2023: hospitalero shortage

[Sue127]

Hi Sue. Clearly, I am not Rebekah!
Before posting the extract about hospitalero shortages yesterday ( a moderator moved my post and made a new thread of it), I checked to see if it was ok to post in the forum. Here is the answer, and you may well find the answer to your question...

Hola
Puedes publicar los boletines donde quieras.
Te indico que en la web de la federación www.caminosantiago.org están todos publicados, desde el año 1995.
Un saludo.

Thanks @Kirkie. Will have a look when I get back from Bee Group (and hopefully will find electricity bac on After Storm Ciaran)

 

[J Willhaus]

@Sue127 we served in an FICS albergue 2 years ago. Our other service has been with HosVol. Each albergue is different even within the same organization.

FICS was a bit more restrictive in Canfrac Pueblo about verifying that pilgrims were really pilgrims and not just "hikers" in the region who were not on pilgrimage. In other HosVol albergues we seldom had non-pilgrims. This is a nice new albergue and because it is donativo, that made it attractive. We prepared breakfast there so shopped for breakfast foods a few days per week.

At our HosVol albergues we had a variety of different directions. At some, we prepared both the evening meal and breakfast with pilgrims. At others, we prepared only breakfast and at one (during covid restrictions) we provided neither. Handling the donations was a different process at each albergue as well. At some we had another community person who was responsible to come in and count the donations and expenses. At others we were told to deposit money in the bank after collecting a certain amount. At some, accounting was very precise with a daily ledger and at others it was not.

Cleaning is pretty much the same everywhere with a thorough clean to bathrooms, kitchens, bunk rooms, common areas, plus laundry and maybe shopping daily. We also had other duties in some locations such as leading meditations or taking pilgrims on tours of the church or medieval tower (Arres).

 

[Anniesantiago]

The problem for some people is the cost of GETTING to those training sessions. Another reason Rebekah's online training course (with ZOOM) would be an excellent option.

I volunteered at San Anton some years back and it was a wonderful experience!
I had hoped to volunteer next season, but the fall I took last season tore both rotator cuffs and now I have learned I have a danged torn macula (wonky vision may have been the reason for the fall). I told my kids I want to live to be 100 but it is a BUGGER (not the word I used) getting there!

It's possible I can still volunteer in a smaller albergue - if so, I'll know once I finish with the retina specialist appointment Nov 13. My initial shock at the torn macula is settling down to "well, you may just have to live with it."

 

[Kirkie]

I have done three shifts of voluntering for FICS, my fourth is coming up in July. But I don't think I'm nice enough to let HosVol send me anywhere they want...

Would you explain what you mean? Or is it too complicated? About your comment that you are not nice enough...I doubt that!

How was your fourth?
It is a long time since I filled in the form, but I remember that it included a chance to indicate preferences such as no cooking, no prayer. Always though, cleaning and being there for any pilgrims who wanted or needed a listening ear or a bit of sticking plaster... I have not had a chance really to repeat being a hospitalera for some years as my helping has been in the church side of things. A different way of serving pilgrims, but nevertheless, rewarding.

 

[dick bird]

It is a long time since I filled in the form, but I remember that it included a chance to indicate preferences such as no cooking, no prayer.

Pretty well the same now, and they ask about your level of Spanish and any other skills you might have. We encourage trainees to approach being a hospitalero in the spirit of contribution - i.e. be prepared to go where you are needed.

 

[HeidiL]

How was your fourth?

My fourth round of volunteering was great - I really like Grado.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Hi Rebekah
I am interested in training but can you give a rough guide about how the albergues are run differently between the two organisations, please?

CSJ runs two albergues. They are pioneers in the albergue business with many years of experience and a corps of keenly dedicated volunteers. They are very organized, they "run a tight ship." Very little is left to chance... this makes them a great place to serve if you're an uncertain newby.

Other albergues vary greatly. Some have live-in supervisors who keep everything on an even keel, so volunteers can focus on the day-to-day without concerns about the gas delivery, the bread supply, the cranky washing machine. Still more are rather free-range, with hands-off supervisors who give volunteers a guidebook and some keys and pretty much let the hospitalero run the place as he likes. Different hospitaleros enjoy serving at different types of places, according to their degree of comfort with the daily demands of Spanish life.

