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8 Jun 2025
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UPDATE ...... we prefer workawayers over 23 yrs mainly please ......
As a mature French/Austrian couple we are seeking motivated volunteers to help with property clean-up,, household tasks etc. and/OR general tasks as well as taking care of the garden. We are looking for someone to help us for at least two weeks but longer stays to be considered.
individuals capable of getting the house and garden ready again with us after along absence ....pse don t apply if you suffer from back ache or other .......
Also someone for help cleaning the house will be needed , helping with preparing meals and ironing, watering the garden, weeding etc.. Willingness, punctuality and adaptability is preferred ...all quite normal and everyday things
,....AS much as we appreciate a university background and artistic or musical skills- pse be aware that we really consider a hands-on mentality , good attitude and physical fitness as absolutely necessary - in exchange well do our utmost to make you feel comfortable during your stay in any way we can ----- and see how we can fruitfully contribute to a culturul exchange.. .
During your stay as workawayer we operate on a basically set schedule for at least two weeks upon mutual agreement - that once agreed to needS to be respected; of course we are flexible and changes can be made by mutual consent when wished for alterations are communicated.
my partner and I, we both love the sound of the spanish language and therefore would have a slight preference to candidates coming from , Spain or latin america- ,,,but this is not a must .
On our side we are willing to give french tuiton on working days in order to help you better your level of french and making you aware of french culture including partly European values, should you be coming from overseas. Remember, when in Rome do as the Romans do !!!!
We are situated in the countryside about 1h off la Rochelle, an atlantic medieval town, a lovely place and resort that offers seaside pleasures and many other interesting spots to visit.
free food and lodging against 25hrs of weekly help , with a flexible time schedule are supplied, as well as structured french language tuiton, if wished for and ........if coming as a real volontaire as this is NOT a paid job.
Breakfast ingredients provided , but make yr own, lunch a small self service take away luncheon will be prepared to take out onto the balcony, terrasse or garden table/s... in order to manage yr own free time and pace...evening meals with some wine to be taken with yr hosts.... t
here are local supermarkets for any extra cravings/diets/food allergies and special needs like fruits/drinks or whatever you fancy on a personal level, we have a workaway fridge entirely for yr use and a microwave next to it. Dishes and used areas need to be left clean after use and stacked away.
on off days you may have to cater for yourselves if staying on the premises, as yr hosts we are entitled to some free time too and therefore is off too and the kitchen may remain closed.
Except for breakfast we recommend nearby bistros or restaurants. Days off are thought for exploring the area and parts of the region as part of the cultural exchange and as the counterpart after a busy week for meeting up with locals, thus immerging into french live by observing the habits of the french population, participating in local events or other. Here we live in a still very authentic environnement,
If necessary.. arrangements and further to availability.... will be made with Gilles to be yr personal taxidriver free of charge to take you to the next local bus stop about 5km away to enable yr outings, arrivals and departures. Sportif people would walk there which might ...however .... be difficult when carrying heavier luggage around.
This is a place good for cycling, hiking or riding and nature lovers who appreciate a more quiet kind of life and will be happy about the local events provided as well as enjoying our discussions especially around the evening meals . we favour free speech, free opinions by accepting and enlarging everyones mindset , including ours, with respect and politeness but most of all having a good time around the dinner table enjoying each others company.
PLEASE take care of the bikes and repair them if any damages have occured.
not to forget the excursions on yr days off ...... we can arrange 3 days off to enjoy seaside pleasures along the atlantic coast thus giving it the holiday feel during the summer months till late into september ...
There is an Auberge de jeunesse and a Central Hostel in La Rochelle if travelling on a budget, also in SAINTES , close to Royans beaches ....
Hence Plenty of opportunities to explore the region and dive into French culture in yr free time as an independent traveler after the first couple of days.
We are meat eaters, can do with uncomplicated vegetarians but won't feel at ease with vegans.
any questions? don'T hesitate to ask ......
if you have your own means of transport, you will be less dependent on public transport. The place you'd have to come to is MELLE, however and only in very rare and urgent cases are we are willing to pick you up in NIORT -
in case your arrival time there doesnt'T coincide with bus schedules for the onward journey to Melle. you might want to stay overnight in Niort, visit the town and then come to us by bus late afternoon with dinner, friendly hosts , information and accommodation awaiting you
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Elderly Companionship
Teaching
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
Interests
DIY & crafts
Sustainability
Movies & TV
Self development
Culture
Politics / Social justice
Books
Music
History
Languages
Gardening
Cooking & food
Drawing & painting
Architecture
Nature
Beach
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
get inversed into a typical french environnement and french lifestyle. If interested get a few hrs of french or german language tuiton .let us know, if interested in cooking and wine,
Gilles will be very happy to familiarize on this topic and with recipes etc. in yr free time.... Learn about plants or the background in the hospitality field. during dinnertime, don t hesitate to ask us anythin connected to the cultural aspects of the way of living and perception in regards to the cultural insight and exchange on an everyday#s practical life basis.
