FAQS


FAQs

Q1. What is WWOOF?
WWOOF Greece holds a list of organic farms, gardens and smallholdings, all offering food and accommodation in exchange for practical help on their land. WWOOF is an exchange: you volunteer your help in exchange for food, accommodation and an opportunity to learn about organic agriculture. As a WWOOFer, you can expect to work about 5-6 hours per day 5 days a week, or a combination of hours/days to suit your host and yourself not totalling more than 30 hours per week. In order to volunteer on WWOOF host farms in Greece you must become a member of WWOOF Greece. Membership lasts for 1 year.

Q2. How can I get an idea of what the hosts are like before I pay my membership fee?
The host farms are available for preview (minus contact details)

Full contact details of the hosts are only available to members of WWOOF Greece. Once your WWOOF Greece application has been processed you will be able to view full contact details of all hosts on the members section of the website (online membership).

Q3. What does my volunteer membership give provides me?
Your annual membership entitles you to receive a password for online membership. You will get access to a list that includes all WWOOF hosts in Greece with full contact details. With this list you can make your own arrangements to WWOOF directly with hosts.

Q4. How long can I go WWOOFing for?
It is up to you and the host to decide what suits you both best. WWOOF stays can vary from a weekend to a long-term stay lasting months.

Q5. Will I be able to find a host to WWOOF with in the winter months? (November, December, January)?

Although there are fewer hosts needing help at this time of year, there are several still listed as accepting WWOOFers in the colder months.

Q6. How long does it take to process a volunteer application?
You are given an access immediately after on-line payment and registration.

Q7. How long does it take roughly to place me?
We do not place you – you place yourself. Once you have a WWOOF Greece host list, it is up to YOU to contact the farms. How long they take to reply depends on them. We suggest that you don’t try to arrange things ‘last minute’ because hosts are very busy people and may take a while to respond to your enquiry. Always include the word WWOOF in the subject heading of your emails.

Q8. How do I pay to join WWOOF Greece?

Paying by Credit Card or by PayPal: PayPal is our payment processor for Credit Cards, or you can pay using your PayPal account, if you have one.

Bank transfer to WWOOF GREECE account (Please contact us for further information).

Q9. Where can I find my membership / WWOOF ID number?
Your 8digit membership / WWOOF ID number be in the ‘receipt’ or ‘invoice’ email you get when you join WWOOF Greece.
You can also find it by logging in at USER LOGIN section of the Rigth menu; you will find it on the front page of your membership section.
You will need to quote this number to hosts, who have the ability to check if your membership number is valid and current.The ID has the following shape: GR-ddmmyy-XX
=> ddmmyy = your submission date
=> XX = 2 digit number

Q10. I joined with a friend on a joint membership; why hasn’t my partner received an access code to the Internet site?

Joint membership means you receive a WWOOF ID number and only a single email address will be registered in our database.

Q11. How much ahead of traveling should I begin contacting hosts?

The earlier the better.
Although contact by email can be very fast, not all hosts are able to check their email regularly. Also, many hosts are booked up with volunteers some time in advance.
We suggest allowing at least 6 to 8 weeks to make arrangements; if hosts are busy it can sometimes take a while for them to reply. If you want to volunteer over the summer – especially August – we advise you to make arrangements as far ahead as possible, as a lot of hosts fill up at this time. If you’re emailing, make sure you include the word WWOOF in the subject heading and your five-digit membership number in the body of the text.

Q12. How do I apply to be a WWOOF host farm ?
You can apply online or download and print an application form here.
Please remember though, WWOOFers are volunteers and are therefore more free to come and go than an employee. For this reason, hosts should not depend on them as an alternative to paid, skilled labour.

Q13. Do I need to have insurance?

All hosts should have insurance. Most take out public liability and employers liablity, but WWOOF cannot explicitly advise you what you need.

WWOOFers – you are responsible for your own safety. Check you have insurance that covers medical care including transportation home, accidents, and loss of property. You should also be covered against you injuring other people or losing or breaking other people’s property. Make sure your insurer knows that you will be a volunteer on a farm.
See also INSURANCE .

Q14. Are there any age restrictions?

Note that you must be at least 18 years old to join WWOOF Greece. This is actually a legal issue. Generally people below 18 are still considered by law to be children. Many of our hosts are not willing to take on the extra responsibility that this entails.

Q15. Can I take my children?
Some farms are very happy to welcome people with children others are not. For farms that already have children it is often a pleasure to have other children around. Information is normally given in the host list (which also should be checked by you with the farm in advance).
Please contact host on this matter.

Q16. Can I take my dog?
This all depends on the host. Never go to a farm with a pet without checking with your host in advance

Q17. Can I give you feedback?
Yes, please be assured that we consider all feedback from volunteers and hosts. We may not have time to respond to each email, but we are very grateful for all comments as they help us improve our service to you.

Q18. What happens if things go wrong?
The WWOOF system is based on trust. It is impossible for us to verify every new person that joins the organisation. However if you have a complaint to make about a WWOOFer or a host, WWOOF Greece organization does have a complaints procedure in place. Contact us at [email protected] .

Q19. Do I get the usual rights of cancellation when buying a WWOOF membership?

Under the Distance Selling Regulations 2000 (DSR), consumers buying via the internet have the right to a ‘cooling off’ period of seven working days following the purchase of an item. However, due to the nature of the WWOOF product, the consumer agrees to waive this cancellation right by paying the required WWOOF membership fee. In other words, once you have bought a WWOOF Greece membership, we are not required to give you a refund if you change your mind.

Q20. Can you help me find a job and get a work permit / visa?
WWOOF is not about paid working. Therefore WWOOF organisations and hosts CANNOT help you obtain visas, work permits or letters of recommendation. It is up to you to find out what you have to do in order to enter Greece for your visit / travels.

Q21. Once I am a member of a WWOOF Greece, can I use my membership all over the world?
Membership of WWOOF Greece enables you to volunteer with hosts in Greece only.

There are WWOOF national organisations in many other countries. For example, joining WWOOF Portugal allows you to WWOOF in Portugal. There is currently no international membership – you must join the national WWOOF organisation in each country where you want to WWOOF. The membership fees are small and cover the cost of running each service.

For countries where no national organisation exists, host lists are compiled by WWOOF Independents and WWOOF Australia –
http://www.wwoof.org/independents.asp