 

[Kirkie]

It was clear in 2022 that something was up... and now in 2023 it's come a cropper. There are thousands of trained hospitaleros out there, but this summer --with record numbers of pilgrims stretching the infrastructure to the limit -- there's a real shortage of volunteers stepping up to care for the pilgrims and the camino, in locations all over the map.
Volunteers' plans change. People get sick, or die, or change their minds, but apparently in greater numbers now than ever. Some locations will have to close their doors for two-week stretches if help does not arrive soon.
Don't wait.
If you are planning your third or fifth or 18th pilgrimage, (especially if you're one of those 40% who took the training course and never volunteered to serve) consider giving something back to the path that's given you so much. Contact the HosVol, FICS (which is me), or your favorite albergue and offer to lend a hand!
And if you're on the Way now, be extra kind to the people running your albergue.

Rebekah, I thank you for the commitment you have to supporting pilgrims on the various caminos.
Not the Camino!
For those who begin with whichever motivation and discover an awareness of the commitment on the part of volunteer hospitaleros: there are clear indications in this thread. There is the Hosvol in Spain. There is Rebekah's arrangement with a few albergues. There are two Uk managed albergues - Rabanal and Guemes. There are other independent albergues, using different degrees of commitment or whatever you like. I am now in unchartered waters.
I wish I still had freedom to set off and volunteer, but life has brought home volunteering commitments!
i will dare: camino is a concept. Your camino is yours. The phenomenon that appears as "The Camino" is a path to whatever you seek. If in so doing, you awaken to offering something back - do it, and you will be tired but satisfied!

 

[J Willhaus]

Phil and I have mostly had the "Here are the keys--you're in charge" albergues. There is a number to call if there's a problem, but there seldom is one. Each hospitalero hands off to the next and yes, there is sometimes a handbook (usually in Spanish) which may or may not be up to date. Love it! Hope to have more time for it now that I am retiring in a May.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Rebekah, I thank you for the commitment you have to supporting pilgrims on the various caminos.
Not the Camino!
For those who begin with whichever motivation and discover an awareness of the commitment on the part of volunteer hospitaleros: there are clear indications in this thread. There is the Hosvol in Spain. There is Rebekah's arrangement with a few albergues. There are two Uk managed albergues - Rabanal and Guemes. There are other independent albergues, using different degrees of commitment or whatever you like. I am now in unchartered waters.
I wish I still had freedom to set off and volunteer, but life has brought home volunteering commitments!
i will dare: camino is a concept. Your camino is yours. The phenomenon that appears as "The Camino" is a path to whatever you seek. If in so doing, you awaken to offering something back - do it, and you will be tired but satisfied!

I consider the "camino" term inclusive of the traditional pilgrimage ways to Santiago de Compostela. I do not believe it is "anything you want it to be." We have inherited a thousand-year-old geographical tradition that is a Thing, historically proveable enough to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage. It is old and fragile, and it deserves our respect and protection if it's to survive the onslaught of over-development and touristic exploitation. Every shiny new tourist-office invention is not a Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, even if every pilgrimage is not a Camino.

 

[JeanneClaire]

I cannot speak for HosVOL, the federated group that oversees about 17 albergues and runs a (required) hospitalero training program. Anyone who's been a hospitalero in the past (even without Hosvol training) can volunteer. Contact them at Telf: (34) 941-245-674. Fax: (34) 941-247-571 hosvol@caminosantiago.org. They are actively recruiting for many positions.

FICS, the group I work with, likes to employ trained volunteers, but does not require training. We need people mostly in the Fall and Winter this year, in our year-round albergue in Najera. I had this season well staffed, but people are now dropping out (or making demands I cannot meet) and I am very short on folks to fill in the gaps. I especially need a Spanish-speaking veteran for the first half of July. Send me an IM here, or an email at rebrites (at) yahoo. com.

Other calls for help are going up from albergues all around the caminos, in an unprecedented way. Without volunteer hospitaleros, we will soon have no donativo or non-profit albergue network, and only the well-heeled will be able to make the pilgrimage. This traditional hospitality is what makes this Camino different from all other hiking trails. It's time for the repeat pilgrims to step up and help out.

I surely hope people step up, I volunteered last year and it was a wonderful experience . And I hope to volunteer again this year. But I took a bad fall on the Camino and have to see how I heal up. This fall might work out- I will keep in touch Rebekah!

