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Looking for a native French or Spanish speaker to join our little family for July-August 2025.
We’re a family of three—Sydney, Chris, and our curious 2-year-old—living on a beautiful 3-acre property just five minutes outside the charming town of Fergus, Ontario. Surrounded by peaceful farmland, we’re across the road from a quiet little river and close to scenic trails, historic bridges, and the breathtaking gorge in Fergus and nearby Elora. The area has a cozy, European village vibe and is full of outdoor adventure: tubing, ziplining, swimming in the quarry, and great cycling trails.
We love the tranquility of country life, with the convenience of Guelph only 25 minutes away and Toronto just an hour’s drive.
We're looking for a Workawayer who speaks French or Spanish as a first language to join our family for the summer. Your help around the house would be so appreciated—think gardening, weeding, mowing, anc prepping produce for meals. If you prefer to be involved in learning something more technical, and joining in on small DIY or renovation projects, we can make that work, too - Chris is a millwright/electrician and we always have something on the go!
Sydney is teaching our 2-year-old as much French (C1, fluent) and Spanish (B1, conversational) as she can, but would love to include more native-speaker exposure in that journey. Some days your help might just be chatting in the sandbox to help us learn some language through play.
In exchange, we offer a peaceful stay in a warm, welcoming home with beautiful surroundings, good company, and lots of time outdoors.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Babysitting and creative play
Help around the house
Interests
Plant care
Languages
Gardening
DIY & crafts
Books
Cooking & food
Outdoor activities
Nature
Hiking
Cycling
Camping
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
As a Workawayer with us, you’ll become part of our daily life. We often take trips into town for the farmers' market, local events, hikes, or a swim in the quarry, and we’d love to show you around. Fergus and Elora have a vibrant arts and music scene, and we’re always happy to help you connect with local happenings.
Chris has a wealth of hands-on skills and is always happy to share knowledge about machinery, electrical work, renovations, and DIY projects.
We’re especially excited to give our toddler more exposure to other languages and cultures. Language learning through play is a big part of our daily rhythm, and your native language and cultural background would be a valuable part of that. If you are looking to practise your English, that is our first language and we would love to help you with that, too.
Hosting Workawayers is also a way for us to learn. We’re curious about how people live in other parts of the world, what they eat, how they celebrate, and what everyday life looks like in different places. We hope to share stories, skills, and lots of laughter with the people who stay with us.
Help
We are looking for an extra set of hands to help us around the house - weeding the garden, mowing the lawn, picking fruit, spreading mulch. or peeling and chopping fruit and vegetables. We also have two baby ducklings living with us this summer, so we will often have some fluffy companions joining us for outdoor chores (if you are comfortable changing their food/water/bedding, that would be helpful). Sometimes, we will just be looking for some help with French/Spanish, so tasks may look like joining in play with us and our toddler to help him get some new words from a native speaker.
*We are not looking for a babysitter or nanny! One of us will always be present to watch the little one.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
French: IntermediateThis host offers a language exchange
English is our first language. Sydney has about C1 level French and A2/B1 Spanish and is comfortable with conversations in either language, though may stumble and search for words more speaking in Spanish. She uses French and Spanish with our two-year-old, whose most confident language is currently French. We would love to have someone with French or Spanish as a first language to help get our toddler some native-speaker exposure while he is at that "tiny language sponge" age.
Accommodation
We have a beautiful, fully insulated, one-room cabin about 100 metres from the house, next to the pond where you can hear the fountain and frogs sing you to sleep at night. It has a comfortable queen sized bed with bedding provided. This option would give you a private, personal space separate from us. That cabin does not include a bathroom or kitchen, so those parts would be shared in the main house, where we have two full bathrooms, each with tub and shower, and a large kitchen with an induction oven.
We are open to discussion on how you would prefer to meal share. We do not have dietary restrictions or preferences. We aim to cook healthy meals (high in fruit and vegetable, low in sugar and salt) for us and our toddler. We love trying new foods and are not opposed to spicy meals (the toddler included). Our first choice would be to offer you access to kitchen and fridge space for breakfast and lunch, and have shared dinners.
What else ...
There is no public transportation coming to our county home. If you are active, we are biking distance from town (about 5 km). If you are coming on an adventure with us, we do own a car, but you should rent a car if you would like more freedom to explore the area.
With your time off, we have some beautiful attractions in Fergus-Elora, and are a perfect distance from cool places like Toronto and Niagara Falls to be able to make them into a day or weekend trip.
Fergus and Elora are two scenic towns full of charm, nature, and fun activities. Whether you're into outdoor adventure, arts and culture, or just exploring quaint local spots, there’s something here for everyone.
Outdoor Adventures:
-Hike, tube, kayak, or zipline at the stunning Elora Gorge Conservation Area
-Swim or relax at the Elora Quarry, a scenic limestone swimming hole
-Explore the Elora Cataract Trailway, a 47 km multi-use trail perfect for biking and hiking
-Enjoy parks, trails, and views of the Grand River
-Visit Belwood Lake for hiking, swimming, and picnicking
Arts, Culture & History:
-Wander the shops, cafes, and galleries of Downtown Elora and Fergus Village
-Check out local exhibitions at the Elora Centre for the Arts
-Dive into local history at the Wellington County Museum and Archives
-Learn about Fergus’s Scottish heritage through historic sites and events
Local Events & Experiences:
-Attend the world-renowned Elora Festival in July
-Sip craft beer and enjoy local food at Elora Brewing Co.
-Browse fresh produce and handmade goods at the Elora Farmers' Market or the Saint Jacob's Farmers Market
-Try your luck or just watch the action at the Grand River Raceway
Fun Extras:
-Rent tubes or bikes with Elora Bicycle Tours for self-guided adventures
-Visit the Fergus Public Library for a quiet break and read a book on a 2nd story glass balcony overlooking the gorge
There’s always something to do, whether you’re looking for peaceful nature walks or weekend adventures. It’s the perfect mix of small-town charm and outdoor fun!
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
The Internet in the cabin may be weaker than in the house, so if you work remotely, we can set up a space for you inside the main house.
Space for parking camper vans
We have three acres. Sydney's parents live in an RV and have lived for periods on our property in that trailer. We installed a 30-amp hookup for them and they would dump their waste tanks in the trailer park about 10 minutes from our house.
Can possibly accept pets
This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
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