Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
6 Dec 2023
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 1 day
Feedback
13
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Badges (2)
Details
Description
We have an opening for a single, fit male, to stay for a minimum of 2 weeks (or possibly more) from 2024 till end of April 2024.
We are a French/Australian artist couple, living 6 months of the year in France, in our two-storey stone Provencal “mas”. Navacelles is a small village in the South of France, an hour's drive North of Nîmes and an hour's West of Avignon and only 30 minutes from the famous medieval town of Uzès.
Our “mas” has been undergoing massive renovations after having been abandoned for 19 years. After four intensive 6 months summer periods, we have completed 100% of it, i.e: the kitchen and large living space downstairs and two large bedrooms upstairs-each with ensuite - and a separate small office/library space. We have begun landscaping work around the main building and envisage continuing that work as well as beginning to renovate two small independent buildings which could become artists’ residencies.
We are both visual artists with many years of renovation experience and are looking for help with both the landscaping and the building renovation. So experience and skills in these areas would be welcome but not essential as we will teach you. However, enthusiasm and willingness to learn are essential.
As we have had volunteering experience ourselves with with HelpX and Workaway , we know how important it is to be well looked after by your hosts and you will indeed! In exchange, we would expect 5 hours of help a day with us (with two days off) and would provide you with a very comfortable bedroom with ensuite and all meals, “compulsory” 11 am coffee break with “pain au chocolat” on helping days and visits to local villages and the local swimming hole. We eat very little meat however we are NOT vegetarian and our home is strictly non-smoking. So if you’re a smoker or/and a vegan, sorry but this is not for you! However, if you are vegetarian, our own fridge is always well stocked up with fruits and veggies.
We work hard but enjoy what we do and hope that our helpers will come with that spirit.
At home, we speak English and French and enjoy cooking so this is also an opportunity for you to improve or practice your skills at French cuisine if you are into food. However, cooking is not part of the tasks we expect from our helpers.
Note that you will need a car if you want your independence to explore widely, but otherwise, we are happy to show you the area when not working, and can pick you up from the train station at Ales in our 2CV. There are also many walking tracks around the “mas” if you like exploring nature on foot. We have music but no TV and get internet via our monthly prepaid mobile phone deals, tethering to laptops when necessary. Mobile phone data plans are extremely cheap in France!
If you’re interested and fit the bill, please let us know when you want to come and how we can meet you on Skype or Whatsapp to get an idea if we’ll like each other.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
At home, we speak English and French and enjoy cooking so this is also an opportunity for you to improve or practise your skills at French cuisine if you are into food. However, cooking is not part of the tasks we expect from our helpers.
Help
We do not require help from Workaway volunteer to deal with the short term rentals at all.
The only reason we are looking for help from Workaway volunteer is for some landscaping help, such as rebuilding dry stone walls that are collapsing. We will also landscape an adjacent block which had been left vacant for years
So experience and skills in these areas would be welcome but not essential as we will teach you. However, enthusiasm and willingness to learn are essential.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: FluentThis host offers a language exchange
I am a native French speaker and also a CELTA qualified teacher of English as a foreign language.
Accommodation
We provide you with a very comfortable bedroom with a double bed and its own ensuite. All meals are homecooked and a working day would not be a working day without the “compulsory” 11 am coffee break with “pain au chocolat” and visits to local villages and the local swimming hole.
Meals are not vegetarian however, we are not big meat eaters and our home is strictly non-smoking.
So if you’re a smoker and/or or vegan, sorry but this is not for you!
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
Secure car/ van parking space available
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (6)
Kristine is an invigorating woman who can make some cracking food. I mean the highlight of each day was always to finish a morning's tasks and enjoy her meals followed by, of course, cheese… read more
The work that needed to be done was quite physical but as Owen is very fit and with a very positive attitude, nothing was too hard for him
Owen has a very good work ethics, good solid life values, a lot of humour and he was a delight to have around.
We would welcome back… read more
Feedback
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(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
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Kristine is an invigorating woman who can make some cracking food. I mean the highlight of each day was always to finish a morning's tasks and enjoy her meals followed by, of course, cheese… read more
The work that needed to be done was quite physical but as Owen is very fit and with a very positive attitude, nothing was too hard for him
Owen has a very good work ethics, good solid life values, a lot of humour and he was a delight to have around.
We would welcome back… read more
Although I can understand that a paid job is more attractive than a Workaway position, it is completely disrespectful not to advise your host of your… read more
The bedroom they gave me… read more
Gaspard was very easy going to live with, discret and a really hard worker when it came to the crunch.
We loved having him and his guyitar around and would welcome himn back any time.
We warmly recommend Gaspard as a keen, serious, skilled and fun working volunter.
Mario was looking for French-speaking hosts to enable him to successfully pass his DELF B2 as this diploma was a condition to being accepted at the Toulouse University to do his Masters in Industrial Design. So after his labouring day with… read more
