the field. This pathway is typical inside the United States. However, is the typical path the only path? Campus housing professionals outside the U.S. – and increasingly inside the U.S. as well – demonstrate that it isn’t.
Student housing and hospitality services, particularly hotels and hostels, have much in common. Both attract people interested in entering a service industry, and both have operations that involve a wide variety of functions and require staff to hold a similarly wide range of skills to work in different areas. This is why moving from hotel management to student housing can be an attractive career change. Radek Chuchrak is a manager for BaseCamp, a real estate company that operates student housing throughout Europe. He moved from managing hotels inside and outside of Poland to managing a student residence in Lodz, Poland, intrigued by the idea of taking care of and helping students where he could apply his service and business skills from hospitality in a new dynamic environment.
Kathrine Andersen, director of operations for Xior Student Housing Nordics in Denmark, notes that the blend of service, real estate, and operations drew her into student housing. She also loved the idea of applying her experience of opening hotels to the act of opening student residences. Similarly, Sally Qian is a co-founder of the Purple House, a PBSA (purpose-built student accommodations) company in Malaysia, whose career started with opening hostels for students. “As I have stayed in various types of student accommodation as both a domestic and international student in three countries, my experience has helped me to understand a student’s needs, struggles, and priorities in terms of housing. Looking back and connecting the dots, somehow my life experiences have led me to where I am and have unknowingly prepared me for my current role.”
While a hospitality or hotel background may be more common within privately operated student housing systems, that should not discount the skills these experiences can bring to a campus environment. The focus on service, the willingness to work with a diverse customer population, and the understanding of the business can be valuable additions to a campus department or private operator.
In other cases, professionals have powered their first steps toward campus housing with their classroom experience and skills for student engagement. Tatsiana Andrushka, an assistant manager for a PBSA property in Wroclaw, Poland, started her career in linguistics and translation. “My career started as a university teacher of interpretation and translation in Minsk, Belarus. I worked mainly with the foreign department, so I was dealing with students from all over the world. Working with students was a lot of fun. As strange as it may seem, my previous background is very compatible with what I am doing right now. It has a lot to do with teaching and upbringing.”
Rebecca O’Hare, an assistant director for student accommodation at the University of Leeds, took a similar pathway, working as a teacher before transitioning to student housing. “I was working in further education and had been for three years. I really loved it, but especially loved the interaction with students. I was fascinated by the idea of living and working in student accommodation, and I really wanted to develop in a position where I could support and improve the lives of students even further. I applied for the role, got the position, and haven’t looked back.”
Student housing and hospitality services, particularly hotels and hostels, have much in common. Both attract people interested in entering a service industry, and both have operations that involve a wide variety of functions and require staff to hold a similarly wide range of skills to work in different areas.
Similarly, Jacob Waitere, a general manager for UniLodge, a purpose-built student accommodation operator in New Zealand, also used his work experience in education as a pathway into the field. “My first exposure was as a volunteer civil defense warden for my hall of residence at uni. This then led me to become an RA and then a mentor for Maori and Pasifika students. It was here that I really learnt my passion for this area of education.” Barbra Pansiri, director of student welfare at the University of Botswana, has spent her whole career in higher education across faculty and administration and now oversees a portfolio of functions including student accommodation. She noted the importance of working in a variety of education areas: “Moving into different focus areas helped me to nurture skills to help, connect, and advocate for students from several perspectives.”
From England to Botswana to New Zealand, a career in student housing does not have to start with being an RA or attending graduate school. In many cases, simply being exposed to residence halls and communities from different areas can open the door.
Hannah Searle, a student accommodation recruiter for The Management Recruitment Group in the United Kingdom, works with both university and private housing clients, meeting the different expectations of each group. In private housing, while industry experience is preferred, employers are willing to look past this depending on the role and expectations, while universities will often privilege higher education experience and have extensive selection criteria. Private companies may look outside higher education, considering the experience an applicant has with hospitality and leisure facilities. Searle notes that, in any case, “The current job market is competitive, and some compromises may need to be made,” an opinion echoed by a growing number of professionals.
There is no one clear path into the student housing industry. Looking across the globe shows that certain experiences may lead people toward the field. Service and people-oriented industries can provide the kind of experience and skills needed as student housing professionals. Whether in campus departments or private operations, the core of a student housing professional is the same – they love working for students and in a unique environment. However, organizations and hiring managers may tend to privilege certain industries and experiences. What great talent is being missed by not looking beyond the normal channels and experiences? How do screening questions and job ads look for people who could be future contributors to the field even if they possess no background in it? As these examples demonstrate, there is a growing acceptance to looking beyond the typical journey of RAs and opening campus housing departments up to a great big world of talent.
Elizabeth Cox is chief of staff at BaseCamp Student in Berlin, Germany.
