Most of the jobs I'm finding outside of Thailand on sites these days don't provide 'free' housing. About a third provide a stipend, which covers the true cost (rent, utilities, et. al) in most cases. The remaining jobs provide nothing--no flat, no stipend, nothing.

I worked in Thailand for a year. Outside of Bangkok you'll get free housing if you work for a government school. That's not a bad deal. The problem is you won't be making much money. This is fine if you're not looking to make any. I AM looking to make money. I want compensation, as I don't get anything else doing the thankless task called TEFL teaching.

If one gets a stipend from a school it means he/she must rent a pad. This means a rather large deposit must be paid first. A deposit that'll be forfeited if the renter cuts out early.

'Free' housing? Yeah, right.