Enjoy being part of our family in peaceful Normandy, France

  • 97 “me gusta”
  • Última actividad: 23 nov 2023

DISPONIBILIDAD

  2024 

 Estancia mínima:  Sin mínimo

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Detalles

  • Descripción

    Descripción

    UPDATE SPRING 2023 - (OPTION ONE) We moved house last Summer. We are looking to host workawayer couples who can help us with cleaning, sorting and decorating following this move. You should be able to work together happily on allocated tasks alone or with the hosts. Short stays are welcome and independent transport would be an advantage so that you can make the most of your time off to explore what the local area has to offer. Meals would be generally taken together and we would hope for there to be cultural exchange during these time - just like having friends to stay. (OPTION TWO) There is also the opportunity for a longer stay for a strong individual who wants to undertake heavy outside work (wood processing, gardening, minor building repairs). You would have to be happy working alone once you have been given clear instructions some of the time. Experience in the tasks indicated would be an advantage. In exchange for this you will be well fed and kept in comfort. You will not be expected to contribute to household tasks save for keeping your own room clean and tidy.

    We do NOT host smokers. Please don't apply to us if you are a smoker, it is just an unhappy experience for everyone. We speak mainly English at home but are also fluent in French, you should have a good level of one of these languages to get the most out of staying with us. We are open to applications from across the wonderful diversity that is workaway. Workaway has not failed us yet in bringing us wonderful enriching experiences.

    We are: Dominic (52), Rose (50), Sylvie (17) and William (16) and we are accustomed to simple living, healthy eating, exercise and working outdoors. We are an energetic and adventurous English Francophile family. Dominic is completely bilingual, Rose’s French is sufficient for day-to-day interaction and the children are fully integrated into the French education system. We live in a hamlet of 6 houses just outside the small town of Mortain in beautiful rural Normandy. Previously we had a house in the town centre and our feedback to-date relates to stays there. Before moving to France in Autumn 2016 we were living in Cornwall in England. If you want to know more about us and our skills then I suggest you read our own workawayer profile and I can save this space to give details of the host opportunity we are offering.

    We like to meet new people and share experiences and we also welcome extra hands to help us with our projects.

    We have two properties with which we need assistance. A 1980's house in the hamlet in which we live which is comfortable but requires some decorative work and an old farmhouse (which is a significant renovation project), barns, fields and vegetable garden. Help is required for day-to-day stuff – cleaning, gardening, decorating. Help at the farmhouse is more challenging and varied and could include – tree felling and firewood processing, landscaping, building, gardening, eco-construction, etc. We keep bees and have 14 years experience. Active beekeeping work takes place in the Spring and Summer but Winter is a time for maintenance and preparation of all our equipment. We love to teach people about beekeeping.

    Mortain is a typical small quiet Normandy town in the heart of the bocage. The town is well serviced in that it has small shops and supermarkets as well as schools, doctors, library, etc. Community events often take place and we socialise at home with friends but there is no social scene or nightlife. It is an ideal base for nature lovers with plenty of access to the countryside. We are only 40 minutes from the coast and the Baie of Mont Saint Michel.

  • Tipos de ayuda y oportunidades de aprendizaje

    Tipos de ayuda y oportunidades de aprendizaje

    Proyectos artísticos
    Práctica de idiomas
    Ayuda en proyectos ecológicos
    Enseñanza
    Jardinería
    Construcción y bricolaje
    Cuidado de animales
    Ayuda en una granja
    Cocinar para toda la familia
    Ayuda doméstica
    Mantenimiento general
    Ayuda informática
  • Intercambio cultural y oportunidades de aprendizaje

    Intercambio cultural y oportunidades de aprendizaje

    Workawayers should expect to feel included and well cared for while they are staying with us. Our aim is to integrate visitors into our family life and help them get the most out of the experience based on their own needs. Certainly, it is a good opportunity to improve English and French and also to acquire practical skills. It is important to us that workawayers are offered good quality accommodation. You can expect to be kept warm and comfortable and be well fed in conditions that are suitable for the time of year and weather conditions.

  • Proyectos con niños

    Proyectos con niños

    En este proyecto podría haber niños. Para obtener más información, consulta nuestras directrices y consejos aquí.

  • Ayuda

    Ayuda

    The opportunity we offer would be suitable for a single workawayer or a couple. We are open minded to welcoming families but parents would have to be able to accommodate the child(ren) within their own bedroom and think about how their child(ren) would integrate with our own.

    We would like to host workawayers between our own trips and visiting guests. Our ideal candidate(s) would want to stay with us for a minimum of two weeks as we feel this is the time needed to get into good working patterns together and for the workawayer and host to get the most out of the experience. But we are flexible and open minded.

