More Than a Place to Live: How Student Residences Are Becoming Career Hubs
For parents sending a child to university, the financial calculus is rarely straightforward. From tuition, housing and living expenses, the numbers add up quickly.
What most families don’t realize is that the right housing choice can offset the costs. Not through loans or financial aid, but through employment embedded in the residence where students live.
This is the model that the largest operator of student housing in Canada, Canadian Student Living, developed by Forum Asset Management, has built into its properties.
For Marion Muhoza, that choice changed everything.
Originally from Burundi, Marion lived in Orléans for a decade before starting her degree in conflict studies. Although home was only a 20-minute drive away, she moved into Theo Ottawa, a Canadian Student Living residence, for the cost savings and convenience of living closer to campus.
“It was the perfect balance between living on your own and living on campus. You have a support system around you, but you also have your own apartment. It was close to everything. We never had to pay for a commute,” she recalls.
What she did not anticipate was how that decision would jumpstart her career.
Marion bonded quickly with building staff, who managed everything from operations to student programming. Inspired by the work, she applied to become a part-time residence representative.
That role evolved into something more than just a part-time job. Soon, Marion learned the skills of the trade in resident relations and property management–and realized it was the path for her.
Today, Marion works as the general manager for Canadian Student Living’s two student communities in Montreal, ALMA Shaughnessy Village and ALMA Quartier Latin. She oversees leasing, administration and most importantly, delivering the kind of residence experience that opened doors for its residents, just as it did for her.
“It’s a great place to live and learn how to be on your own. If you’re an international student, or if you’re just new in town, it can be jarring. We have events almost every week to bring students together.”
Marion’s story is not an outlier. Her experience is the outcome of a model designed for opportunity. Across Canadian Student Living’s portfolio–spanning over 25 communities and thousands of beds in major university cities from Montreal to Vancouver–residents have access to paid opportunities right where they live.
Dan Badié, a third-year aerospace engineering student at Carleton University, works as a residence representative at 1 Eleven, a Canadian Student Living community in Ottawa.
Dan took the role, his first job, and it delivered more than compensation. “It’s beyond work for me. I can really feel a sense of community: there are people I care for, that also care for me.”
The accounting value for families is immeasurable. Students earn income and build practical work experience, all while staying connected to campus.
And for the students, the returns extend well beyond the paycheque. In these communities, scheduling works with individual academic demands. And because the employer is their residence, the workplace is a stable, familiar one.
Even for those on specialized career paths, the benefits carry forward. “You’re always going to learn,” Dan says. “You’re always going to find some skills that are transferable to whatever field you’re in.”
Marion shares the same advice with her student colleagues: “take this opportunity to learn about client service and communications. You can use everything you learn here for whatever you’ll do in the future.”
When exploring housing options, the distinction matters. Canadian Student Living provides more than just a place to live, it offers a secure environment where students can earn income and develop the skills and networks that will inform their careers.
At select properties, Canadian Student Living has begun introducing on-site mental health and wellbeing consultants, recognizing the role financial stress and wellbeing play on academic engagement.
These communities offer a professionally managed place to live and grow. With direct access to part-time opportunities, students can offset housing costs, build transferable skills and benefit from on-site professionals trained in student wellness.
Like Dan, and Marion before him, students today are navigating the same trade-offs they calculated: cost, safety, stability, opportunity. At Canadian Student Living, those factors make the model.