Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
2 Apr 2024
Reply rate
88.9 %
Usually responds within 4 days
Feedback
30
Email verified
Badges (2)
Details
Description
Hi ! We, Catherine & André, live in a small village in the French Alps called La Giettaz en Aravis. We have 2 cats, hens, and a permaculture garden. We own a bakery and a grocery.
Our 5 children (Jean-Baptiste (25), Elisabeth (23), Pierre-Emmanuel (22), Gabriel (20 ) and François (18)) are engineer students in different cities of France, so they don't come back home very often. They generally come see us during French holidays, and few week-ends.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Gardening
Animal Care
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
If you are sporty and like beeing outdoors, it is definitely a place for you !! You can explore our region and do many sports: skiing, trail, rock climbing, bicycling, swimming during summer, running, hiking in the mountains...
It's better if you can entertain yourself and be independent, because everyone here is quite busy. But you can join us when we go for walks, running or mountain bicycling. We can drop you and pick you up when we go somewhere with our car.
You will also have the opportunity to taste and learn how to cook typical dishes from our region, with good cheese and wine. ;)
Our English is very limited, but that's not a problem at all to communicate, even if you don't speak French. You will learn about the French culture and language though :)
Help
All along the year we need help around the house with cleaning, cooking, feed the hens, pick up the eggs...
During summer and autumn we need help in the garden to water plants, pick up vegetables and fruits, take care of flowers... Also for example for some construction of wooden boxes/stands/frames to support the plants...
For the winter time, the other help consists to clear the snow from the pathways and our cars.
The work will depend on your skills and preferences, but you can be sure there is always something to do here.
Please, notice that you will have to help with the common daily work, like setting/cleaning the table or washing the dishes. We really appreciate when workawayers see what needs to be done, or just propose their help in the kitchen, before and after the meals.
Languages spoken
French: Fluent
English: Beginner
Accommodation
We rent 2 apartments just next to our house, so when they are not busy you can sleep in one of them. Otherwise you will have your own room in our house. You also take every meal with us. We provide all the food, and if you know any recipe - especially typical recipe from your country/region - you can cook as much as you want ! Food is never missing here as we have a grocery and a bakery.
What else ...
All along the year there are many things to do around here:
-skiing (we live 10 minutes by car from the ski resort of la Giettaz, and there are other ski resort around like la Clusaz, Megeve, Flumet...)
-hiking and bicycling in the mountains around (we can lend you some mountain bikes)
-there is a lake in Flumet, 15 minutes by car from our house (or you can reach it bicycling), and a river in the village
-typical places like Chamonix, Annecy that can be reached in one hour by car and bus (castles and gorgeous lake in Annecy), Megeve, la Clusaz, and many other beautiful places where you can admire the beauty of the Alps.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
4 hours a day, 5 days a week.
Feedback (28)
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.9)
Cultural exchange:
(4.9)
Communication:
(4.8)
I learned more about traditional Savoy cuisine than ever before! Work and free time were perfectly planned and balanced. Mountain landscapes, family… read more
This is also a really fantastic… read more
J'ai aimé bien le nourriture, Catherine est très bonne cuisinière. Toujours elle… read more
Very friendly and generous family. Luckily I was spending the time with their kids also and it was amazing to go hiking, swimming, even playing tennis with them!
One of the amazing thing of staying at their place is Food! They have Bakery so you will… read more
The area they live in is amazing for mountain activities. There is it’s of hiking and when the weathers good they drove us down to the lake for a swim.
If you want to learn French they have a very good environment for this. I… read more
They are clear in their communication. It was easy to understand what was expected of me, and what was available to me.
I had an amazing time and met three other workawayers during my two week stay. The work was great and the food was even better. Catherine is a great cook and Andre is a great… read more
It was my first workaway experience and I had the opportunity to spend one month in this beautiful place. It was a wonderful experience, and it was the best place to spend my first month in France.
We were three workawayers working usually between 8 and 12. The different tasks were helping Catherine in the garden, cleaning the… read more
I already miss being able to have breakfast every morning croissant or have the meals with that great bread that they themselves prepared.
Although the language has not helped us… read more
I’ve spent an amazing month with them, I couldn’t have imagined a better place to spend the second lockdown ! They are a very welcoming, easy going and cheerful family.
The work was in the mornings including projects like taking care of the chicken, gardening, cleaning, decorating the… read more
Andre, Catherine, and their kids are some of the most welcoming people you can meet and will most definitely be… read more
They live in a small village surrounded by mountains were Catherine runs a shop and Andre works as a baker. Both are constantly working and very active the whole day, and the time they have free they spend it going hiking, skiing or whatever… read more
The work was different and interesting.
Our room was clean and comfortable.
Catherine is excellent cook! We always had the good meal.
But the main thing was that we were feeling as a part of the family.
Catherine and André thank you very much for your hospitality.
We highly… read more
Catherine and Andre are really kind persons, they make us feel part of the family. They were always ready to suggest interesting things to do on our free time, and opened to lend us bikes or anything we need. We enjoyed… read more