Help
Help around the house, garden, cleaning and clearing tasks (barn) garden etc., general and easy property tasks
help with computer issues or giving spanish or italian tuiton and whatever else comes along ... we would be glad to receive people who have an idea of DIY, painting and being somewhat skilled in these fields .....
Languages
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
Italian: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
Gilles is more advanced in spanish than Eva, who speaks very broken spanish but can make herself understood. Gilles is currently learning Italian.
Accommodation
own or shared room, depending on number of workawayers staying at the same time, shared showerroom downstairs, use of washing machine, / pool unfortunately out of order in summer 2025 due to damages, but public pools exist both in Melle or in Celles, and the seaside invites you on yr days off, ping-pong table, use of garden, cottage balcony. we are the owners of this property living just across the main house, where workawayers are lodged - separated by a small garden only.
pse respect the fact, that some parts of the main house remain private and are not for yr use
you have a possibly shared room, shared shower and bathroom, small entrance hall, outside terrace, # smokers# corner , cottage kitchen and balcony, a restricted area in the housebar as well a plenty of garden aereas to your use.
once again we strass the fact, that even if lodged separately in big house, we ask you to respect that the kitchen there, the living room and the upper bathroom / with very rare exceptions, when WE are authorising it / are not to be used. Over the past we have also noted, that peoply leave on inside and outside lights when not needed which makes our electricity bill roar up in times like these . we are stretching this point in order to raise awareness towards costs and also ecological matters.
What else ...
places of interest are the Atlantic coast with sandy beaches, lovely and lively medieval coast town LaRochelle,
Cognac and its distilleries, Bordeaux - great town and nearby vineyard of st.Emilion but also close to Arcachon and the biggest sandbank of Europe, Dune de Pilat!! ,
Futuroscope of Poitiers, Niort and Marais-Poitevin (called green Venice) lots of cycling paths, typical small french villages with their market days, great seafood being only 1h inwards from the coast. North-East there are the Loire valley castles and vineyards of white wine production.
SAINTES and nearby ROYAN - WITH A CROSS OVER FERRY TO THE MEDOC wine region, might also be of interest to you. As statetd, From Royan the ferry sets over into famous Medoc and its famous vinyards and chateaux / Mouton Rothschild ...Margaux ... Palmer ...etc etc. For this it is better to have a car and also to leave it for the end of yr stay, as you could finish up in Bordeaux then.
A horse-riding center is nearby, reachable by bike, squash in Melle and open air communal swimming pools - as our own pool is out of use. Loads of roman architecture, fit parcours and only 2km away a very pretty nice small hamlet with its own bistro, bread shop and piquenique area.
possibility to come to our place in Austria late autumn/ during the winter months or in Spring as a workawayer.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
As stone walls of the main building are pretty thick , you are invited to use our bar or or outside smokers corner, cottage balcony for your laptop.
Space for parking camper vans
there is room for a campervan behind our grange - thus giving you intimacy and also electricity supply if needed - and you can use the communal downstairs showerroom in the main house
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
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a first approach to this not quite so easy language, especially when pronounciation is concerned.....but nothing is easy in the beginning, same goes for work ....where accuracy and concentration are often underestimated… read more
Ales worked wonders with my somewhate bizarre requests and made me a perfect horizontal wood panelling out of two doors that I had brought with me from Austria. My ideas often differed from his, but I am… read more
Deborah arbeitet flott, gruendlich, alleine… read more
We’ve stayed with Gilles and Eva for 2 weeks. Before we came, the communication was very open and clear, they asked us in advance about our eating preferences, so that everybody would feel comfortable during the Workaway. Also we’ve planned together our working schedule and French class, since this… read more
Tidy, discreet and always good humoured despite our various meticulous expectations he also proved to be a skilled person in carpentry and made me two fantastic doors, tailor made, restored old windows and dooors plus painting all, even our balcony balustrade ß made a… read more
THE neglected GARDEN to take care off, the very dirty bar to be cleaned and many more other chores where reliably you took off… read more
What arrived in our house was a very kind, gentle and respectful guy - eager to better his French and willing to do any kind of work - of which we had a lot! partly in the garden - partly cleaning tasks in the house. All was done perfectly well to our liking and during private moments we… read more
