Pfeiffer House
Our new Boarding House is named after a fearless Austrian adventurer, travel writer and music teacher, Ida Laura Pfeiffer, who lived in Vienna from 1797 to 1858. We hope that her life achievements and global-mindedness will inspire our boarding students to become their best selves.
Pfeiffer House is divided into three floors:
- The Ground Floor welcomes Junior students (Grades 6 to 10)
- The First Floor welcomes Senior students (Grade 11)
- The Second Floor welcomes Senior students (Grade 12)
Each floor is divided into two wings, separated into sections for girls and boys. In addition, each of the 6 wings is equipped with a student kitchen, with the exception of the junior floor, where the kitchen is shared by boys and girls (5 kitchens in total in the house).
The Rooms
The Boarding House has a capacity for 138 students. The rooms typically accommodate two students and have a private en-suite bathroom, a study space, and Wi-Fi internet access.
Each room has cupboards, shelves, and space for shoes, clothes, school materials, smaller instruments, or sports equipment, as well as a small safe for valuables and personal items.
A Daily Life in Boarding
| A typical school day | A typical weekend day |
|---|---|
| 07:00 – 08:00 Breakfast served in the Dining Hall | 08:00 – 09:00 Early Bird breakfast is available in the Dining Hall |
| 08:00 – 15:20 Classes, breaks, and lunch at the Dining Hall | 11:00 – 13:00 Family brunch served in the Dining Hall |
| 15:30 – 16:00 Snack Break | 12:00 – 18:00 Free time and/or Boarding Activities (times and dates according to the House Weekend Programmes) |
| 15:30 – 17:00 Additional School Activities (boarding students are required to have 2 ASAs per week. Grade 12 students can opt out of these to focus on their assessments) | 18:00 – 19:00 Dinner served in the Dining Hall |
| 17:30 – 18:30 Study Hall* | 19:00 – 23:00 Free-time or boarding activities** |
| 18:30 – 19:00 Dinner (all students will be required at dinner together to improve the community feel) | |
| 19:45 – 22:00 Community time and free-time** | |
| 20:30 – 22:00 Electronic turn-in/lights out** |
* Study Hall is mandatory for students in Grades 6 to 11; whereas Grades 12 have flexible study time.
** These times are staggered for the different grade levels.
Boarding House Common Spaces
Although boarding students live in gender-separated wings of the house, there are several Common Spaces that the students can freely use.
- The Dining Hall is located in the basement of Pfeiffer House, where students are served three warm and nutritious meals per day.
- On the Ground Floor, the boarding students may find the Mentoring Room, where they can chat with one another or meet their Boarding Mentors.
- Situated on the third floor are the Social Room and its foyer (equipped with sofa chairs and foosball table), a comfortable and spacious social area for leisure, where students spend time relaxing and socializing.
Cleaning and Laundry
All boarding rooms receive a basic cleaning every day and a thorough cleaning during all holidays.
- Towels and bed linens are provided and washed by the Housekeeping Team.
- School uniforms are also collected weekly and washed by the Housekeeping Team.
All responsibilities and duties are designed to help students develop confidence and independence. Boarding staff assist students with any tasks whenever necessary.
Student responsibilities and duties
- Kitchen Duty: Every student is responsible for keeping the kitchen in their wing clean and tidy.
- Personal laundry: Students take care of washing, drying and ironing their personal laundry (all non-uniform items).
- Prefect Team: Students elect a “Head Prefect” and “Deputy Head Prefect”. The Head Prefect collaborate with the Secondary Student Council. Read more about the AMADEUS Student Council and Prefect Team HERE.
- Feedback committees: These groups are formed on an ad-hoc basis to allow for student involvement in different areas such as food, activities, new student orientation, etc.
- Student Mentoring: Older students mentor younger students within the Boarding House in formal and informal settings. Mentoring is conducted in academics, extra-curricular activities, house or school projects and behaviour.
AMADEUS Boarding Activities and Experiences
“We want our students to remember that they lived in Vienna, Austria, not just attended an international school”
The Boarding Opportunities Programme is delivered primarily over the weekends and offers students a selection of culture, arts, sports, adventure and life experiences. The Opportunities Programme takes a seasonal approach with a selection of Activities and Experiences that take full advantage of the time of the year.
Examples of Spontaneous and Student-driven Activities:
- In-house Recreation Activities: reading, board and card games, table tennis, table soccer, darts, arts and crafts, music sessions
- Home Entertainment: TV-shows, movies, play-station
- On-campus Sports: running, yoga, slack-line, bicycling, fitness and weights workouts
What Our Students Say
Amirmahdi BOOALI (G12)
“AMADEUS is the best place for me because we have our own all-equipped gym and fitness area that is very close to the Boarding house.”
Daria IAKUBCHIK (G7)
“My last boarding trip was to Bratislava and that was a trip that I was enjoying very much with my friends and my favourite boarding parents.”
Watch Daria talk about her Boarding experience HERE!
Manting ZHANG (G8)
“The food in the Dining hall is very nutritious and in every single meal, we are provided with desserts, fruits and meat, and even vegetarian food.”
Watch Manting talk about her Boarding experience HERE!
Georgii KAPATSYNA (G9)
“Movie nights with Mr. Jimmy and my friends, when we’re all watching horror movies together is really nice!”
Watch Georgii talk about his Boarding experience HERE!
Luka PRELEVIĆ (G11)
“I applied to be the Student Head of Boarding House because I think my input will be valued and my leadership skills put to good use.”
XiRan WANG (G11)
“I really enjoy being part of the Boarding House.”
Lukas PADILLA GONZALEZ (G7)
“After school, I like to go to the Basketball court, and it’s really nice – it’s just next to my house!”
We welcome the opportunity for prospective students and their families to visit AMADEUS Vienna and learn more about our unique programme and inspiring school environment. Contact our Admissions team to ask your questions or schedule a tour.