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Why have volunteers?

On a practical level volunteers really do help you move a project on or gives you the encouragement for tackling a project you have been meaning to do for ages! On a deeper level you get to meet new and like minded people sharing some wonderful and rewarding times.

How does the exchange work?

At its basic level hosts provide the food and accommodation for volunteers who in return work 5 hours a day (which includes 'tea break'). Of course there is the social level getting to know different people and having some great chats!
For a more in depth look at the exchange, go to The Exchange and make sure you look at the suggested agreement.

How long do volunteers stay for?

A visit of a week or two is arranged initially by telephone or email. Stays can be extended if both parties wish to. Some volunteers end up staying for a number of months as friendships grow.

What type of accommodation can I expect?

Hosts have provided anything from tents to spare houses but it is usually a spare room. The important thing to stress is that volunteers should know the type of accommodation they will have before their arrival.

What about the food part?

Hosts provide the food as part of the exchange. The tasks of cooking and the good old dishes are shared, the volunteers doing their share in addition to the days work. Any personal choices around diet, such as vegetarian, vegan, wheat free, should be clarified in initial arrangements between volunteers and hosts.

Do I work with the volunteers?

It makes sense to set up the volunteer and explain the task but after that it depends on you. We have found that volunteers are often left to get on with it.

Do volunteers have to live with us?

Volunteers usually live as part of the family and this tends to make it more rewarding for all. Hosts wanting to keep their own space can provide volunteers with their own living space and kitchen. This is something that you would need to include in your personal host profile, and worth mentioning when making initial contact with volunteers.

How do I become a host?

Click on to the link below, where you will be asked to provide some information about yourself. This is in mainly in tick box form for ease.
Registering as a Host
You might find it useful to look at the link "four easy steps to being a host"
(Hosts do not pay to join Volunteering Spirit only Volunteers)

What type of work can I expect to be done?

Anything appropriate is the quick answer. Your profile page will state what sort of tasks you need carrying out.

Typical tasks are:

Gardening         Cleaning        Weeding        Tree planting
Babysitting        Doing the school run        Shopping        General maintenance
Fencing        Office work        Help with building        Language tuition
Cooking       

Some more unusual tasks volunteers have done:

• Help setting up a festival in southern Spain
• Drive a car from London to Paris
• Help sail from Gibraltar to Tenerife
• Teaching a host to play the harp
• House and animal sitting
• Teach a host to meditate

Can I give Volunteering Spirit any feedback?

Yes, we always find feedback useful and act on it whenever practical. We will always try to reply but being a not for profit organisation our resources are limited.

What if things go wrong?

Very occasionally things do go wrong though a solution is usually always possible. Most problems are usually a result of misunderstandings so talking things through should be enough to resolve the situation. As a last resort it is your house so you can ask the volunteer to leave but do please email Volunteering Spirit explaining what happened and the volunteer involved.

how long does it take to get a volunteer?

It can be almost instantaneous as we reserve a space especially

What about insurance?

We suggest two possible solutions for insurance cover for volunteers:

1) It is worth checking to see if your present home or workplace insurance covers a volunteer working in your home or at your centre which it often does.

2) Nowadays almost all people travelling, volunteering or backpacking abroad take out insurance. At Volunteering Spirit we strongly recommend to volunteers they do take out their own personal insurance and recommend the company OV Europa which is a registered non-profit association which provides its members with a third party liability and personal accident, injury and illness insurance suited to volunteer work. There are many other companies such as World Nomads.

We recommend that you ask volunteers if they have insurance when they enquire and request them to bring it with them to show you when they visit.