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Description
Updated August 2024.
We will really prioritize anyone with skills in carpentry or advanced DIY skills in house renovation. The building project is close to being finished, so everything we do now will be very visible on the end result, so attention to details is important.
We will give instructions on jobs where needed, but if you don't see yourself working with finishing details (mostly trims and inside surfaces), it is almost no point to apply.
In addition to the house project, we do have lots of general maintenance chores around the farm, taking care of outdoor areas etc., so there might be tasks not connected to the build too!
We prefer workawayers who have at least SOME life experience, if you are closing in on the mid 20'ies or older, it gives you an advantage when applying to us. If you are below 20, your application really needs to stand out to be considered.
General information:
We are a family of 4, Ivar and Wirat in late 40's, Jonas 9 yo, and Aria 16 yo. Grandparents living next door. Both parents have jobs outside the farm, so having help from workawayers is greatly appreciated. With two (soon three) houses on the farm, and a big garden, we basically never run out of stuff that should be taken care of, but time is always limited!
The farm is located just below the arctic circle, at the base of Saltfjellet/Svartisen National Park. Our family has been running the farm since around 1760. Until recently, we produced potatoes on about 10 hectares, but due to the financial situation for agriculture in Norway, the production has now stopped. Our cultivated areas are still being used for production of food for animals on neighbouring farms.
We are friendly, sociable people, and hope to make new friends, as well as getting help on the property, through the workaway experience! Aria sometimes needs to be dragged out of her room, but when you succeed, she loves to play cards, and is very social. Jonas is usually shy for about 5 minutes, but when he has warmed up, he loves to play. Any effort to get both of them away from phone, television, playstation, etc., for a while, is greatly appreciated!
The workaway experience at our place, is mainly focused on the building project. We are building a house to have more space for accomodation. The house is constructed from second hand housing modules, and we have tried to reuse as much as possible, without compromising living standards and comfort.
Parts of the house (bedrooms, living area) are almost complete, but especially bathrooms till have som work to do, as well as trims and finishing touches to the surfaces.
We also expect the Workawayers to take part in general household chores. We have quite a busy everyday schedule, with full jobs outside the farm, and children who need driving to different activities several days a week, so we are always falling behind on stuff that needs to be done. We appreciate very much those who are "self propelled", and simply just helps out where it's needed, without necessairily being given detailed instructions on every little task. This mainly concerns simple tasks, such as keeping the house clean, taking out the trash, etc.,
Worth to mention, since many workawayers have special dietary information, is that we are not vegetarians. Hunting and fishing has been part of the lifestyle on the farm since our forfathers made the first fields, and we are still self supplied with moosemeat from the wilderness, which we are happy to serve to our guests.
Even though the potato production has come to an end, if you write "potato lover" in the headline, we will know that you actually read our profile, before applying. ;)Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
When you stay at our farm, you will be a member of our family, and take part in our way of living. If you are in a process of getting language training, we could be helpful both with Norwegian and English.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
You will be expected to help out with random tasks around the property. Anything from normal housework and gardening, to smaller refurbishing projects, maintenance and cleaning. Also at times, we have bigger building projects, so carpentry skills can be greatly appreciated.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Norwegian: Fluent
German: Intermediate
French: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
Having worked abroad for many years, Ivar has an above average command of the English language, and can be a good conversationalist, in order to improve your own skills.Accommodation
Although our new house is not finished yet, we have the bedrooms and livingroom ready for use, and this is where you will be staying. Bathroom and kitchen is still under construction, so these facilities is shared in our main house.
What else ...
At the base of Saltfjellet/Svartisen National Park, you have a perfect starting point for hikes in the mountains. The nearby Svartisen Glacier is another popular sight. The farm is located kind of in the wilderness, so if you like to stay close to nature, it's a perfect spot. There is a river running through our valley, and we have both a canoe and a river kayak available, and there are very nice opportunities for fishing. Should you be here during winter, it is usually rich in snow, and mountains around the farm are popular among skiers. Up to more than 1000 altimeters of downhill, after climbing to the top can take the breath out of anyone!
