Kilmichael House

Our Location is unique and very close to Loch Ness which is a popular destination for travellers globally. In addition we are en-route to the North Coast 500, Isle of Skye,Fort William not to mention the fabulous Western Isles. We provide great safe and very clean facilities for our helpers and take an active interest in them during the time they are with us and try to enrich their experience by either showing them around the area (business permitting and also down to the length of stay -longer stays mean more varied trips). Our business is looking after guests and we endeavour to look after our helpers in the same manner.

I was brought up in the hotel and catering business in my parents properties and then worked for all the big national /international organisations such as Hilton etc, before having my own hotel and pub and latterly my own B & B's so have spent in excess of 40 years in this business. I am a very focused direct individual and being professionally trained I conduct my business practices in the same manner as that of perhaps a larger organisation and do adopt their practice standards i.e. risk assessments to staff training and set departmental standards and everyone who joins will get training in how my operation works and instruction as to how the various tasks would be achieved. What I look for in individuals is Flexibility, Great Sense of Humour, Tolerance of and Willingness in Helping Others, Can do Attitude.
I operate the property (which is not a hostel and nor do we offer hostel facilities) myself with a seasonal self employed part time contractors. Our standards are set high and were further enhanced during the heights of Covid-19 and many of them are now incorporated into our existing standards and these must be strictly adhered to for every ones safety and well being). I make no apologies for the house keeping standards we set as it is the correct way to operate within the hospitality industry. The work is physical and comes with some pressure as it must be carried out with speed and efficiency and prospective volunteers should be aware of that and also the fact the housekeeping side is the biggest part of a volunteers daily tasks.
The safety of our volunteers is a priority as is our guests and we have house rules/policies incorporating looking after your room, noise levels, health/safety/hygiene, smoking policies etc. and these will be covered in full on arrival or please ask what these are before you confirm your application. I provide excellent clean, comfortable accommodation (and we expect it to be maintained that way during your stay i.e. (changing bedding/towels once a week), respecting the contents of the room and report any breakages, spillages as soon as they occur, Anyone found to be abusing our house rules/policies, causing damage to our property will be asked to leave immediately and we will take photographs in your presence as evidence and Worldpackers will be notified accordingly with any back up information being sent to them. Basic meals (cater for vegetarians by providing a vegetarian option but we do not provide for vegans) the meals provided (with the exception of breakfast which consists of cereal, musseli, toast, tea/coffee, milk for cereals, tea or coffee, tap water. We do not provide unlimited amounts of milk and only for tea/coffee/cereals ). You can provide your own milk and there is a small fridge for this in the main kitchen area. We do not allow milk to be stored in volunteers bedrooms. lunch - soup/sandwiches, salad, savouries, quiche all of which are alternated from day to day and could also contain excess food from a previous evening. Fresh tap water is available at all times but we do not provide bottled water/soft drinks/milk/yogurt (other than as described) or alcoholic drinks. Dinner is based on a 'dish of the day' available for all helpers and it should be noted we do not cook for individual tastes/diets so if you are a fussy eater think again before applying .We use pasta/rice/noodles/potatoes along with vegetables, poultry, meat, fish. Any food (snacks/fruit etc) outwith the 3 basic daily meals we provide and as described has to be sourced by volunteers themselves. We permit Dry Snacks (crisps/biscuits) in the bedroom but no wet food whatsoever i.e. pot noodle, take aways, un-finnished food from meals, pizza etc. We also provide unlimited services such as wi-fi/internet/once a week (Sunday/Monday) laundry wash for our volunteers. If you require additional laundry services there is a coin operated laundry service in the village.
Energy costs are at an all time high in the UK and those individuals coming from very warm climates should understand that we do not operate 24 hour central heating (there is hot water 24 hours a day) but heating is regulated and during summer months is not on unless extremely cold by UK standards . We do not meter water or lighting but request you ensure taps are turned off and not left running and lights are switched off when you leave rooms. Our property is just the same as your home and it is kept secure at all times therefore your bedroom door should be kept locked as should the main entrances to the buildings when unattended in order to deter any unwanted/uninvited 2 legged or 4 legged visitors. all Volunteers should have their own travel and personal belongings insurance.
Business permitting and how long a volunteer is with me will show them as much of the area I can). The hours I expect from a volunteer is between 2-4 a day over 5 days during High Season i.e. April- September and in out of season (Oct. - March) it is more like 2-3 over 4 days. However, the official daily working requirement is 4 hours and anything less should be regarded as a bonus. I do not believe in exploiting volunteers and they enjoy plenty of free time to themselves but I am very honest and I do ask that they are flexible (and understand that the detail of tasks is not restricted to the descriptions listed and can be altered to include additional duties as expected in a catering environment including shift work but never exceeding the advertised 4 hours a day or 20 hours weekly), completely honest, able to follow instruction/direction, be adaptable, use initiative, love animal and have a great sense of humour. If you are unable to tick all of those boxes Kilmichael House will not be the place for you. Whilst having a respect for different viewpoints I prefer my household to be neutral and not confrontational and expect the same from others with the understanding that sometimes we all have to 'agree to differ' and be respectful of others points of view
I will give everyone their own space as I have mine but am very happy to engage as much or as little with volunteers particularly when wanting to learn English. I am very open and happy to discuss current affairs etc. and respect the opinions and viewpoints of others as I expect my opinions to be respected. I also ask that any issues/misunderstandings that might arise are discussed direct with myself in order to try and resolve them.