{"id":89225,"date":"2018-08-30T12:18:31","date_gmt":"2018-08-30T10:18:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=89225"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:23:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:23:04","slug":"rotterdam-hostels-flooded-with-internationals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2018\/08\/30\/rotterdam-hostels-flooded-with-internationals\/","title":{"rendered":"Rotterdam hostels once again flooded with international students"},"content":{"rendered":"

Searching for months. Fearing for scammers. Not or hardly invited for viewing. Forced to study in a dormitory with seven others. The dozens of students in Rotterdam hostels all run into the same problems through one common obstacle: not being able to find a room.<\/p>\n

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ROOM in the Van Vollenhovenstraat (about twenty students), King Kong in the Witte de Withstraat (about twelve), Sparks at the Westersingel (no idea how many), Mafkees in the Vijverhofstraat (four or five have been sleeping here for more than three weeks). All those hostels have international students in their dormitories. And they\u2019re not surprised, as they always have homeless students standing on their pavement at the beginning of the academic year for the last few years.<\/p>\n

'I've cried my eyes out' <\/h2>
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Four months ago she already began searching, calling and emailing, but Rina (19, IBA) still has no room. During the Eurekaweek she stayed in Hostel Stayokay, but her bed was already booked for the next period. \u201cThere I was. All the way from Estonia, with my five bags, still without a house.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now she is staying in King Kong, but the search continues. \u201cMy mother recently called to ask how it was, but at that time I had really turned off all emotions. Later, when the conversation with my mom made me think about the whole house search and the uncertainty, I cried my eyes out.\u201d Renting a room and transferring money from Estonia was not an option for her. \u201cThat was how my older sister got scammed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018There I was. All the way from Estonia, with my five bags, still without a house.\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Next to her is the 23-year-old Dutch Nienke who has just started college at the Willem de Kooning. She\u2019s already visited at least six houses, but was never chosen. Nienke had hoped that her classmates would have a golden tip. Unfortunately, that\u2019s not the case. Rina\u2019s new friends from the Eurekaweek are helping her with the house search. \u201cI had already seen all the ads they sent, but that\u2019s okay. They have promised that I can always crash on their couch. At least I won\u2019t be homeless. \u201d<\/p>\n

That gives the 19-year old some peace, but it\u2019s certainly not ideal. She\u2019s worried about the start of classes. Sleeping in a dormitory and making her assignments in the noisy common room isn\u2019t ideal. \u201cIt\u2019s very nice here, but I\u2019m here to study. I want to be able to focus on that.\u201d In addition, it costs Rina merely 15 euros a night, but it\u2019s not really cheap to stay in a hostel.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe actually do nothing else than searching for rooms all day long,\u201d say Rina (left) and Nienke (right)<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>

Permanent and persistent problem<\/h2>

That student housing is a problem in various Dutch cities, is once again clearly visible, says John van Harten. He\u2019s responsible for housing at the National Student Union (LSVb). \u201cThe fact that there are tent camps in Wageningen<\/a> and in Groningen<\/a>\u00a0makes it clear that the problem has not yet been solved.\u201d There has been a room shortage for years and that is a permanent problem. \u201cThe figures show a growth in the number of foreign students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

It\u2019s a persistent problem, according to Erasmus Student Network (ESN). \u201cIt would be ideal if the university could offer more housing, as it\u2019s the case in some other countries.\u201d When the students do find a living space, they quickly pay \u2018far too much\u2019, ESN warns. \u201cThe international students are so desperate that they accept any price.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dutch universities continue to attract students from all over the world, without making plans for their accommodation, says Van Harten. \u201cEducational institutions often make agreements with housing corporations that a number of rooms are reserved for students, but that\u2019s not enough. Universities don\u2019t take their responsibility accordingly; they recruit new students, but don\u2019t think about the housing.\u201d<\/p>\n

'High expectations with disappointing reality'<\/h2>

That is exactly what Mexican Mateo (21) and the 26-year-old Angel from El Salvador don\u2019t understand; \u201cWhy does the Netherlands create an image of a country with a lot of international relations if it doesn\u2019t think about where the internationals have to live?\u201d After his internship in the Netherlands, Angel was offered a job here, but an affordable house seems untraceable. In King Kong he met Mateo, who studies in Delft. \u201cI had a room that I sublet when I went to Germany for six months for my study. When I returned, the house was sold. As a tenant, I apparently had no rights because I was away for six months. This is my last year, it\u2019s not possible to live permanently in a hostel, is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

The two can\u2019t wrap their heads around how unclear the rules for landlords are in the Netherlands. \u201cIt\u2019s such a hassle in many places to find a house,\u201d says Mateo. \u201cMy sister studied in Utrecht for years, but when she moved to Berlin, she quickly found a house.\u201d Angel: \u201cPeople come here with sky-high expectations, but the reality is harsh.\u201d The young internationals feel let down, and they\u2019re not alone: \u200b\u200bstudents Emma and James told us before how frustrating their search is.<\/p>\n\n\t

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Read the story of Emma and James here<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t