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Description
We are an American family of 4 (B13, G12) who have left the US and the rat race to see the world and appreciate new experiences and expand our kids' outlook on life. Our home is a 74' sailing catamaran and we've sailed over 12,000 miles from Turkey, through the Med, across the Atlantic and through the Caribbean. We are returning to the Med in June and are looking for someone to join us in Portugal as we plan to sail in the Med this fall.
Our kids are awesome - smart, funny, creative - and also neurodiverse. Our son is on the autism spectrum and has ADHD, our daughter has ADD, dyslexia and anxiety. Our days are never boring, but they can be loud, emotional and exhausting! The kids both have online school and are fairly independent, but they need someone besides a parent to help mentor and guide them as they live through all of the normal and not-so-normal parts of being teens and living on a boat.
We are both safe and experienced sailors with blue water licenses and have been boating and sailing our entire lives. Our sailing family includes one professional crew member who works full time helping with all things boat-related from route planning, cleaning, sailing, maintaining our many floating systems, and many other jobs that keep us happy and afloat. We live together like family, eating meals together, helping each other out, and doing the fun stuff as well. We love water sports (snorkeling, paddle boarding, kayaking, swimming, beach lounging) and on land we like to hike, explore new places and enjoy all the food.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Teaching
Babysitting and creative play
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
This is a position on a sailing catamaran that will be constantly traveling and moving as we sail around the world. We will be spending extensive time in various countries and ports; experiencing these places is the main reason we travel. There will be plenty of hands-on experience learning about boats and sailing.
Au Pair Help
This host is looking for Au pair help.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
We are looking for someone with SOME EXPERIENCE ON THE WATER and you must love being in/around water. This is important because if you are seasick, you won't enjoy the experience with us and we spend a lot of time doing water sports. You don't have to know how to sail but understanding general boat and water safety will make everyone's life more enjoyable. Please do not apply if you do not have some on-water experience, even day trips is fine!
We are hoping to find someone to help with children a few hours/day and to help with sailing/deck duties as needed. (You do not need to stand night watch, just help with fixing things, being available for projects, etc. These do not require specific knowledge, just common sense. :)
Assisting with kids may include:
- supervising homework (not teaching but helping out, keeping them engaged and focused, etc), keeping kids focused and on task, ensuring work is completed to high standards (this is not a teaching position)
- supervising play, being "present" for them during specified times, ensuring safety, compliance with family rules, and enforcing boundaries on the boat or on shore
- taking time with each child to engage in activities that interest them - art, board games, imaginary play, Barbies, exercise (walks, etc), building things
- watching them while parents go on "date night" or have activities off the boat; helping get them to bed at times
- Assist kids with completing chores, cleaning up after themselves, enforcing household/boat rules
Assisting with boat tasks may include:
- light cleaning of common areas indoors and outside
- helping with water toys, getting the dinghy in and out of the water
- learning about /doing watches during the day
- assisting with docking and undocking the boat, all with prior instruction and plenty of help as needed
- maintaining your own room to high standards of cleanliness
- helping with provisioning and other shoreside errands when needed
- generally being part of the family when it comes to cleaning up after meals
The workawayer will have private room and bathroom and will have clear working and nonworking hours, but will be considered a part of the family for all activities and meals that he/she/they wish to participate in.
Finding someone who is the right fit for our family is of highest importance and we are willing to divide up boat, childcare and general household duties to take advantage of each adult's interests and strengths. We believe this position will be most fulfilling for a person who wants to be part of a family environment, loves kids and has experience with kids these ages and/or neurodiverse kids, and wants to explore the world and gain sailing experience.
We are big on communication. It helps for you to have some self awareness, be thoughtful, respectful, and be able to "read the room" as boat spaces are small and we all need to show compassion towards each other. We are open, friendly, honest and have had a great track record with our helpers on the boat - two people have stayed with us, one for 15 months and one for 13 months. When it comes to our family, we are always open to suggestions and new ways of doing things and motivating the kids. When it comes to sailing, you must understand that we have protocols to keep us safe and that the Captain always has the final say.
General Requirements:
Fluent English speaker
Have completed some higher education
Experience on boats, preferably sailing
Excellent personal and professional references
Common sense and emotional maturity
Personal habits of cleanliness and organization
Self-starter, morning person, positive outlook on life and people,
Interested in getting to know people and cultures, doesn't fall for stereotypes
Ability to start by early November in Colombia and commit to a minimum of 6 months (all going well, of course!)
Must have valid passport
NONSMOKERS ONLY
Childcare Qualifications:
- experience being with kids around these ages, but you do not need experience specific to the kids’ diagnoses since each child is different and we can teach about ours
- high level of positive energy and flexibility
- confidence to set and keep boundaries
- creativity - we are not a video game/TV family!
- sense of humor
- willingness to learn and use family strategies for managing challenging behaviors
- enjoy being active - hiking, swimming, water sports- and learning new things and playing with Barbies ;)
- must love kids!
We are glad to teach sail boat familiarization and training on our boat but some prior experience on the water is required.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
Private crew quarters with private bathroom on a sailing catamaran. We provide room and board and any expenses when accompanying the family on siteseeing, or when you're with the kids. The catamaran is a large sailing boat well-equipped with all safety features and modern amenities including washer/dryer, dishwasher, AirCon, watermakers, Starlink and full kitchen. We eat all types of foods and love to try new foods.
What else ...
Workawayer will be considered family for on-shore activities if they would like to participate with us. You will also have plenty of time, both on the boat and in ports, to explore on your own. Due to the nature of sailing, time off will not always be on a weekend but we are happy to plan ahead to make sure everyone can take advantage of the great places we visit.
Workawayer is responsible for your own meals and expenses off the boat when you are not with us, any personal excursions and overnights off the boat and your own alcohol consumption. You must be able to obtain necessary visas for the country where you join the boat- we will pay your immigration fees for countries we visit while sailing.
NO SMOKING OF ANY KIND AT ANY TIME!
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have Starlink for wifi and we value our connectivity. The kids are in online school 4 days per week. We are serious about nonsmokers, including cannabis - not even off the boat - and we are conservative drinkers (Russ not at all, Jess only socially). We have very strict policies on drugs and alcohol and anything else that would be a safety hazard as well as against the law while sailing in the countries we visit.
How many Workawayers can stay?
One
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