Painter/Decorator/Basic Maintenance

United States

5

My experience with the hostel was great! The room I stayed in was very comfortable, and the work was doable. I typically bartended 25 hours in the week with three days off. Edinburgh is a beautiful city, and the hostel is in a central location so it is easy to walk around and explore. All of the staff and volunteers were really friendly and I made some great friends during my stay. This was my first volunteer job with world packers the hostel made it a great experience :)

about 2 years ago

Ryan replied

Danielle was an excellent volunteer, hard working and so kind! We will miss her here, and would recommend her to any other host. Wish you the best of luck with every thing, come back and visit us some time! :)

Canada

5

I had an amazing time here. I got pretty bad tonsillitis like 2 days after I got there and everyone was really understanding and Hope even got me soup and smoothies to help me feel better. They didn't make me feel like an imposition or anything like that even though I couldn't do any shifts for about a week while I recovered. The friends I made there and everyone I worked with were amazing. Edinburgh is a magical city the hostel is in a great location to be able to walk to most of the important spots. It's also on a very nightlife heavy street so getting to lots of cool bars is very easy :)

about 2 years ago

Ryan replied

Veronica was a fantastic addition to our team! Super friendly, and a hard worker. Wish her the best of luck in the future! :)

Ireland

5

Super fun experience! Everyone was really nice and welcoming. Ryan, Mel, and Ceitidh were great managers. The other volunteers were great and the bar work was fun. Lots of free time to explore Edinburgh . Thank you!

over 2 years ago

Ryan replied

Thanks again Keely for all your hard work! We wish you the best with your adventures in the future, and hopefully you will come back and visit us again some time :)

United States

5

Working at the hostel was an amazing experience and extremely rewarding!! The staff and other worldpackers that I met were nice and helpful. I ended up becoming great friends with my fellow worldpackers and the staff. The hostel is located right in the middle of town and everything is in walking distance such as: Edinburgh Castle, Calton Hill, Arthur's Seat, Holyrood palace, etc! Hahahaha be prepared to walk up many hills and a ton of steps when you go out to explore. Unfortunately, I had to leave early because of an emergency, but I would love to come back!!! I would highly recommend!

over 2 years ago

Ryan replied

Thank you so much Isaiah, we wish you the best of luck in the future and hopefully we will see you again! :)

Colombia

4

The experience at the hostel was good. Hope is very friendly and flexible, most of the staff are too. It is a good opportunity to get to know the beautiful city of Edinburgh, you only have to work 7 to 8 hours, 3 days a week and you will have 4 days off, enough time to get to know Edinburgh or other nearby cities, the hotel is very large and you have a bar to have fun with the other volunteers, the location is excellent! thank you HOPE, you are a very good person

almost 2 years ago

Lily replied

Juan - thank you! We loved having you with us, and hope we will see you again in the future! Best of luck with everything!! :)

United States

3

Overall, I had a good experience volunteering at the hostel. Ther location is super great and is very central. We only worked three days a week, so there was plenty of time to explore the hostel the surrounding areas. I ended up being sick the whole month, so that affected my overall experience a bit, but the staff was accommodating when I requested a day off. the hostel definitely has more of a hotel vibe than a social hostel vibe overall. It is the off season which may be why, but I would say that it is not ideal for meeting other solo travelers, other than the other volunteers.

almost 2 years ago

Ryan replied

Thanks so much Josephine! Yes, the time of year really does impact our number of solo travelers but we are glad you enjoyed meeting our other volunteers! We wish you the best of luck in the future :)

Brazil

4

I spent two months volunteering at the hostel made a family there. I worked in the bar, at breakfast and in housekeeping as if I were part of the staff, they treated me as such and made demands of me as such. But I made incredible memories there and met wonderful people I worked 3 to 4 days a week, so I had plenty of time to explore the amazing city of Edinburgh, go out and enjoy my new friends. They also understood when I said I had another job and adapted my schedule. It was a good opportunity to work in a bar and gain experience for future jobs. Thank you the hostel team! I'll be back :)

about 2 years ago

Poland

1

I felt that the management really didn't know what they are doing with the volunteers. From the first minute I arrived,I felt that there was disorganization and lack of order regarding volunteer attitudes.I felt that the work at the bar was so much more than just "helping out at the bar", you were left alone to serve drinks to sometimes huge crowds without any real training. Once after asking manager for help he answered "I already told you this". I felt lack of respect and patience to teach and orient.You can get exactly the same "job" in any other bar and have it paid. I def don't recommend.

over 2 years ago

Ryan replied

Dear Marta,

We are sorry to hear that you did not have a positive experience with our management. However, we take issue with the statement that we do not have a clear understanding of how to handle our volunteers.

While it is true that our volunteers are responsible for serving drinks to patrons, we do provide training and guidance for all staff and volunteers. We also have a full staff force of employed staff who are trained and work with our volunteers to ensure no one is caught short. We find that the best training comes on the job, so we do our best to ensure that all volunteers have the support they need when they first start.

Regarding your experience with the manager, we are sorry if you felt that he was not patient with you. However, we can assure you that our managers are trained to be respectful and supportive towards all of our volunteers. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss your experience further and perhaps work together to find a resolution.

As for not being paid, the concept of world packers supports volunteering for accommodation. If this idea does not suit you, I suggest you seek employment during your travels in the future.

Thank you for your feedback, and we hope that you will reconsider your opinion of our business.

Sincerely,
Hope
a&o edinburgh city

Mexico

5

El trabajo es muy fácil y los empleados son muy amables. La ubicación es inmejorable porque está muy cercano a los puntos de interés en la ciudad. La habitación es muy cómoda y los voluntarios tenemos nuestra propia cocina. Definitivamente lo recomiendo!! Fue una experiencia muy buena y estoy agradecida de haber colaborado ahí

about 1 month ago

Spain

5

Mi estancia en el hostel superó totalmente mis expectativas. Esta fue mi primera experiencia como worldpacker y no puedo estar más contenta y agradecida. Ryan y el resto del equipo se portaron genial con todos los voluntarios, siempre atentos y dispuestos a ayudar, haciéndonos sentir como uno más. El hostel y las habitaciones de los voluntarios también están muy bien y con una ubicación inmejorable. En cuanto al trabajo, trabajamos 3 días a la semana. Los turnos son muy llevaderos y normalmente los días libres son consecutivos. En general, recomiendo muchísimo el hostel, yo repetiría sin duda.

12 months ago

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