Stay with our family at beautiful Wartberg an der Krems, Upper Austria

Details

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  Description

  Notice: Regarding the 'paid positions available': we will consider payment for childcare for experienced child carers, or possibly for other work that is needed, if it's beyond the normal volunteer hours per week.
  
  I'm Andrea, from New Zealand and Australia, and my partner Gregor is originally from Austria. But now, we live half the year in Lake Chapala, Mexico (November to May) and the other half in Upper Austria, where we just bought a 2 storey house with a big backyard, as well as a workshop, barn, cellar, above ground pool, and a small home orchard and garden, on the Krems river, in a small rural town south of Linz.
  
  It's a beautiful region, very green, with lots of farms, organic food production, and hiking trails. We're on the train line and the bike trail, and there's a sports complex, small BMX track and restaurant next door. Everyone knows everyone here, and we are just starting to become part of the community. The landscape is dotted with small towns and villages, each with points of interest. It's 20 minutes drive to the mountains, and 25 minutes to nearby towns and cities of interest, like Steyr, Gmunden, and Linz.
  
  We are busy setting up the house, learning how to care for the fruit trees and berries, planting summer vegetables, and exploring the region. We would love help with gardening, handy work, childcare, and household help, like cleaning, tidying, folding clothes, and so on.
  
  We hosted many volunteers in the past at our small community and permaculture farm in Australia, which is where most of our feedback is from.
  
  One day we hope to find someone who wants to stay longer and travel around the world with us as an au pair or team educator :)
  
  We homeschool our kids, who are 8, 6 and 4. We love to explore nature, do crafts, build, create, invent, and learn. For the childcare side of things, we look for people who are sensible, confident, fun and experienced with kids of that age, can keep them safe, and have good domestic skills. We love helpers who can see what needs doing, and tune in to the flow of the family. If you have relevant skills like art, music, physical education, or experience in early childhood development or learning, that's a big bonus. We always take it slowly, and give time for everyone to get used to each other. Our kids are happy, friendly and playful. They will be shy for like 5 minutes ;) My partner or I will often be there, or nearby. Sometimes you might care for them by yourself, and sometimes we all do something fun together.
  
  The details of the exchange are by negotiation. We are open to host travelling families like ourselves :)

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Teaching

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You will learn about life in a Kiwi-Aussie-Tyrolean bilingual family ;)
  
  I am always interested in learning more how to support children to thrive. I like to grow food, and make preserves and fermented foods like sauerkraut and kefir. I have a deep love of the natural environment and of learning about ecosystems and many other science topics, and have passed on to the kids my over-the-top rock collecting and interest in non human animals ;)
  
  Gregor's interests include intermittent fasting, playing guitar and singing German songs with the kids, and 'meta politics' (ask him more!)
  
  Our community project: We have taken a break from our project, but we hope to return to it in the future. We would like to live in an extended family or tribe to support each other in raising children, and give the kids (and adults) a different experience. If you are interested in how intentional communities form and work, and what the benefits might be, we can share our insights with you.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  When new helpers arrive, we spend the first few days getting to know each other and make sure it is a good fit for everyone. After this, we prefer helpers to stay with us for two weeks or longer, as we find this leads to a better experience.
  
  We ask for your help 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. But we're happy to work out different arrangements if you prefer. We try to match the work with your skills and interests if possible. We value helpers who are proactive, enjoy contributing, and know how to get things done.
  
  We provide all your food, except treats and alcohol (we are happy to pick them up for you though). We usually have dinner together, while breakfast and lunch are usually self serve. We have a mixed diet, and can cater to most diets including vegetarian, vegan, paleo, low carb, gluten free, dairy free.
  
  We prefer non smokers, but if you do smoke, please let us know. Butts should be disposed of thoughtfully and please smoke away from the house.
  
  We want you to feel at home when you stay with us! You always welcome to talk to us about any questions or concerns. If you have particular needs or circumstances, please let us know before you arrive so that we can be sure we can accommodate you.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Beginner
  Italian: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  We all speak English. The kids speak German, some more, some less, but they understand everything. My (Andrea's) German is very basic, but I can speak more Spanish, and the others are starting to learn it too.
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  Accommodation

  You will have your own bedroom in the house, with a comfortable bed and basic furnishings.

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  What else ...

  Our house is on a long bike route that runs for many kilometres. It's possible we can lend you a bike :)
  
  We are also 5 minutes walk from the train station, from where you can go to Linz and many other places.
  
  See a rail map here:
  See rail and bus route options here:
  
  The nearest airport is in Linz, a major city, with lots to see and do, on the Danube river.
  Other nearby centres are Steyr and Gmunden, both beautiful towns.
  
  There are many towns and villages within 30 minutes drive, and each has various attractions.
  
  There are lots of hiking trails in the region (check the Alltrails app,for example).
  
  There are beautiful lakes nearby, like Traunsee, Attersee and Mondsee.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We have space in our yard for tents or campers, or in the car park next to our house, by the river :)

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  Can possibly accept pets

  By negotiation

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

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

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