Workaway FAQ

FAQ for: Workawayers | Hosts

How do I reset my password?

Just enter your email address in the "forgot your password" link in the login box and click on "Reset password." You will instantly receive an email containing a link to reset your password. Make sure you enter the email address that you used to register your profile on the site! ;)

I can´t log in

Please check the following:

That you are logging-in with the correct box, either the green workawayer or blue host box.
That you are typing the correct username and password.
That you are not using an old username or password.

If you are still having problems contact us with your original email address and/or username and we will reissue you a password manually.

When is my negative feedback going to be published?

Feedback is an essential part of how Workaway works. We take negative feedback very seriously and it is a way we can oversee if the Workaway philosophy is being abused in any way.

If you choose to leave bad feedback for either a Workawayer or a host, we will publish the negative feedback smiley and keep the comments for our records. We do this to avoid "revenge" feedbacks and then having a situation which is often subjective and personal to each individual case.

If a host or Workawayer receives more than 2 independent bad feedbacks within a certain amount of time we remove them from the site. If either a host or Workawayer receives what we deem to be a serious allegation against them then we temporarily remove the listing whilst we establish what happened.

However we are not here to judge people's lifestyles or how they choose to either travel or live their lives.

If you choose to leave bad feedback please make sure that you do not use personal insults and also stop and think whether the problem was caused by either miscommunication (language or other) or by a general cultural misunderstanding.

Thanks for your understanding regarding this issue. Remember bad feedbacks are rare (less than 4% of all feedbacks) and we are constantly working hard to keep Workaway open and fair for all.

For more information on our policy regarding feedback see this page:
https://www.workaway.info/en/info/about-feedback

Why is my host profile offline?

If you find that you cannot log-in to your host profile, this might be for a number of reasons:

We ask that hosts do not charge money to the volunteers that apply to them. If our filters detect that a fee has been requested, host profiles are put temporarily offline until we can establish the reason.
We consider it to be spam if the same text is sent to multiple users in emails (copy and pasting) and if a user of Workaway.info is doing this their profile may be put offline until we have assurances that this will not continue. We do this to make sure that communication on the site is kept useful.
Feedback on Workaway allows users of the site to review each other. If any user receives more than two independent negative feedbacks, the system will put that user offline.

What do the colours on the host's calendar indicate?

Green (shown with a 'tick' so that it's clear to the visually impaired) means that a host has availability and volunteers are needed for that month. Yellow indicates that there is partial availability for that month. Red means that the host does not need help for this month. Grey just indicates that this month has passed.

What is Workaway's policy for orphanages?

Orphanages on Workaway.

We are extremely diligent before any orphanages are accepted as hosts on Workaway.

It is generally accepted that when a child has lost their parents the best form of care involves them living with a foster family or carer. Research has shown that when children are placed in institutions their social, physical, intellectual and emotional development all suffer negatively.

Attitudes towards orphanages have changed as more research has been done showing the negative impact on the children. In most countries residential care is considered to be the last option after all community care opportunities have been explored.

For these reasons Workaway generally does not list orphanages on the site. We prefer to explore ways of contributing to organisations providing support to foster families and community care.

However we are aware of and have personally visited orphanages which are contributing to the well being of their communities. To outright ban all orphanages we feel would be immensely unfair to the ones which are providing such important support locally.

How do I register as a host?

Go to the "Sign up to be a host" link here. Fill in all the fields and upload a photo of yourselves or your place. We will take a look and verify it usually within 72 hours.

Does it cost to register as a host?

No, to register as a host is totally free. Though we do encourage hosts to make a donation to charity.

What information should I include as a host?

You should include as much information as possible. Make your listing as attractive and descriptive as you can to receive more enquires. Be clear about the help you need, the accommodation you can provide, the exchange that you are proposing and include advice about what Workawayers can do in their spare time. If you are looking for more than volunteer help you should ensure that you are meeting the minimum wage requirements of your country.

Do Workawayers see my contact details or phone number?

No, we provide a way so that they can contact you via the website. Your messages will be delivered to your registered email address as well as appearing in your Workaway inbox. After you have established contact you can choose if you would like to reveal your email address.

Can I use Workaway to find paid employees?

Remember Workaway is primarily about cultural exchange and learning. However we do allow hosts to offer paid positions so long as they are still offering accommodation.

