Basics & Costs: Network School FAQ

22 questions about basics & costs at Network School in Astana. Each links to a full answer with a note on whether it is confirmed, reported or an estimate.

• What is Network School?

  Network School (NS) is a startup society: founders, remote workers, researchers and content creators live in one place and build together.

• Is Network School legit?

  Yes, in the sense that matters for a paying member: it is a real, operating organisation with a physical campus, not an online scheme.

• How much does Network School cost?

  Membership starts at $900/month. That entry price bundles your room, meals, gym access and 24/7 coworking, so compare it with rent plus food plus a gym plus a desk in your own city.

• Is there a Network School discount or referral benefit?

  Yes. Applying through the referral link on this site gets you your first week free, and your application gets priority review, which moves you up the queue.

• What is included in the membership?

  The membership covers your room, three meals a day, gym access, 24/7 coworking, wifi, guest speakers, community events, workshops, fitness classes, tech tutorials, a content studio and introductions to employers.

• How long do people stay at Network School?

  Cohorts run monthly, so the natural unit is one month. That's long enough to settle in and short enough to leave if it isn't for you.

• When does each Network School cohort start?

  ai attended by Kazakh government officials. Cohorts run monthly, and the first Astana, Kazakhstan intake is October 2026.

• Can I bring my family?

  Yes. Network School is family friendly and runs programmes for kids and for families.

• Can I bring coworkers and friends with me?

  Yes. Coming with people you already work with is supported, and it changes the experience: you arrive with a team instead of building a social circle from zero.

• Can I host my company at Network School?

  Yes. Hosting a company works like an offsite where accommodation, food, the gym and coworking are already sorted, and your team drops into an existing community of builders.

• What is Ramadan like at Network School?

  Kazakhstan is a majority-Muslim country, so Ramadan is visible in Astana: some businesses change their hours and evenings have a different rhythm.

• Will my payment cards work?

  Astana is very card-friendly. Kazakhstan has unusually high card and mobile payment use, and Visa and Mastercard are accepted in shops, cafes and taxis.

• Is Network School worth the money?

  At $900/month you're buying a bundle (room, food, gym and desk) plus time around people building similar things.

• What makes Network School different from a coliving or hacker house?

  Three things. Scale: this is a few hundred people, not a house of eight, so you meet a much wider range of people.

• Is it safe?

  Astana is a modern, orderly capital and is generally considered safe for foreigners, including walking at night in central districts.

• Who should not go to Network School?

  Anyone who needs a hard line between where they work and where they live. Anyone who wants a holiday, because this isn't one.

• What are the downsides of Network School?

  The winter is long and severe, and it affects everything from your mood to whether you leave the building.

• What does "Society-as-a-Service" mean?

  It's the model Network School runs on. The idea is that the things a society provides, such as housing, food, healthcare habits, education, community and safety, can come as a subscription from a network.

• What is "Willpower-as-a-Service"?

  The idea that discipline is easier to borrow from your environment than to generate alone.

• Is Network School expanding to other locations?

  The current campus is in Astana, Kazakhstan, established through an agreement with Kazakhstan's government covering AI and technology education.

• Can I leave mid-cohort and come back?

  Yes. People travel for work, conferences and family during a cohort. Plan around two things.

• What is the refund policy?

  There's no refund policy in writing for the current cohorts yet, so don't guess from how it worked before.