Frequently Asked Questions

Application Process

STEP ONE

Complete Application

STEP TWO

Phone Interview

STEP THREE

Divisional Interview

STEP FOUR

Find The Right Community

STEP FIVE

Accept The Offer

STEP SIX

Background Check

STEP SEVEN

Community Interview

STEP EIGHT

Program Approved

STEP NINE

Begin Your Program

General FAQs

What’s the difference between the onsite and offsite program?

Onsite Programs

  • Coordinator(s) live at the apartment community where they serve.
  • Typically a team of two, but can sometimes be one person.
  • In our conventional program, coordinators receive reduced rent.
  • In our resident services program (affordable and low-income), onsite coordinators who work full-time can receive a fully conceded (free) apartment and an hourly wage (all based on number of hours served).
  • Amount of hours served varies based on type of program. For conventional programs, it's typically 16-20 hours / week split between two people. For resident services (affordable and low-income), it ranges from 20-40 hours / week and is done by one person.

Offsite Programs

  • Coordinator can live anywhere.
  • Paid an hourly wage in exchange for hours served.
  • Hours vary based on type of program and are agreed upon in advance. It ranges anywhere from 5-10 hours / week for an offsite conventional program to 40 hours / week for our resident services (affordable and low-income), senior adults, or student housing.
  • In some cases, a coordinator can serve multiple communities at once.

The responsibilities for both the onsite and offsite programs can be summed up in three simple words: Care, Connect, Call. 

  • We CARE for people in our community.
  • We CONNECT them in relationships.
  • We CALL others to do the same.

If you don't know which program is right for you, that's ok! You can apply for either type of position and then, during your interview, our application specialists will help you decide which type of program a better fit for you.

Do you have paid positions?

Yes! Our offsite positions are paid hourly and can range from 5-40 hours/per week depending on the type of program you're interested in. When you apply, you can discuss options with your application specialist.

What are the minimum requirements to be a coordinator?

Apartment Life serves all residents regardless of their backgrounds and beliefs. As a faith-based non-profit, we select coordinators who align with the social and spiritual nature of our mission. Here’s what it means that we’re a faith based non-profit.

Some of the qualities we look for include:

    • Excited to love and serve neighbors from all backgrounds and beliefs

    • Spiritual and emotional maturity

    • Humility and teachability

    • Cheerful, grateful and gracious, even when others are negative 

    • Warm, personal, proactive and timely in communication

    • Ability to follow-through and meet commitments in a timely manner

    • Passionate about helping others experience God’s unconditional love

    • A strong relationship with a local church that aligns with Apartment Life

    • Involved in serving (within the church, another faith-based organization, or even their upcoming role with Apartment Life)

    • Able to embrace the business, social and spiritual values of the program

In addition, our coordinators must:

    • Be eligible to work in the U.S.

    • Be at least 18 years of age and able to provide proof of age

    • Have a valid driver’s license and proof of auto insurance

    • Be able to perform the duties of the job

    • Pass a criminal and sex offender background check

Why do I need a driver's license and proof of auto insurance?

Coordinators are responsible for shopping for event supplies, so reliable transportation is critical. Because of this, we are required to cover automobiles as part of our insurance policy to the apartment community. For you to be eligible for the policy, you must have a valid driver's license and auto liability insurance.

Why is a background check required?

Coordinators serve on behalf of Apartment Life, handle the community’s event budget, and develop relationships with apartment residents. For the integrity of the program and safety of the residents, Apartment Life runs a criminal and sex offender background check on all coordinators.

If you have concerns that you may be ineligible due to your background check, you can review the list of disqualifying items here:

  • Any matches in the national sex offender database
  • Any misdemeanors in the last five years (excludes DUI, traffic, or other minor misdemeanors)
  • Any felony convictions in the last 10 years

Can I serve at the apartment community where I live?

Maybe! If your community already has an agreement with Apartment Life and the position is vacant, there is a chance that you would be able to serve as the coordinator there. If your community doesn't have an agreement with Apartment Life, we have found it is rare that they will add it within the desired time frame.

We're happy to check on either scenario for you and will use your application, where you'll include the name of your current community, to begin that process.

Can I have a list of the open apartment communities?

Because the list of open apartment communities changes so frequently, we typically do not give out these details until after the divisional interview. You aren't applying for a specific apartment community - you're applying first to serve as a coordinator, and then we will match you with the apartment community near you that is the best fit.

How does the Apartment Life staff match me to an open position?

We consider the following details when matching an applicant with an open position at an apartment community: 

  • The personalities and strengths of the applicant(s) 
  • The demographics and needs of the apartment community
  • The location of the applicant’s commitments (work and school, etc.) and support network (friends, family, volunteers, small group, etc.) 

Can I work with Apartment Life if I already have another full-time job?

We welcome all work situations, as long as the individual(s) can give the time necessary to the program while balancing other responsibilities. Each community has different needs and requirements, and we’re happy to help you review all your commitments to see if being an Apartment Life Coordinator is a good fit for your current season of life.

Serving as an Apartment Life Coordinator requires having a lot of margin in your schedule, as well as availability on nights/weekends for events and to care for residents as opportunities arise.

Who pays for the events that I plan at the apartment community?

The apartment community provides a monthly budget for all community events and necessary supplies. The budget varies based on the size of the community, and it is the responsibility of the coordinator to follow all expense report guidelines and deadlines.  

How long does the application process take?

We value your time and commit to making the application process work as quickly as possible. After you are approved to serve as a coordinator, the placement process is much less predictable, and the timing depends on what open apartment communities we have near you, as well as your current living situation. Once you make it to the placement process, our specialists will be diligent to communicate with you regularly with status updates. 

Why do I need a support team?

