Canada
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Welcome to our rustic in-nature retreat and resort on the Sunshine Coast, British Columbia.
You'll find us nestled between beautiful mountains and lakes. Our place includes a lagoon, a private dock, forest trails, and a wildlife sanctuary - some of our residents include hundreds of birds, as well as beavers, turtles, deer, and otters, to name a few.
We run a small seasonal family business, which includes our accommodations (12 x safari style tents & 11 x cottages, and 5 x tiny wood cabins), our Trattoria Italiana restaurant, as well as boat and paddle-board rentals. We work hard, and play hard, too! and make the most of our short but sweet busy summer season. We need help from Spring through Fall, and are open to cultural exchange with folks from all nationalities and backgrounds - we enjoy having a diverse team and we consider our staff family.
Our family immigrated from Italy 26 years ago, and we have international staff - so we can communicate in English, Italian, French, Spanish, and even Susu! We live in a natural paradise, and are passionate about sharing our pleasures in, and love for, nature, food, and birds, with travellers, tourists, family, staff, and volunteers alike! We try to live in touch with the wilderness and our natural surroundings - we also like to grow gardens with veggies, flowers, and herbs, as well as keep birds, including chickens, turkeys, peacocks, pheasants, quail, pigeons, doves, and much more! We also have a resident dog & two resident cats.
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Elderly Companionship
Creating/ Cooking family meals
General Maintenance
Help with Eco Projects
Help around the house
Animal Care
Language practice
Art Projects
Help with Computers/ Internet
An exchange or work season with us can be beneficial in many ways - besides of course great memories, the opportunity to explore this beautiful natural paradise which surrounds us, and new friendships!! You may also pick up some new skills along the way... depending what we're up to on the "help" front during your stay (as there is so much variety from season to season), you may learn some organic gardening techniques, landscaping skills, a bit of carpentry, some bartending or housekeeping skills, about keeping birds, or about a special variety of fancy chicken! Since our staff is international (from Italian to West African to Canadian) and we usually have several workaways at a time, there is also plenty of space for cultural exchange... perhaps you will find yourself picking up a new language or a way of cooking. At the right time of year, you may also learn about local wild foods and their harvest - such as wild-berries, mushrooms, or seafood! Everyone is unique, as is their visit, so we cannot predict what will be your greatest lessons, or ours from you! but there's sure to be some surprises and things to be learned from one another! We look forwards to it :)
This host offers accommodation and payment.
We tend to need help with a large variety of tasks around here, and we also have a handful of paid seasonal positions each year for successful applicants.
For those interested in these positions, please note that you must hold a valid work visas at the time of submitting your application, and if there is a position that you are interested in and you feel that you are qualified for, please specify so in your initial email, and send along as much info as you feel to include - such as your cv, resume, social media profile links, or otherwise. For some paid positions we can offer accommodations and discounted meals at staff rates, plus regular pay at industry rates. We may require references, in-person interviews, or a trial period based on exchange agreements, prior to actual hiring.
For the 2020 season we are looking to fill the following paid position :
* Carpenter > we have a carpentry position available from September to December for an experienced carpenter, we need help with multiple projects during that time-frame, you can contact us for more details about the role/hours/wage.
For the 2021 we may have the following positions available :
* Housekeeper / Chambermaids > we are looking for motivated self-starters who has great eye for detail, and the patience and drive to take care of all the deeper details, awesome organizational skills, loves to see and make things clean, and who has plenty of energy to get them through the season! We have two separate openings for this - one person who is largely dedicated to typical housekeeping - cleaning, preparing, and servicing cottages before, during, and after guests' stays, maintaining linen inventory, washing laundry, etc. starting in the morning around 9am until mid-afternoon around 4pm. The other position would be an earlier start (ie 7:30/8 am), and would be assistance with housekeeping for tents & wood cabins - starting the day cleaning communal washrooms, maintaining clean and well-stocked communal coffee hut and picnic areas, tidying grounds, taking care of laundry, assisting with housekeeping of safari-style tents & cabins pre- and post- guest stay; this position is a bit more dynamic, with more time outdoors, and taking care of communal spaces, and would sometimes also require light grounds maintenance (watering/weeding gardens, cutting grass, simple landscaping, etc). Pay : starting rate at $15 with quick advancements to $17/hour, based on performance. Commitment : mid April or start of May thru end of October
*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️ Line Cook / Prep Cook / Lunch Cook / Kitchen Helper > prep cook / line cook / assistant cook during evening shifts, or for a very strong candidate who is able to replicate our chef's plates plus has creativity and initiative to add in their own special items, a daily lunch cook; good humor, humility, and a strong work ethic are key - someone committed to working many days and hours through the peak of our busy season and adaptable to less work days / hours during the shoulder months / weeks is appreciated. Pay = more than minimum (based on experience and performance). late May - October
* Front Desk / Receptionsit / Manager's Assistant > someone who is fun, open, dynamic, able to work under pressure, prioritize, multi-task, problem solve, communicate openly and clearly with staff and guests; handle phone calls, reservations, emails, check ins & outs, boat rentals, potential customer complaints; help with inventory management, staff scheduling & recruitment, invoicing and billing, and much more!! Be willing to jump in where needed if there is a gap to fill with housekeeping or FOH. Perfect for someone is is full of energy, active, friendly, and enjoys a challenge. Pay = monthly salary TBD. Start May thru end October.
We look forward to hearing from you!!
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
French: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
Accommodations can be varied, depending on our occupancy, the length of your stay, and the time of year.
The most common situation would be that you have a private room or shared dorm, in a shared 4-bedroom volunteer (we also host Workawayers) / staff trailer, or 2-bedroom staff house. You would share a communal yard space, kitchen, washroom, and living room. Accommodations are simple & basic, but comfortable.
We also ask that our staff is responsible and tidy, and works together to maintain a clean and organized living space at all times, respecting one another, all communal spaces, and treating the space as if it were your own. Cleaning duties are assigned on a rotational basis, and we expect them to be honoured, outside of your working hours.
Paid staff are responsible for their own meals, although they do have access to staff discounts in our restaurant. Some paid staff may also be asked to contribute a monthly stipend towards hydro, internet, accommodations, etc.
There's lots to explore, so you will never get bored during your time off!!
We are surrounded by a network of great hiking and cycling trails, including the Suncoaster Trail and world-famous Skookumchuck Narrows, as well as many many others. Chill out on one of our docks, read a book, take in some sun, swim in the lake, or borrow one of our canoes and head out to explore her channels, islands, and rope swings! Head into one of the small surrounding towns, or check out the local marine or forest parks. Occasionally we host Special Events, such as culinary events, live music, weddings, or small festivals - so you may even find you have some entertainment at your doorstep!
We are located 15 minutes drive away from any town centers, and public transportation is extremely limited, so please come prepared to be away from shops for several days at a time. Although we are happy to bring you into town with us when we go, we often run a tight schedule, and certainly don't make it in every day!
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
More than two
depends on position
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