Hospitalero how do I get that job ?

[Astizo]

Hello everyone !

I stayed in your beautifull and excellent Albuerge in Rabanal del Camino just before the climb to O cebreio sponsered by your English Confraternity.

I have never been velcommed so positive, and humble as your volunteers did in Rabanal. You could almost here the angels sing, and afternoon tea for the first time in 20 years.

My question is : how do you get to be hospitalero at your beautifull albuerge (or any other), I know there is a list (a long one), and do you have to be member of the confraternaty of st. James ? but do you have to english-national as well ? I would love to be hospitalero for a fourtnight, but how do you attack this problem ?

Please if anyone is reading this give me any kind of advice !!

my mail : thb8000@yahoo.dk

Yours faithfully

Thomas Bak

 

[Rebekah Scott]

How generous of you to want to serve!

Go here to learn how to volunteer at Refugio Gaucelmo in Rabanal, or the newer Camino del Norte albergue in Miraz, near Lugo. Look here: http://www.americanpilgrims.com/camino/ ... leros.html .

Info on volunteering at any of the 50+ Spanish federated refuges and albergues can be had by contacting http://www.caminosantiago.org/cpperegri ... aleros.asp .

You can also read our hospitalero thread here on Pilgrimage To Santiago for other info.

Rebekah

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Thomas:
Sorry I gave you the American link first. Their program is tip-top too, but the Gaucelmo information you seek is at http://www.csj.org.uk/gaucelmo.htm .


Someday I´m going to be like Sil, get all this stuff organized!
Reb.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Latest News on the Online Hospitalero Course

I worked a long time, and several others (namely Ivar and Sil) have done more than their share of renumeration-free hours on this project, and an actual useable course exists at this time online. But the result is? Well.

The result is back on the back burner again, until I can prove to the Federation training folk that there are enough hospitalero-wannabes out in remote places to make the "risk" worthwhile. Their concerns are legitimate. I don´t want to speak for them. So for the moment I will just wait until things change.

Meantime, we have full support of the Canadian English-language training program here at The Peaceable Kingdom in Moratinos. The next training is set for May 24, with a nice small group already forming up. Cost is 20 Euros, registration is required, and come ready to cook and clean and communicate!

Please contact me before May 20 if you are interested in the Live On the Camino Hospitalero course, which qualifies you to volunteer at more than 60 pilgrim albergues.

Patiently
Rebekah

 

[Lobita]

Dear Rebecca,
i would like very much to work in albergues this season , so im replying to your message about this training.I hope i will be in spain by that time.What goes on after the training are you sent to albergue and how long could i possibly work there?Im asking cause i would like to work few months on this season if possible (no only volunteering two weeks as usually)
thank you very much for your information
buen camino anywhere
Viki, Slovakia

Latest News on the Online Hospitalero Course

I worked a long time, and several others (namely Ivar and Sil) have done more than their share of renumeration-free hours on this project, and an actual useable course exists at this time online. But the result is? Well.

The result is back on the back burner again, until I can prove to the Federation training folk that there are enough hospitalero-wannabes out in remote places to make the "risk" worthwhile. Their concerns are legitimate. I don´t want to speak for them. So for the moment I will just wait until things change.

Meantime, we have full support of the Canadian English-language training program here at The Peaceable Kingdom in Moratinos. The next training is set for May 24, with a nice small group already forming up. Cost is 20 Euros, registration is required, and come ready to cook and clean and communicate!

Please contact me before May 20 if you are interested in the Live On the Camino Hospitalero course, which qualifies you to volunteer at more than 60 pilgrim albergues.

Patiently
Rebekah

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Viki
If you wish to work long-term this year, you may do best to make your own agreement with the people who run individual albergues. You don´t need to go through the Federation to do that, although some albergues only accept volunteers who have been trained... many others don´t require anything but willingness. Walk the camino, find the places where you really connect, and talk to the hospitaleros there. This summer especially there will be lots of need.

One thing to be careful of: privately owned albergues will cheerfully accept your contribution of labor and time. You are perfectly within your rights to give them a hand, but remember they are profiting from your labor, and they´re not paying you anything. Don´t let yourself be exploited.

That said, several family-owned albergues do beautiful service and take on volunteers who are happy to support their enterprise. The choice is yours. Be careful out there.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Viki
If you wish to work long-term this year, you may do best to make your own agreement with the people who run individual albergues. You don´t need to go through the Federation to do that, although some albergues only accept volunteers who have been trained... many others don´t require anything but willingness. Walk the camino, find the places where you really connect, and talk to the hospitaleros there. This summer especially there will be lots of need.

One thing to be careful of: privately owned albergues will cheerfully accept your contribution of labor and time. You are perfectly within your rights to give them a hand, but remember they are profiting from your labor, and they´re not paying you anything. Don´t let yourself be exploited.

That said, several family-owned albergues do beautiful service and take on volunteers who are happy to support their enterprise. The choice is yours. Be careful out there.

