Join our beach hostel crew in Pichilemu, a small and chill surf town in Chile

Details

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  Description

  Hey! I'm Nacho, the owner of the hostel.
  
  We're a 18-room hostel (privates and dorms) right in the centre of Pichilemu, Chile's surf capital: 5 minutes on foot to the main beach, 10 minutes by car to Punta de Lobos.
  Most of our guests are Chileans and travellers from all over South America and Europe, so the house is a mix of languages, surfboards and people who just found the place they didn't want to leave.
  
  The crew is 4 to 7 volunteers plus 1 or 2 staff members. You'll live and work with them, so we care a lot about who joins: we're not looking for CVs or experience, we're looking for people who show up on time, are easy to live with, and are genuinely nice to guests and to each other. That's it. The work itself is light and we'll teach you everything.
  
  We're not looking for CVs or experience. Shy or loud, first trip or ten years on the road, travelling alone or with your person — everyone who's arrived here with a good attitude has found their place, usually within the first couple of days. Bring whatever you're into: cooking, drawing, surfing, music, or nothing in particular. The only thing we really ask is that you keep your word — if the 3pm shift is yours, it's yours.
  
  In exchange you get a real home base for a month or more, a crew that usually keeps in touch long after, and a town small enough that in two weeks the guy at the bakery knows your name.
  
  We've been at this for 8 years and we're proud of it — Come hang out. Bring good energy, we'll handle the rest.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Light gardening

  Creative DIY projects

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Hospitality/Tourism

  Light maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Interests

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Nature

  

  History

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Languages

  

  Vegetarian or vegan

  

  Videography

  

  Sustainability

  

  Culture

  

  Events & social

  

  Photography

  

  Music

  

  Gardening

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  Carpentry

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Books

  

  Art & design

  

  Water sports

  

  Team sports

  

  Dancing

  

  Beach

  

  Cycling

  

  Adventure sports
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Pichilemu is a small town, and that's the whole point: after two weeks you know the fruit guy, the baker and half the neighbours. You'll hear real Chilean Spanish (a language of its
  own — good luck with the chilenismos) and you'll pick it up fast, because you use it at reception.
  
  Food-wise: seafood straight off the coast, empanadas, pastel de choclo, completos, mote con huesillo in summer, and an asado with the crew whenever there's an excuse. If you cook
  something from your own country for the house, even better — that happens a lot here.
  
  If you want to surf, this is one of the best places in the world to learn. We have a deal with a surf school for cheap rentals and lessons, and someone in the crew is always heading out for a session.
  
  And you'll be running a hostel, which is a real skill: reception, bookings, dealing with guests from every country, keeping a house working.

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  Help

  No experience needed — if you're reliable and nice to people you'll do great. We show you everything in the first couple of days.
  
  THE DEAL
  - 25 hours a week: 5 hours a day, 5 days on, 2 full days off (we try to keep them together).
  - The rota is planned week by week, so you always know your shifts in advance.
  - You rotate between shifts and tasks. Nobody gets stuck doing the same thing every day.
  
  THE SHIFTS
  - Cleaning hand (mornings), 10:00–15:00. Rooms and common areas, always in a team of 2 to 4, music on. If everything is done early, you're free — no need to stay the full shift (usually around 3hr).
  - Reception (afternoons), 15:00–20:00. Check-ins, answering messages, giving guests tips about town, take care of common areas.
  - Reception (nights), 20:00–00:00. Much quieter: late check-ins, tidying the common areas and hanging out with whoever is still up.
  - Light maintenance and small projects whenever something comes up.
  
  ABOUT SPANISH
  Part of our guests are Chilean, so for reception shifts you need decent Spanish. If yours isn't there yet, no problem: you start on the cleaning team and night reception shifts. It happens here all the time, and it's the fastest Spanish course you'll ever take.
  
  INTO PHOTO, VIDEO OR SOCIAL MEDIA?
  Tell us. We're always up for shooting content for the hostel's Instagram, painting something, or fixing up a corner of the house. Not required at all — but if that's your thing, there's room for it.
  
  WHAT WE ASK
  - Be on time, and tell us in advance if something comes up.
  - Treat guests and the rest of the crew well. That's the whole job, really.
  - Minimum stay 1 month. Longer is better, and if you can cover April to November (our quiet season: calmer hostel, emptier waves) you go straight to the top of the list.
  
  IN EXCHANGE
  - Free bed in the volunteers' area: room with 2 - 4 single beds, private bathroom and a storage room for your stuff.
  - Breakfast every day.
  - Fully equipped kitchen, staff only.
  - Laundry once a week.
  - Discount on surf rental and lessons with two local surf schools.
  - Fast WIFI all over the hostel, and all the common areas: ocean-view terrace, big cosy couch and TV, and quiet corners for when you need one.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  You sleep in the volunteers' area, separate from the guest rooms. There are 7 volunteer beds in total, distributed in 2 or 3 rooms, so depending on the season you'll share a room with 1 to 3 other volunteers.
  
  You also get a fully equipped kitchen for staff only — fridge, gas, everything you need to cook your own food — plus all the hostel's common areas: the terrace with ocean view, the
  living room with the big couch and TV, and free wifi everywhere.
  
  Bedding is provided and laundry is once a week. Breakfast every day.

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  What else ...

  Where we are: right in the centre of Pichilemu, 10 metres from the main street (supermarkets, ATMs, bakeries, bars) and a 5-minute walk to the main beach. Punta de Lobos, the most famous surf spot in Chile, is 10 minutes by car or a short colectivo ride.
  
  On your days off: surf or learn to surf, walk to La Puntilla for the sunset, ride out to the Cahuil lagoon and the old salt flats, or take a bus down the coast to Bucalemu. Everything
  in town is walkable and bikes make it even easier.
  
  Getting here: buses from Santiago (Terminal Alameda) take around 3.5 hours and run several times a day. Tell us your arrival time and we'll explain how to walk from the bus terminal
  to the hostel — it's about 10 minutes.
  
  Seasons: December to March is summer, sunny, packed and busy at the hostel. April to November the town is quiet, the waves are better, the hostel is calmer — and it gets cold
  and rainy, so bring a jacket and a wetsuit. Both are great, they're just very different.
  
  One thing to be clear about: we're a social hostel, not a party hostel. We have quiet hours, we don't take stag or hen parties, and we look after the guests who came here to sleep. If that sounds like your kind of place, write to us — tell us who you are, when you'd like to come and how long you can stay.

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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

  We have free wifi in almost every spot in the hostel. If you need any space where you can feel confortable, no problem setting something up.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

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