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BGarden BCN
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About the experience in: Barcelona, Spain
Brazil
From the beginning, it felt more like a job than volunteering. They rely heavily on volunteers, and we were expected to deliver hotel level service despite not necessarily being hospitality professionals, while the conditions they provided for volunteers were far below those expectations (the volunteer rooms are very small, and one had no window to the outside, meaning no natural light or ventilation). We were also told that this was an environment based on open dialogue, but that only seemed to exist in theory, as certain situations and incidents made this "constructive" dialogue unrealistic.
about 1 month ago
About the experience in: Barcelona, Spain
Argentina
The work wasn't heavy, but I felt an imbalance between what was expected of us and the conditions offered in return, as if the accommodation were a favor and not an exchange. There were cockroaches in bathrooms and rooms, and when a doctor told me that the bites I had could be from bed bugs, it took days to inspect the room.
In general, I felt a lot of neglect toward the volunteers: fairly obvious problems seemed not to exist until someone complained. Many times they solved them, but only after having to point them out and insist.
about 2 months ago
About the experience in: Barcelona, Spain
Italy
Thanks Anto and B-garden for this lovely experience!! All the best!
2 months ago
About the experience in: Barcelona, Spain
Ireland
You give more than you get. The hours in the morning are fine but the random one hour shifts in the evening are a huge inconvenience. The night late check ins are ridiculous, sometimes having 10-11 cleaning, checkin and 6am breakfast. My room had no window and is so small shared with another person also the door didn't close properly unless locked with the key every time. Housekeeping shift is awkward, usually they make up stuff for you to do or you do more work than the paid staff. If the manager could pay nobody she would. Can only wash clothes once a week at set time.
3 months ago
Sofia replied
I think you should have been more comunicative during your stay. I have always been very clear about my way of doing things in my first interview. Thank you for your comments about the cleaning, this is a constructive opinion, but volunteering it is also practicing some languages, learning and really helping when it is needed. I think next time you should pay a room so you do not have to do anything in the meantime.
About the experience in: Barcelona, Spain
Australia
The location of this volunteering is great, right in the heart of Barcelona. But the work is genuinely hard, the hours may not be super long but you will be cleaning to a professional housekeeping standard and if it is not done right, they will get you to do it again. In exchange, the room is tiny and was not big enough for my own suitcase which had to be kept somewhere else. The room was very dirty, walls are paper thin so you hear everything at night and some bugs in the room were biting me in my sleep. This volunteering isn't easy, so weigh up whether the location is worth it for you
4 months ago