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
Also possible to hook up to electricity from several outlets around the farmhouses.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Feedback (27)
They are both very easygoing people, that quickly blended very well in to our family. I would say they were a good social match both for the grownups and the kids, and especially Jonas who would otherwise have spent a lot of time alone during summer holiday… read more
Sarah is a very easy person to be around. She is social and communicative, yet respectful and polite.
She takes interest in our way of life, and initiative in both the workaway tasks, and helping with general chores in the main house. Even though not skilled in carpentry, she is good at taking instructions, and doesn't shy… read more
I spent three weeks with Ivar's family in February. All four are very welcoming, kind and sociable! I enjoyed sharing time with them, the children Jonas and Aria speak a very good English so even the meals are in English which helps to feel quickly integrated to the family. It is also very interesting to talk to Ivar who has a… read more
Photos
Feedback
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(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
They are both very easygoing people, that quickly blended very well in to our family. I would say they were a good social match both for the grownups and the kids, and especially Jonas who would otherwise have spent a lot of time alone during summer holiday… read more
Sarah is a very easy person to be around. She is social and communicative, yet respectful and polite.
She takes interest in our way of life, and initiative in both the workaway tasks, and helping with general chores in the main house. Even though not skilled in carpentry, she is good at taking instructions, and doesn't shy… read more
I spent three weeks with Ivar's family in February. All four are very welcoming, kind and sociable! I enjoyed sharing time with them, the children Jonas and Aria speak a very good English so even the meals are in English which helps to feel quickly integrated to the family. It is also very interesting to talk to Ivar who has a… read more
Ehud stayed with us for almost 2 months. He is a polite and respectful person, very easy to get along with. The tasks we had for him had big variations, from potato sorting to detailed construction work, and it seemed like he took any challenge with interest and effort.
We give him our warmest… read more
The farm is located about half an hour from Mo I rana in a beautiful valley, where every direction you look is like a picture from a national geographic magazine.
On my first three weeks I was sorting potatoes with two other volunteers, and the last four another volunteer and I worked mostly on… read more
We had the pleasure of the company of Rens and his brother for a couple of weeks during christmas holidays.
They are very easy people to be around, respectful and polite, but also interested in our way of life, and takes initiative in both when it comes to workaway tasks, and general chores around the house.
We have… read more
In the house of Ivar, Wirat, Aria, and Jonas I made my home for almost two months. It was my first experience with Workaway and everything was perfect. My… read more
He is also very skilled with renovations! Among other things, he did some of the tilings in the bathroom, and the craftmanship is excellent! He takes initiative, and shows interest, not only about worktasks, but also as a member of the… read more
They are great! Very welcoming and helpful, you quickly feel at home.
It's not the best time to travel to Norway because the days are short but we were still able to do a lot of activity around the farm, it was great!
Many thanks to Ivar, Wyrat, Aria and Jonas for this warm… read more
First of all, as a professional carpenter, Christoph did marvels for our house project. The progress on the build during his stay, was amazing, and the quality of the work outstanding!
To top it off, Christoph is also a very nice person. He is easygoing, respectful, and kind.… read more
And i felt from the first day at home.
Ivar and Wirat ant the kids are so lovely and thankful people.
There was always very good food, Wirat thaugt me how to cook Thai-food=)
I worked most at the time on the new house project, that was very interesting for me.
The surroundings near the national park are… read more
They were primarely working on the house project, and had no problems handling powertools etc., we were very happy with… read more
As for the work itself, we… read more
From day 1, they felt like part of the family. They take initiative, and show interest, both when it comes to work tasks, and with the family. We had many good talks over the dinner table, playing cards, and simply hanging out in good company.