 

[Lobita]

Viki
Dear Rebeca,
ou ou ou i say...
Thanks som much for your effort to reply me, but the information sounds quite sad.Positive thing is that i dont have to go through federation/which i dont mind at all if they would give more then 2 weeks work tima/The sad thing is your warning about privates which like it looks like well be my only option...I didnt know at all that the privados wont pay you nothing (beside food and accm provided), honestly i dont know how i would survive the whole season without making any at least little cash When we walked we stopped only in one privado (last one before Monto gozo) and it was the worst experience of all albergues...You suggestion to just walk and find something i had actually considered as my last option(if i dont get anything before i leave)now it looks like that i would have to start walk and just beg for someone employing me...
I was considering to walk the north path this time or finistere (o to work in this paths), if you would know any place i could contact there now i woul be more than glad and thankfull.I know there is some nice place and nice work waiting for me...i just need a little backup to jump right to the unknown waters
Thank you and have a great day!
Viki

If you wish to work long-term this year, you may do best to make your own agreement with the people who run individual albergues. You don´t need to go through the Federation to do that, although some albergues only accept volunteers who have been trained... many others don´t require anything but willingness. Walk the camino, find the places where you really connect, and talk to the hospitaleros there. This summer especially there will be lots of need.

One thing to be careful of: privately owned albergues will cheerfully accept your contribution of labor and time. You are perfectly within your rights to give them a hand, but remember they are profiting from your labor, and they´re not paying you anything. Don´t let yourself be exploited.

That said, several family-owned albergues do beautiful service and take on volunteers who are happy to support their enterprise. The choice is yours. Be careful out there.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Viki, I hate to rain on your hopes. Spain is experiencing 16 percent unemployment these days. This is not a good place to look for paying work just now... some pilgrims I met last summer started out as unemployed people looking for work, who ended up on the camino because it is such an inexpensive and interesting way to live between jobs. Unfortunately, some of them ended up as regular old homeless drifters who cannot pay their way, and have to cadge off others to keep themselves fed and sheltered.

I´ve met a few of these who wanted to become hospitaleros. It´s hard to know, though, if their willingness to volunteer was due to desire to serve, or need for bed and board for two weeks. Hospitaleros in Federation albergues are not allowed to accept wages, and are often expected to pay their own expenses as well. It´s not a good way to make a living.

Reb.

 

[Lobita]

Dear Rebecca,
sorry for reacting so late,was thinking about your words...and ihave been trying to figure out the ways how to get there and be hospitalero even the times are tough.Im getting more convinced by searching and searching and im definitely not want to do it to abuse it .The question of the money was pointed to the private albergues it surprised me that they dont pay people.Through asociation it obvious of course that is voluntario.
I have sent my request to many adreses of the albergues and lets see.Im in contact with hospitaleiros voluntarios org.and im supposed to take the cursillo in Pobena in May,and then work with them for max month.Thats why im searching for more places.I saw on your blog you are personally running albergue, well congratulation it looks very nice the place and it must be inspiring,and i see you probably have nice people around to work with you.
And in your previous comments you mentioned something about that there are some people runing albergues (i think you meant privates) who treat people working with them nicely,i would like to ask you if there is any way i could contact them?I dont want to bother you of course with this, its just a though and possibility...
So thank you very much indeed for you words you have already written and for your time, if you would have some respond for me i would be thankfull, but no obligatory of course :wink:
All the best Rebecca!
Kind regards,
Viki


Viki, I hate to rain on your hopes. Spain is experiencing 16 percent unemployment these days. This is not a good place to look for paying work just now... some pilgrims I met last summer started out as unemployed people looking for work, who ended up on the camino because it is such an inexpensive and interesting way to live between jobs. Unfortunately, some of them ended up as regular old homeless drifters who cannot pay their way, and have to cadge off others to keep themselves fed and sheltered.

I´ve met a few of these who wanted to become hospitaleros. It´s hard to know, though, if their willingness to volunteer was due to desire to serve, or need for bed and board for two weeks. Hospitaleros in Federation albergues are not allowed to accept wages, and are often expected to pay their own expenses as well. It´s not a good way to make a living.

Reb.[/quote]

 

[Rebekah Scott]

You ask a lot of questions, and the answers are too long for a forum. I am currently walking the Frances, and I am keeping an eye open for places that need help. I´ll let you know what I find, but keep in mind I am here at the very start of The Season, and I don´t always stay at the albergues that use volunteer help.

I am getting a fresh look at the whole albergue system. I think the Frances has hit "the tipping point" when it comes to accommodating lots of people at rock-bottom prices. This year will be a big lesson for us all, and I am not sure it will be a nice one.

Reb.

 

[Lobita]

Dear Rebecca,
thank you for your reply and also for having your eyes open for some positions in albergues while you walking now.Albergues will be in a big need i think this year.Sorry to overwhelme you by my many questions.Im not sure what you mean by the french albergues system you mean its better there?I believe you have a good look of the alb.system as you are working in this area for long enough.Your last sentence looks like a tough prognostic for spanish albergues for this year...
Thanks for you time
Viki


You ask a lot of questions, and the answers are too long for a forum. I am currently walking the Frances, and I am keeping an eye open for places that need help. I´ll let you know what I find, but keep in mind I am here at the very start of The Season, and I don´t always stay at the albergues that use volunteer help.

I am getting a fresh look at the whole albergue system. I think the Frances has hit "the tipping point" when it comes to accommodating lots of people at rock-bottom prices. This year will be a big lesson for us all, and I am not sure it will be a nice one.

Reb.[/quote]