Thursday, 6 November 2014

Volunteering in France


There are many ways to volunteer in France. But in this section I am going to compare the three biggest sites - WWOOF, HelpX and Work Away.
WWOOF France




WWOOF (World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) France is a platform that puts volunteers and host farms into contact with each other. The site holds a directory of hundreds of farms throughout France currently looking for volunteers. The experience will depend almost entirely upon the farm you choose to stay with, but the work will always be focussed around organic production (e.g. cultivating fruit and veg, selling produce at a market, germinating seeds etc.).

Whilst there are exceptions, a driving principle for many of these farms is a strong ecological conviction and a belief in small-scale organic farming. I have spend a combined 5 months staying at a total of 8 WOOFing sites, and do not particularly share these values. No problem. You don't have to be a happy hairy hippy to have a great time at one of the farms. But if you are completely opposed to the ideals, you're going to have a difficult time. 
Pros
  • Cheap, after a €25 joining fee there is very little expense left. All meals will be provided, alcohol is often provided by the hosts and many of them will even take you out for weekend trips/ nights out. 
  • Most hosts are French, and most other WWOOFers are as well. 


    • Cons

    • Ecological principles could be a grating point. If you don't believe in global warming, actively love GMO food and believe that organic is a pointless waste of money then you probably shouldn't use this site.
    • The information available on farms is minimal. The directory of farms is very basic and the site actively discourages hosts from giving too much information on sleeping arrangements/ size of property etc. 
    • Your fee only buys you an account for WWOOF France, if you wanted to volunteer in Martinique, for example, you would have to buy a new membership. 
    Tips

    • Spend time researching the farm you have decided to go to and ask a lot of questions over email. Issues such as whether the host is vegetarian/ vegan, whether smoking is acceptable, how much time the hosts have to spend with you, what the sleeping and toilet arrangements are etc. should all be asked through email. 
    • There are a large variety of hosts available through WOOFing from small family farms to entire eco villages. Think long and hard about what would be best for you before deciding. 
    • Make sure French is the spoken language of your hosts.
    More info can be found at WOOFing in France.


    HelpX



    HelpX is similar to WOOFing in that it has a large directory of people looking to host volunteers. The difference is that many of the hosts are home stays without a focus on organic farming or any overarching ecological principles. You might stay in an apartment in central Bordeaux, help run a B&B in the Dordogne or find a small organic commune in rural Normandy.


    Pros
    • Free service available. You can become a volunteer for free, although this limits what you can do (you can't contact hosts directly).
    • Cheap, if you decide you want the luxury of choosing which hosts you contact the upgrade fee is only €20. Unlike WWOOFing this gives you access to hosts all around the (French-speaking) world.
    • Variety. There is a really large variety of volunteering options available.

    Cons


    • English dominated, there is a very heavy English presence on this website. This is not a good thing for the purposes of your volunteering. You need to delve into an environment where you are forced to speak and start thinking in French, not one where you are cushioned by your mother tongue. Since you don't want to stay with an English family it is going to take a lot of sifting through hosts just to find French speakers, and that's before you start considering other factors.
    • Large variation in rules and guidelines between hosts. Some places you might be expected to work three hours a day, some places six and some nine. Some places all meals will be provided, others will expect you to sort yourself out. Whereas WWOOF has a standardised charter, HelpX has no such charter and the agreement between the host in the site is a lot more relaxed than WWOOF. This can result in horrendous experiences (i.e. working for ten hours a day for little food).

    Tips


    • Make sure you know exactly what the situation with food/ accommodation and work are before you head out.
    • Make sure French is the spoken language by your hosts.




     Similar to HelpX, but with even more emphasis on skill related work. All of the hosts list the work they need done and the skills that they are looking for.

    Pros
    • Huge variety of people, locations and work available. 
    • One off payment of €23 for two years access to the site.
    • Good information on hosts. Hours expected are included on all host descriptions and extensive references are available for most hosts.

    Cons


    • Many non-French speakers listed on the site.

    Tips


    • Make sure you know exactly what the situation with food/ accommodation and work are before you head out.
    • Make sure French is the spoken language by your hosts.




    Of course, there are many other ways to volunteer in France. But these sites are by far the easiest and simplest ways to organise a long stay. It doesn't matter how or where you stay, the important thing is to immerse yourself fully in a French speaking environment. The reason I suggest volunteering over something like couchsurfing or renting an apartment is that it is a lot easier and cheaper.
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