Jacob

United States
Login to see last activity

Badges (2)

Photos

View all

Give the gift of Workaway

Profile information

Reply rate
100.0 %
Travel information
I am currently
At home
My next destination:
France - from Jun 2025 until Aug 2025
View all
Description
Hi! My name's Jacob and I'm from New York. I'm a recent college graduate very eager to learn French this summer! As I'm a complete beginner, I'm hoping to really immerse myself in the language and culture. Excited to help with a house, garden, DIY projects, etc.

I studied theatre in college and have been playing piano for 15 years - I love the arts! Having a piano is definitely a plus :) In my free time, I love reading, playing basketball, going on adventures.
Interests
Languages
Books
Music
Performing arts
Nature
Outdoor activities
Team sports
Beach
Camping
Cycling
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
More details about my language interests
Very excited to learn French!
Find a language buddy
Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
I'm interested in:
Animal Care
House sitting
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Some knowledge of:
DIY and building projects
Able to teach about:
Languages
Helping around the house
Helping with Computers/ Internet
Art Projects
More details about your skills
Music (piano, guitar, singing)
Sports (wrestling, basketball, soccer + more)
Very flexible! Easy-going and happy to help on any projects you have.
Creative problem solver.
Age
22
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
- Special dietary requirements

Website Safety

Photos

Friends

Feedback

28 Jul 2025

Left by Workawayer () for host (Join me in the countryside in ...)

I want to preface this review by saying that, given the overwhelmingly positive feedback from other workawayers, I believe Herve is a kind person. In my experience, however, I did not find him to be a good host.

There were a number of factors contributing to my stay being less than ideal, the primary one being (lack of) communication. I’ve… read more completed other workaways in extremely rural areas and am comfortable in a relaxed, calm environment. Given Herve’s reserved nature, I was under no allusions that this would be a party atmosphere. Yet, considering the workaway states “ils pourront apprendre la langue française,” I was surprised to have not a single conversation with Herve during my week-long stay. The days consisted of me working, cooking, and chatting in English with another workawayer (Hi Mel!! You’re awesome!). When not working on the tiles in front of the house, I saw Herve <10 minutes a day. No meals together, no anything. Not the end of the world, but a little frustrating, as my goal was to improve my French.

Furthermore, in our limited interactions, I found Herve judgmental and rude. He made several snarky comments about how I eat a lot (at one point saying to “watch my health” because I took seconds of pasta) and laughed when I woke up at 11am on a Saturday. I heard as well that this was not the first time such a complaint has been made. Not the atmosphere I love to be around…

As for the work - good, solid manual labor. Mixing cement, lifting heavy stones, and cutting tiles. Lots of cutting tiles. I’m happy to work 5, 6, 7, 8 hours but again, the issue was the communication. Herve would not explain the task at all and then would become aggravated if I messed up. He did not say ‘merci’ or ’s’il vous plait’ once. Again, not the end of the world, but when I’m cutting and handing him hundreds and hundreds of tiles, it would be nice to have a friendly rapport. On my final day we worked from 9AM-1PM, then took a break, and resumed work at 2:30PM. When 6:45PM rolled around and we were not close to finishing, I asked when he thought we’d be finished, to which he said I could stop when I wanted. Incredibly frustrating to know that if I had not mentioned anything, he would have let me keep working over 9 hours. I did not find there was a good balance between the “work” part and the “away” part (I.e. experiencing another culture, adventuring in a new place).

All that being said, the property is gorgeous and Herve is clearly a phenomenal stonemason who puts love and care into his work. There’s much to learn from him, though not in a speaking capacity. I enjoyed reading outside the villa and walking ~1 hour to the nearest village bar. I also loved meeting Emma and Mathieu. Overall, a beautiful rural property and area. Sadly, Herve’s lack of communication and our negative and/or non-existent interactions made this stay less than perfect.

(Neutral)

22 Jul 2025

Left by Workawayer () for host (Enjoy a simple and active ...)

I spent 2 amazing weeks at Fred’s place. Corrèze is a GORGEOUS region with lots of green hills and great weather during the summer. The work changed depending on the day - mostly helping with odd jobs (laying concrete, lifting heavy things, clearing branches, etc.) Nothing too strenuous and Fred is the most relaxed ever!! His house is a popular… read more

(Excellent)

To leave feedback make sure you are logged in & your account is online