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Join our family and help with daily life in beautiful Victoria!

5.0
(13 reviews)13

The experience

We’re looking for volunteers who genuinely enjoy being part of a family environment. If you're someone who prefers to spend most of your time alone in your room or constantly out seeking entertainment, this may not be the right fit. For us, participating in family life is a key part of the exchange. We love getting to know our guests! Sorry, but at this time we can not host solo/single male travelers. As busy parents, we truly rely on this help.

What you offer

5 hours of help per day

Cleaning: Help clean the kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms and common areas.

Cooking: Choose the menu, pick ingredients and cook delicious dishes.

Gardening: Help grow plants and cultivate gardens

Child Care: Caring for, playing with, and spending time with children.

What you get

2 days off per week

Private Room: You will have a bed in a private room. In other words, a room just for you.

Breakfast: You are entitled to a free breakfast, every day of your stay.

Lunch: You are entitled to a free lunch, every day of your stay.

Dinner: You are entitled to a free dinner, every day of your stay.

Free Laundry: You can use our laundry room freely.

Bikes at your disposal: You can use our bikes any time you want.

Pick Up: We will pick you up when you arrive, and take you to our property.

Language lessons: Take free language classes at our place.

Use our equipped kitchen: Feel free to use our kitchen and make your own delicious food.

Fast Internet Access: High-speed internet for you to work remotely

Dedicated Workspace: Specific space for you to work remotely

Requirements

Intermediate English

Between 18 and 70 years old

Welcomes solo volunteers, couples, and partners of volunteers

What's not included

Flights, Travel Insurance, Internal Transportation and Visa

Program Details

As busy parents, we truly rely on the help of another adult who can seamlessly integrate into our daily home life, take initiative, and provide support where needed. We're looking for responsible, mature, and tidy individuals. We've had many wonderful volunteers over the past six years who brought great energy and enthusiasm to our household — and those memories stay with us.

That said, we’ve also had a few experiences where volunteers were not a good match, which made the exchange uncomfortable for everyone involved. To help avoid this, please carefully read the following list before reaching out. These issues arose with only a small number of past guests, but they are important to mention.

Volunteers who are not a good fit for our family:
Prefers to stay in their room most of the time (we are social and enjoy connection)
Sleeps late or is tired throughout the day (we need energy — no night owls 😴)
Doesn't complete the agreed-upon 5 hours due to lack of initiative or procrastination
Unnecessary usage of phones during helping hours 📵
Rushes through tasks, requires frequent reminders, or completes jobs carelessly
Prioritizes constant social plans outside the home, frequently asks for time off to see friends
Treats our home like a hotel or sits idle during volunteering time
Expects regular drop-offs/pickups (we may help occasionally, but not every time)
Asks to borrow our electronics (we don’t lend out laptops, tablets, AirPods, etc.)
Is uncomfortable or inexperienced around children
Expects to be “looked after” like a fourth child — we already have three 😊

If issues arise, we’ll have a conversation to address them. If there's no improvement, we will politely ask the volunteer to leave.

Activities & Shift

Below are the four main areas where help is needed. We especially appreciate volunteers who are comfortable in the kitchen. While we’re not picky eaters, meal prep is a key part of the support we require.

1. General Household
Cleaning, organizing, basic maintenance, and small repairs

2. Kitchen
Preparing snacks, cooking simple meals (more than just pasta or sandwiches), keeping the kitchen tidy and organized

3. Children
We don't need babysitters; we need mature and engaging adults who can have fun with the kids and be like an older sibling or mentor. Patience with the children is essential. We will not tolerate any form of manipulative behavior, including encouraging dishonesty, asking children to keep secrets, using inappropriate language, or placing blame on children for mistakes made by volunteers.

4. Gardening
Weeding, watering, raking leaves, mowing, planting

Schedule & Expectations
We aim for 5 hours of help per day, 25 hours per week. Volunteers are expected to help 5 days per week with 2 days off. To take a day off, a minimum of 3 consecutive days of volunteering must be completed beforehand.

What a typical day MAY look like, but this changes from month to month:
1-2hrs household help
1-2hrs with the children
1-2hrs kitchen help

You're welcome to adjust and manage your daily schedule, as long as the agreed-upon hours are completed. We allow for flexibility based on everyone’s needs.

Rules

Food & Kitchen
The kitchen (located on the upper floor) is a shared space, and you’re welcome to prepare meals and snacks during daytime hours. Please be mindful that groceries in Canada are expensive — we ask volunteers to eat in healthy moderation and avoid overconsumption. Unfortunately, food addiction is something we are seeing more and more with volunteers.

If you're taking a day off, you're welcome to pack a FEW light snacks. However, if you're planning a longer outing or road trip, please do your grocery shopping. You're welcome to use the kitchen to prepare, but we do not provide meals or ingredients for extended time away.

Even on your days off, please continue to clean up after yourself, especially if you're eating meals at home.

Dietary Notes:
If you have dietary restrictions (e.g., gluten-free) or specific preferences, please note that we only purchase items that the whole family can consume, as part of our effort to reduce food waste. You are free to purchase any specific foods and consume them as you wish.

Important Guidelines
Phone Use: Please limit phone and screen time during volunteer hours. We try to model healthy screen habits for our children and ask that volunteers avoid using phones for social media or non-urgent messaging in shared spaces while completing their hours.

Substances: We are a smoke-free, alcohol-free, and pork-free household. We kindly ask volunteers to respect this and not consume these items in our home.

Guests & Vehicle Use:
We do not allow friends of volunteers to stay overnight, and unfortunately, we cannot lend our car due to BC’s strict insurance regulations.

Accidents & Accountability:
If you break, damage, or lose anything during your stay, you will be responsible for covering the cost.