Workaway

 
Workaway is work in exchange for accommodation and most of the time food. You work mostly around five hours a day and 5 days a week. It’s an easy and affordable way to travel the world, meet locals and learn about the country (because most of the time the Workaway is hosted by locals). Some call it even a way of life or maybe I’m exaggerating now.
Anyway, if you think after reading this blog: YES! I’m going to signup and pack my bags, would you like to help me then and signup by the link below?
But first…
 

What is Workaway?

It is a website, which brings people who are looking for a (volunteering) job and people who offer jobs together.
I call it volunteering because you don’t get paid. You work in exchange for accommodation and food most of the time. But check with the person where you like to work for what the deal is.
The website provides a connection to people all over the world. You can compare it to an employment agency. Which I find pretty neat!

 

What do you want?

  • Country: you can find places all over the world.
  • Job: there are a lot of different types of work you can find on Workaway. From babysitting, painting houses, teaching language, to doing some cleaning, taking care of the animals or helping with the garden.
  • Skills: some like people with special skills other places are happy with just helping hands trusting that you’ll learn on the job.
  • People: some places you are alone with the host or even all by yourself, while your host is busy elsewhere (this is not common but will happen sometimes) and other places you are with a whole bunch of workawayers from all different countries.
  • Time: Some workaways you can stay for a week other workaways like it better if you can stay at least a month.
  • ‘Payment’: Most places what I said provide accommodation and food, some places only provide accommodation. There are even some places that pay you a little money.
  • Hours: Most places where I have been I worked 5 hours a day 5 days a week. But depends on the place. I have also worked at a place where I worked 8 hours a day but only for 3 days a week so more free days but similar hours.

    • So go through all the possibilities and find out what you’ll like to experience.

     

    Pros and cons of workaway

    + You get to meet locals

    + Free accommodation and food, so you have a very cheap stay

    + Not stuck for a longer period like a normal job.

    + Most of the time a great environment

    – You don’t exactly know where and what you get since the agreement goes online and you haven’t really met each other.

    – Have to work a few hours a day so not all day is free to go and explore. It’s not a holiday!

    The cons are not so bad in my opinion. Of course, some places were more fun than others but I always enjoyed it. Most of the places you do have two days off to explore and because you don’t work whole days it is my experience that you have enough free time.

     

    Workaway experience

    I have several experiences with Workaway. Did some gardening in Sydney, housesitting and dog walking in Brisbane. Helped to build a house in Melbourne. So several total different experiences in Australia.

    What I find the most interesting part is you get to meet local people right away. You work with them, you live with them, you meet another culture and they can tell you a lot about their way of living, their country and the surroundings.

    The Workaway in Sydney was with one other volunteer, lived in a family and helped with their big garden. Near Melbourne, we worked on an earth-bag-house with 20 other volunteers. In Brisbane, I was the only volunteer. So every place can be completely different.

    The Workaway near Melbourne had a few other ‘+ points’ for example, I learned about things with a profession I would normally not learn about easily. Met a lot of other single travellers. So every Workaway also has his own pros and cons. I would not soon forget the Workaway near Melbourne, it was a really nice group and we had a lot of fun. Cooking together, going to the lake in our free time and having an ugly dress-up party.

    At the moment I am working in Portugal in a hostel what I also found through Workaway! Here there are a few other volunteers, a few locals who work here and always a lot of guests from all over the world to meet.

     

    Sign up

    You can see all the hosts for free and check if this is a way you like to go. But you do have to sign up on the website and make an account before you really can contact or sign up for a job. An account costs you 36 euro (or equivalent in your valuta) for a year.

    Once you have an account and wrote a bit about yourself you can search for the right place, country, and for a job that you like. It is just like applying to a normal job. You sent an email and tell them why you are interested and why you are perfect for the job. Then you wait for a reply.

     

    Sign up for Workaway? You can help me!

    In a brightful world, we all like to share and help each other, right?
    If you are interested in Workaway and like to sign up for it, please use this link. If you do so, Workaway will extend my account for a few months for free. So I can explore some more and then write more stories for you.
    Click here!