    There are lots of projects on the go. The is always firewood to be processed and work in the vegetable and flower gardens. We operate a no-dig organic gardening policy and we are expanding our production as quickly and as much as possible. The beekeeping season reaches its peak in April/May/June with harvesting in August/September but there are maintenance jobs to be done at other times. All the work we offer is healthy and rewarding and Dom is very experienced. There will be lots of learning opportunities for the workawayer but at times it can be hard physical work. It is best suited to people who are robust, happy to work outdoors in all weathers and with a healthy but unfussy appetite. Don't worry, we provide plenty of good quality home cooked food to feed hungry workers. There are also sections of the house which require redecorating and deep-cleaning. This might be best suited to a workawayer who is not quite so keen to be outdoors all the time and wants to do less heavy work. That having been said firewood processing or haymaking is often a family affair (many hands make light work) and there are tasks to suit all levels of strength and ability. Lots of the work we have to do is done together as we enjoy the sense of family unity and achievement this brings. We envisage that most workaway tasks will be undertaken in partnership with us and you will not usually be expected to work alone if you are a single workawayer. But this might vary according to circumstances and I try to keep my updates at the head of our profile as clear as possible about what tasks are currently ongoing. At certain times of year we are able to offer more independent experiences based at the farmhouse which may be suitable for a person/couple who want autonomy and peace and quiet. Perhaps you want somewhere to park your van up for a bit and do a reduced amount of work in exchange for your pitch but keep your own rhythm for meals, etc and with plenty of free time to explore the area.

    We find that discussion and openness are the principle factors in managing expectations and making sure both hosts and workawayers have their needs met. So we ask our workawayers to please feel free to ask questions, express opinions and discuss concerns as soon as they arise.

    You will be expected to work a maximum of 25 hours per week. It is unlikely that this will be 5/5 as the weather and other factors often force a pattern of more intensive periods of work interspersed with leisure days. We will be able to discuss and agree working patterns in advance and adapt these as we go along. Also, less working hours are to be expected over holiday periods and you will certainly not be expected to work when we are not (although we may not be working with you at these times). In exchange, we offer a lively family atmosphere and an active exchange of ideas with others. Your meals will be provided and you will have warm, clean and comfortable accommodation. You will be made to feel welcome and part of our family for the time you are with us. We will include you in our family activities (which are mainly free and primarily involve going out for long country walks) or you can spend your free time as you choose independently. We want all our workawayers to leave us feeling positive about their experience.

  • Idiomas

    Idiomas hablados
    Inglés: Fluido
    Francés: Fluido

    Este anfitrión ofrece intercambio de idiomas
    We can help you improve your English and French. We are always interested in practicing our French.

  • Alojamiento

    Alojamiento

    There is a certain amount of flexibility about the accommodation we offer. We try to allocate a comfortable situation which best suits the needs of each person. During the summer months we can offer a caravan at the farmhouse or a pitch for your own van or tent. Please ask about the accommodation available at the time you hope to visit and discuss your preferences with us.

    Meals are usually taken with the family but there would also be some scope for you to do your own thing or to cook for us. We eat a varied and interesting diet which is rich in garden produce but also contains, meat, dairy, fish and some cheap treats. Whilst we aim to be flexible with dietary requirements, catering for vegans or vegetarians is difficult to weave into our regular meals and I feel a vegetarian workawayer would have a less inclusive and enjoyable experience.

    We are non-smokers and we have children. No smoking is permitted anywhere on our property (inside or out) and we do not tolerate any drug taking. We rarely drink alcohol ourselves but we do not object to moderate consumption of alcohol which workawayers purchase for themselves. We are not the host for you if you are a smoker or heavy drinker.

    There is a good WiFi connection and we have a landline telephone which can be used by workawayers under certain conditions. We have UK Freesat TV in the main family living room and you would be welcome to watch our choices with us but we manage this content in relation to what we think is in our children’s best interests. We can also make a television unit and DVD player available for your own private use in your bedroom.

    Public transport links to Mortain are reasonably good (for rural France) and if you think you will be reliant on public transport we suggest you do your own research in advance about whether this will meet your needs. We can agree pick-up and drop-off from nearby stations (Vire, Caen, Rennes) or airports (Caen, Dinard, Rennes) at the start and end of your stay. Bicycles are available to you and we will include you in trips that we are taking ourselves if you wish to participate. However, if you wish to make the most of local attractions and places of interest (eg D-day landing beaches, Mont Saint Michel, Bayeux Tapestry) then you would be better with your own car. There is plenty of parking space for workawayers with their own vehicle.

  • Un poco más de información

    Un poco más de información

    • Acceso a Internet

    • Acceso a Internet limitado

      Acceso a Internet limitado

    • Tenemos animales

    • Somos fumadores

    • Puede alojar familias

  • Puede acoger a nómadas digitales

    Puede acoger a nómadas digitales

    We have good WiFi connection.

  • Espacio para aparcar autocaravanas

    Espacio para aparcar autocaravanas

    We can host workawayers travelling in their own van at the farmhouse. There is then the possibility for them to use the bathroom and basic kitchen facilities there.

  • ¿Cuántos voluntarios puedes hospedar?

    ¿Cuántos voluntarios puedes hospedar?

    Dos

  • ...

    Horas esperadas

    Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

Número de referencia de anfitrión: 749993187845

Comentarios (4)



Comentarios

Son opciones de calificación adicionales para cuando los miembros dejan sus comentarios. Se muestra la calificación media dejada en cada opción.

Precisión del perfil: (5.0)

Intercambio cultural: (5.0)

Comunicación: (5.0)