Volunteer Benefits
The benefits of volunteering at La Giraudière are enormous. Here you can read exactly how you benefit and what you receive in exchange for your volunteer fee and the 18 hours of work you contribute each week of your stay.
Volunteer benefits:
- Accommodation
- Clean linen & towels
- 3 meals a day
- Transfers to and from the arrival point at Chalais station & transportation througout your stay
- French or English language lessons with qualified experienced teachers
- Weekly market trips to Chalais Market
- Free group excursions every two weeks
- Volunteers and interns participate in local events and community activities
- Advice & Training
- Participation certificate & Membership to the Association
Accommodation and Meals
Accommodation: You will have your own bedroom in one of the apartments at La Giraudiere, unless you indicate that you wish to share with a friend or partner. Every effort is made to ensure that males and females are accommodated in different apartments. Each apartment has a shower and wash room independent from the other apartments. The apartments are clean, bright, comfortable and well-equipped. Remember this is a volunteer project; we are not a 5-star hotel.
Linens & Towels: Towels and sheets are provided. Once a week the bed linens and toweling are changed.
Meals on Volunteering / Intern Days
Breakfast: Coffee, tea, juice, cereal, fruit, yoghurt, eggs, cheese, jams, and bread
Lunch: Fresh bread, salad, saladries, meats, quiche, paté, spreads, pizzas, soup, cheese, and a few surprises
Dinner: Monday to Friday, everyone takes a turn cooking to provide the evening meal. During a 3-week stay you may have to cook 2 or 3 times, but don’t worry, it’s always a joint effort with plenty of help being provided!
At La Giraudière, the weekend (Saturday & Sunday) is time to do your own thing. With regard to meals and food, there is always something in the larder, freezer and fridges at the house which are at your disposal.
Benefit from Free Transfers and Excursions
Transportation and Transfers: All arrival and departure transportation to and from Chalais station, as well as trips to Chalais, are included.
Group Excursions: Once every 2 weeks a group excursion is arranged and provided.
Long weekends: Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday are your days off and ideal for exploring the region! We provide transportation to and from Chalais train station. Remember to budget for those weekends exploring.
Benefit from Foreign Language Lessons
French and English Lessons: Normally, every Monday afternoon language lessons are provided by our French and English-speaking qualified teachers. For those practicing at a beginners level, there will be a focus on useful vocabulary and phrases for your time here in France. For those at an advanced level, work will focus on conversation and grammar.
Benefits of volunteering await you
Work materials and supplies: All work materials are provided.
Internet and phone reception: There is free Internet access for laptops, tablets and other devices. Limited access to receive phone calls is also provided.
Advice and training: If there is something in particular that you would like to learn during your stay and feel that we could advise or train you then please ask.
Volunteer’s Certificate: At the end of your stay you will receive a Volunteer Certificate and a reference letter of participation – essential for your CV or Resumé.
Weekly Market Trip: Every Monday morning there is a traditional French market at Chalais. Transport to and from the market is included.
Membership to the Association: Each participating volunteer is given membership to our Association: Les Amis de La Giraudière.
These are only a fraction of the benefits of volunteering at La Giraudière. For more detailed descriptions of the volunteer experience, read articles which have been written by previous volunteers at Volunteers Articles.
The dates for 2025 Summer program are presently
26th June 2025 until 30th September 2025
The recommended volunteering period is 3 weeks but you can apply for any length of stay during the 2025 program dates.