 

[Julitapaz]

I volunteered in Nájera in Oct 2022, and will again in Grado, May 2024. It is such a wonderful experience and a privilege IMHO to serve after having walked numerous Caminos and spent time in albergues all across 5 camino routes. If I were able to do it more often, I would in a heartbeat. If you can make the time, it is well worth it!

 

[Rebekah Scott]

I surely hope people step up, I volunteered last year and it was a wonderful experience . And I hope to volunteer again this year. But I took a bad fall on the Camino and have to see how I heal up. This fall might work out- I will keep in touch Rebekah!

Heal up quickly and well!

 

[Robo]

I'm not willing to do a hospitalero training course because I've done enough Caminos to know pretty much what's required, practically and otherwise. Any albergue that might be interested is welcome to get in touch with me, especially if the alternative is closure. Short notice is fine.

I'm sure you would have a lot to offer @Gerard Griffin .

Pat and I just completed the HosVol training here in Sydney, which was outstanding I have to say.

I've walked a few Caminos and stayed in plenty of Albergues, (like most who were there) but what surprised me with the training was this..........

1. There was a lot that I did not know.
2. There was some stuff that I might have done, thinking I was being helpful, but in fact would be very unhelpful.
3. And there are quite a few Albergue 'rules' that I might have bent, not realising the negative implications........

A great training course!

 

[Gerard Griffin]

I'm sure you would have a lot to offer @Gerard Griffin .

Pat and I just completed the HosVol training here in Sydney, which was outstanding I have to say.

I've walked a few Caminos and stayed in plenty of Albergues, (like most who were there) but what surprised me with the training was this..........

1. There was a lot that I did not know.
2. There was some stuff that I might have done, thinking I was being helpful, but in fact would be very unhelpful.
3. And there are quite a few Camino 'rules' that I might have bent, not realising the negative implications........

A great training course!

Very interesting post, Robin, thanks ... I'd be very interested if you'd expand on the three points you make, and especially the last.

 

[Robo]

Very interesting post, Robin, thanks ... I'd be very interested if you'd expand on the three points you make, and especially the last.

I think overall the course was an eye opener, seeing the Camino from a different angle.
The course was a great mix of teaching, discussion and role plays / practice. Which was fun.

Without sharing the full agenda of topics covered or how they were covered, I'll share some examples that got me thinking.......

Apologies HosVol trainers if I get any of this wrong, or don't explain it well. Please correct me!
And a Caveat. This was HosVol training conducted recently in Australia. Other countries whilst covering the same material might conduct the training in a slightly different manner. I understand the training content is regularly updated by HosVol.

And of course this relates to 'Donativo' Albergues.

1. What I did not know. Elements around the Donativo Box, why we can't say how much is an 'appropriate' amount, some of the duties required, and the importantance of being a good listening ear without trying to give 'advice'. How various Albergues are owned and managed and how they are often regarded in the local community as 'their' Albergue.
2. Things I might have done thinking it was helpful, like providing a comunity meal when none is normally provided, thereby potentially upsetting local businesses, or opening early, only to have a Pilgrim arrive at opening time to find the place already full. Or recommending certain places to eat / shop that I like, rather than being fair and explaining all the options available locally......
3. Rules I might have 'bent' include allowing extra people in above the 'allowed' capacity thereby potentially breaking the Albergue licence requirements.

Many other things of course, but that is just a couple of examples of what I might previously have not understood or could easily have got wrong without some simple training.

Elements such as the role playing and discussion around things that can go wrong, was invaluable and a lot of fun.

All the training was conducted in a very professional, thorough but relaxed and caring manner.

 

[C.C.]

I would, but don't speak Spanish, so I guess that kind of rules that out. I read somewhere you need to be fluent to apply, I think on the CSJ website. I will never be fluent and probably never be much beyond the basics. But this year is a bust anyway. Maybe when i'm older and wiser (or just older).

If it didn't boil down to speaking Spanish, I can clean toilets and do general caretaker level stuff as well as the next person.

Im heading back to Spain for my 3rd year of volunteering (5 different albergues and 3 this time) and i still speak virtually no spanish. Smiles, miming and google translate get me thru. Love my time as a hospitalero