Sina & Max stand out among the Workawayers we have hosted, and have… read more
During his stay, he mostly worked on a house building project, and his attention to detail gives him an advantage in jobs demanding accuracy. This really showed for instance on the assembly of the kitchen counters, which was excellent craftmanship.… read more
As for our building project, we might have started off with a slightly askew impression that his carpentry skills would make him capable of… read more
And I felt from the first day at home.
Ivar and Wirat ant the kids are so lovely and thankful people.
There was always very good food.
I worked most at the time on the new house project, that was very interesting for me.
The surroundings near the national park are beautiful for hiking or biking.
I'll defintly want… read more
I am pretty sure they have enhanced their skills with powertools during… read more
Mario is simply very pleasant to be around. His calm and easygoing personality is very comfortable, and he adapts very well to both us as a family, and the other workawayers… read more
As soon as we arrived, we were already like at home. Ivar and all the family are really welcoming and provide an incredible exchange with local cultures and traditions!
The place where the farm is located is… read more
Florian is polite and respectful, and easy to get along with. He is also communicative, and social, and blended well in with both the family and other workawayers. Both workwise, and on his spare time, he have been active and… read more
Charlotte is easy going, easy to communicate with, and contributes to a good mood in the group. She pulls her share in the workload, and also functions very well in our family. We have had good… read more
Ivars host us great to learn a lot… read more
The ivar family is so welcoming and caring, It was like at home for 1 month.
The work was very pleasant because there was a nice working atmosphere.
I hope to be able to come back soon to see the progress of the project house :)
and say hello to everybody ;)
Thank you so much for… read more
Both Carlo and Giulia have fulfilled all our expectations in… read more
For us it was the first experience and they immediately made us feel part of the family.
It was a pleasure to help with the renovation of the project house.
The work was not difficult even without experience, but thanks to the help of the other guys (workawayers) we were able to carry… read more
He has plenty of energy, and was an eager… read more
Ivar and wirat hosted me for more then a month. And it was amazing time together with there two lovely children. I learned lots about living at a Nordic and about the way of livingin… read more
He is very "grown up" for his age, and both responsible and reflected. Being a "longstayer",… read more
The outside temperature was very low during the week he stayed, so working outside on… read more
I really liked this culture exchange, to learn more about norway, to see (and eat) mooses, to discover Mo I Rana area...
Thanks a lot !
The outside temperature was very low during the week she stayed, so working outside… read more
The area is incredible !
Thank you so much for this time and for the amazing food !
Best regards,
Rafa is very calm, polite, helpful, easygoing, respectful and simply a very nice person to be around. He seems in general to be very happy, and his mood is quite infectous. Even though he doesn't think his english is the best, I would say he is very easy… read more
Our family of 3 stayed with Ivar and Wirat for 2,5 weeks, we arrived July 25th 2021. From day 1 they were friendly en welcoming.
We could park our mobilehome in a nice spot. There was always enough food in the house, breakfast and lunch was free to take and often at our own scedual. Eating dinners… read more
They stayed with us for two and a half week, and we only wish they could have stayed longer! ;)
Steven is a very capable carpenter, and has done different maintenance jobs on the house, as well as building a new shed for the bus stop for our kids. His… read more
In addition to having extraordinary social skills,… read more
First of all I would like to thanks everybody for the great stay at the farm, it has been more than just a "work". From the beginning I felt very comfortable and like a member of the family. Days of work can be long but everyday was very pleasant with a good mood and great food in the field as a reward. Despite of the… read more
We learnt to know Alan as a very friendly, easy to get to know, and pleasant person to be around. He is interested in taking part in our lives, yet respectful and polite, and having him here has been nothing but a delight!
During harvest time, life is very busy at the farm,… read more
Kenny arrived first, jumping straight into the tractor pulling the potato harvester the day he arrived. It is very clear that he has experience with heavy machinery, and handles the equipment with the respect it deserves, though efficiently and confidently! Kenny has also been a great help when any technical issues have… read more
I was driving the tractor under Ivars instruction, concentrating on driving and paying attention was made all the more difficult because of the amazing scenery, a view I was to… read more