Hosts running a business (or asking for help with a business activity) can ask for help, but should provide accommodation and pay at least the minimum wage in their country for all hours worked.

Of course you must comply with your country's labour laws.

How do I know Workaway is not a scam?

Check our facebook page (we have over 340,000 likes)

Also go to the feedback link on the front page of the site and click the "Show more" link at the bottom. Here you can see thousands of feedbacks written by Workawayers and hosts who have used the site.

Does Workaway screen users?

At Workaway we strive to provide our members with the right tools to make informed decisions regarding who they interact with online and in real life. While we do check every profile that is created, we don't routinely perform background checks, though we do reserve the right to. Host profiles must meet all of our requirements before we will put them online. Workaway is a tool to facilitate contact, we do not act as agents.

How do I upload a photograph?

Go to the "Photos" tab within your profile after you login, then follow the online instructions. To avoid problems ensure that your images are larger than 600 pixels x 800 pixels and make sure the images are either JPG, GIF or PNG filetypes.

Try and upload photos of your place and area as well as yourself.

How do I pause , freeze or take my account offline?

Go to the 'My account' tab within your profile and then to 'Pause / deactivate my account'. If you wish to turn your profile back on, simply choose 'Reactivate my account' from the same menu. If you are a host you also have the option to choose a date for your profile to be automatically reactivated.

How do I leave feedback?

By logging into your profile and going to the feedback tab on your "My account" page. Here you can search for the host or workawayer using username, name or email address. Once on the correct profile scroll to the bottom and leave your comments. We will verify feedback before it is put online.

Please note we will not publish insulting feedback, try to be constructive in anything you write.

I´m not receiving emails via the site. What can I do?

Please check that emails are not going to your junk or spam and that info@workaway.info and addresses from @workaway.info and @workawaymail.info are set to safe addresses via your email client.

All messages sent to you should arrive in your Workaway inbox AND your email. If you still think there is a problem let us know and we can cross check the emails that are already in your inbox for you.

How can I remove feedback?

Once feedback has been left it is non editable. Please make sure that the feedback you leave is the feedback you want published! Please note: We do not publish insulting feedback.

How do I put my profile photo online?

If you are a host, first make sure you're logged in. Then go to Photos (tab on desktop, in your Profile Menus/Settings on mobile), choose 'My profile photos' then hover over the image you want and click on the pen icon - select "Make this my profile photo"

If you are a Workawayer, you just have to go to the "Photo + Video" tab and click on the option to upload your profile photo.

What is considered to be spam?

If our system detects the same message being sent out repeatedly it will get marked as spam and you may be automatically put offline. Therefore, please make sure that you write personalised messages to anyone that you contact through the site.

Why are some buttons or menus not working or opening for me?

If parts of the site seem to not be working, it's worth deactivating any browser extensions or add ons that you might be running because these can sometimes interfere. Try with another browser or device to see if you can isolate the problem.

What does 'Pausing' my profile mean?

Pausing your profile just puts it in hibernation, all the info (including feedback, messages, your personal host list ...etc) is retained and will be visible again publicly when you reactivate. The 'Pause' and 'Reactivate' options are available from your 'My account' menu, accessible from your picture at the top right of the screen when logged in on a desktop machine. Pausing your Workawayer profile does not change the end date of your membership.

Why are the icons for mail and logout not showing for me?

Usually this issue is caused by your browser's settings.

We'd suggest trying a different browser to see if the icons are showing correctly.

If the problem persists:

- Make sure your browser's extensions are not blocking webfonts (noscript, ublock or adblockplus, etc.)

- You should also check your operating system's settings to ensure that webfonts are not being blocked.

Can I see who has favourited my profile?

This information is private, it’s not possible for a member to see who has favourited their profile. If you favourite another member’s profile they cannot see who has done this.

What are the host badges given for? How do I get a badge on my profile?

Badges are our way of rewarding members for certain achievements.

The ‘pioneer‘ badge is given to hosts who are the first to leave a feedback for a new Workawayer. There are also badges that show when a host has received a certain amount of 5 star feedback and for members that have verified their profile via Facebook.

The other badges available are for ‘photographers‘ who have won a prize in our photo competition and for members who have featured as ‘host of the month‘ on the Workaway blog.

You can see any badges that you currently have by viewing your profile as it appears online.

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