As an Apartment Life Coordinator, you'll answer the call to step out and take the lead in caring for and connecting people in relationships within an apartment community. This type of serving and “doing life" with others requires community. You can't do it alone!  As you CARE and CONNECT, you can CALL others to do the same. Part of calling others is having a support team. A support team consists of people around you—church, friends, family, and neighbors—who catch the passion of Apartment Life and want to join you.  

This kind of support can have as much variety as the people who support you! Some typical ways we see support teams engage include:  

  • Praying for you, your marriage/teammate, and your neighbors 
  • Volunteering at events
  • Providing childcare while you carry out your program responsibilities 
  • Pointing you towards helpful community resources and connections
  • Coming alongside you in tough situations for support, wise counsel, and accountability
  • Donating to reduce your monthly financial commitment 

Onsite Coordinators

What is an onsite coordinator?

We've got a summary of the difference between onsite and offsite coordinators here.

Do I need a teammate?

It depends. We offer several different types of programs that have different requirements and personalities.

  • The conventional onsite program typically requires a team of two, although there are some programs that can be carried about by an individual coordinator who has a strong support team. This program typically requires 16-20 hours per week to execute and is unpaid, so our coordinators usually have other jobs. In our experience, this time commitment is too large for one individual who is also working, so we recruit teams of two to serve together. 

  • Our conventional offsite, resident services, senior adults, and student housing programs typically require an individual coordinator, either because of the program expectations, or because it's considered a part-time or full-time job. 

If you don't have a teammate, we encourage you to still apply, and one of our application specialists will help you decide which type of program is the best fit for you.

Who can be my teammate?

Your teammate is the person who lives in the same apartment with you and shares the Apartment Life responsibilities with you. For married individuals, this person is your spouse. For single individuals, this is a sibling or friend of the same gender. It is recommended that single adult teammates live together as roommates for six months before beginning the program, as this increases their likelihood for a successful tenure.  

If you are engaged to be married, you can still apply now, and we can review your situation with one of our application specialists.

Does Apartment Life help match single teammates?

We do not match singles with other singles. It has been our experience that single teams work best when the teammates have an existing relationship and have already lived together as roommates for at least six months.

Can onsite teams have children?

We welcome families with children as long as the family size complies with the governmental housing agency's requirements for occupancy (two people per bedroom), and the adults are able to execute an excellent program while maintaining balance with other responsibilities. Many of our teams have children and are able to maintain a very successful program.

Can onsite teams have pets?

Teams can have pets as long as their apartment community allows them. If you are placed at a community, you will be financially responsible for any pet deposits and pet rent.

 

What type of apartment is provided?

Again, it depends.

  • Typically, for programs featuring a team of two, coordinators receive a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment. 

  • For programs with just one coordinator, or in areas where rent is especially high, coordinators may receive a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment.  

  • Some teams require or desire a three- (or more) bedroom apartment. If an upgraded apartment is required, it is important for applicants to understand: 

    • Not all apartment communities have three-bedroom apartments, so this requirement can extend the length of time you wait to be placed in an apartment community. 
    • Not all apartment property managers will approve an upgrade, because our agreement is for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment. Your program director (the Apartment Life staff member who will serve as your leader) can discuss this option with the property manager at the property interview. 
    • If approved, you will be responsible for paying the difference in the market rent between the upgraded three-bedroom and the standard two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment. If you are concerned about the difference in cost, you can discuss this with the program director.

During your application and placement process, we will be in clear communication with you about what type of apartment will be available.

What are the financial commitments to live onsite?

Deposit: Onsite teams are required to pay a $500 deposit before the placement interview with the property manager. This deposit replaces the normal rental deposit and is fully refundable if the team completes their two-year commitment, as long as their account balance with Apartment Life and the apartment community is $0.   

Monthly Financial Commitment:

  • For onsite coordinators who are receiving a discounted apartment in exchange for serving, you will pay that discounted rent directly to Apartment Life. You will receive additional details on how the monthly financial commitment is calculated at your divisional interview, and we have resources to help you fundraise these expenses if you wish.

  • For our onsite coordinators who are receiving a full conceded unit plus additional pay in exchange for serving, there may not be a monthly financial commitment. (These are typically coordinators working full - time at a specialized community.)

Rental Expenses: Each onsite team is responsible for typical rental expenses, including utilities, cable, trash collection, and pet deposits. The apartment community will waive your application fee.

Does Apartment Life pay for me to break my current lease or for my moving expenses?

Apartment Life is not in a financial position to pay for any expenses incurred by breaking a lease or moving. However, we do have resources to help you fundraise these expenses if you wish.

Offsite Coordinators

What is an offsite coordinator?

We've got a summary of the difference between onsite and offsite coordinators here.

What does it look like to network with outside vendors and / or community resources?

Because our offsite program typically provides a wide variety of support services and the programs are dedicated to serving specific community dynamics, we rely on building and developing community partners that specialize in the various types of services we are committed to provide. An offsite coordinator will be required to research and facilitate the connection between the community and the service partner. For example, if the community desires an ESL class, and the offsite coordinator is unable to personally execute the ESL class, then the offsite coordinator will need to find an organization, church, or fellow non-profit to help facilitate this service.

Is it possible for me to work more than 5-10 hours a week?

It depends. For our conventional offsite programs, the hours served are determined by the services requested and agreed upon by Apartment Life and the community's owner/management group. Offsite coordinators will be presented with the number of hours required when they receive the offer for a specific property (step 4). While possible, it is rare that an offsite coordinator could serve multiple communities to increase the number of hours worked. A majority of the events occur during evenings and weekends, which typically leads to scheduling conflicts for the offsite coordinator.  

Want to schedule a meeting to discuss more?