Profile information
Host rating
85 %
Last replied
15 Apr 2024
Reply rate
96.6 %
Usually responds within 4 days
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Host offers payment
Details
Description
We are a half English/half French family of 4 living in the Lot, in South West France. My husband (Anthony) and I (Hermione) opened a little restaurant, in 2018, in the village that my husband's paternal family are from. We then welcomed our two little boys, Eben and Roan, into the world! They are now 5 and 2 years old, respectively.
Prior to living in France, I worked for many years in theatre, music event management, and the community arts and culture sector, as well as in many cafes, restaurants and bars. Anthony was a chef in fine dining restaurants, and a screen printer many years ago. We decided we wanted to settle down and run a restaurant that was more laid-back and relaxed than the high end establishments we had previously worked for, and we pride ourselves on having created a warm, friendly and accepting environment where we aim for customers to feel good and eat well!
Our restaurant is truly at the heart of life here in the village! We are situated directly opposite the village church, in the church square, and enjoy welcoming people from all walks of life to eat and drink with us on our little wooden terrace. Our menu is simple and inexpensive but fresh and good quality; we cater for meat-eaters and vegetarians/vegans and get excellent feedback on the taste and quality of our dishes. We are on the Saint Jacques de Compostelle pilgrimage route so a lot of walkers and hikers stop off here for rest and refreshments. And in the warmer months, the village and local area become very lively with holiday-makers and travellers from all over the world. We are also lucky enough to have a very loyal local community who come to eat and drink with us regularly, sometimes every day!
Along with a neighbouring restaurant, who are friends of ours, we organise music events in the church square during the Summer months.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
At least basic French is essential for this role, however, this is an ideal position for someone looking for a language immersion. Our customers mostly speak French but we also have many English, Dutch, German and Belgian visitors. Anthony, the boys and I usually speak English at home, and when working together, so it really is a mix of the two languages. When we arrived here, I knew only very basic French and I threw myself into working full time and learnt the language very quickly!
If you are interested in expanding your skills in the food, hospitality and catering industry, your experience here will naturally give you the training and practice to do this and, furthermore, we are more than happy to offer business advice, tips with food preparation, marketing knowledge and anything else related to our business that you might want to learn more about. This region is internationally reknowned for its gastronomy and food produce, particularly goat's cheese and duck, amongst a plethora of other things and we are proud to be part of this. With the Sunday market on our doorstep, offering an array of fresh produce, food is a really important part of most people's lives here. There are not only a vast choice of restaurants locally that you can visit (including one with a Michelin star about 15 minutes way), there are also many farms, orchards and producers that you can visit too. The village also has a co-operative shop that sells the produce of local farmers and producers (which is where we source our duck). Equally, we are always super keen to learn from new people with fresh perspectives and perhaps there is a lot that you can offer us too. We are really looking forward to getting to know someone new!
As well as the opportunity to develop language skills, in either English or French, and to grow your experience in catering, hospitality and the food industry, this is also a cultural immersion experience. As my husband's family have been living in this village for many generations (they used to own the village mill until a couple of decades ago), we are extremely happy to invite you into our family and community and hope that we can offer you a fun and fulfilling summer experience. You will truly experience living at the heart of a buzzing, rural French community. Our village is a vibrant and animated place with so much to offer - two supermarkets, a bakery, butcher, tourist office, library, public outdoor swimming pool, pharmacy, post office, hardware store, two petrol stations, campsite, a bookshop, second-hand shops, a pop-up cinema, and at least 5 places to eat and drink. One of the best things about the village is the Sunday Market which sprawls across the church square and beyond, offering local produce and artisan items, and a really fun morning out.
The surrounding area is simply breathtaking, and it is honestly very difficult to get bored here. We are in a national park so the wildness of the countryside around us has been preserved, with no big developments or large agricultural projects, just small-scale, usually family-run farms. If you like the wild, nature, being outdoors, slow and ethical living, but also like being part of a community, this is the place for you. If you are interested in geography, history, wildlife and animals, outdoor activities, people and music, you really can't go wrong! See below for more info on the local area...
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Host offers payment in line with the minimum wage
This host offers accommodation and payment.
Host has indicated that they will pay at least the minimum hourly wage of their country for each hour worked and that accommodation will also be provided. They are asking for help with a business or business activity. Contact the host directly via the site messenger for more information and details about the wage provided. Any arrangements should be agreed in advance with your host.
Help
We are looking for someone to help us out in the restaurant, with 'front of house' service, from August to October 2024. This will be a PAID POSITION.
The role involves friendly interaction with members of the public, taking orders, preparing drinks, handling cash and card payments, serving food, clearing tables and maintaining a hygienic and tidy work area. There is space for approximately 35 people on the terrace and just 12 indoors so it is not a huge operation, although there are a number of takeaway orders too. It does get busy sometimes, especially if there is an event happening but there are also other shifts that are much quieter.
You will be needed for approximately 25 hours per week; you will have two consecutive full days off, work for just a few hours on weekdays and more at the weekend but there will be plenty of downtime and time for you to explore the local area.
Please note...
~ Previous experience in this area of work is ideal but you will be given training when you get here.
~ Conversational-level French is a MUST but there is heaps of opportunity to develop this skill.
~ We will not be accepting couples as we only have one position available.
If you like working with people and the buzz of a cheerful and spirited community, you will love it here. Please read on to find out more...
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: FluentThis 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.
Accommodation
You will be given your own private accommodation in the form of a caravan that is in excellent condition, very clean and comfortable, situated on a peaceful and private piece of land, separate to us and the restaurant. The caravan is equipped with the facilities you will need to live here during your stay. It is very peaceful and safe there - a great place to unwind after working. All the village amenities are walking distance from your accommodation, it is about a ten minute walk from the centre of the village. The land that the caravan is on has been in the family for many years and we are very happy to welcome you to this special place.
What else ...
To maximise your experience here, we recommend bringing a car with you. There is a regular bus to the nearest large town but public transport is really minimal. We may be able to lend you a bike if you'd like to cycle.
There are two rivers near us for wild swimming, canoening, watersports, boat trips, fishing and even diving into underground caves. There is climbing and bouldering, and via ferata along the cliff tops, if you have a daring side! There are many underground 'grottes', including the more reknowned 'Pech Merle' with its prehistoric drawings, and the incredible underground chasm The Gouffre de Padirac which also has an underground river and a species of water insect that cannot be found anywhere else on the planet! Nearby, there is the gorgeous medieval village of Saint Cirq Lapopie, voted one of the most beautiful villages in France, and slightly further away is the world-famous Rocamadour with its highly revered religious site and chateau perched on its infamous hillside. In fact, there are chateaux everywhere, many of which you can visit. One chateau very near to us even does night-time guided tours! On top of all this there are a huge number of farmer's markets, flea markets and antiques markets throughout the summer, there are also music and cultural festivals happening nearly every week around here and each of the local villages has an annual party at some point in the Summer. Our village has a 3 day-long fete with music, food, lantern parade and fireworks in August! Both Anthony and I know the local area and its offerings extensively and we would be happy to give you any recommendations or advice. We are 20 minutes away from Villefranche de Rouergue, and 40 minutes away from Cahors which is bigger. Both have train stations and bus stations that can take you further afield. Toulouse is the main airport that we use and it is only a hour and a half away but there is also the ariport of Rodez just an hour away.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
Can possibly accept pets
This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.
How many Workawayers can stay?
One
Hours expected
25 hours per week
