Occasionally have a look at the grey nomads classifies for a bit of a laugh at what people think our labour is worth and what they think their offer is worth.
One today -
" We offer 1 to 3 week stay (Or negotiable) including power and water in exchange for 2.5 hrs a day help around the farm doing anything from gardening/property maintenance/handyman work/animal feeding and other outdoor chores. So if you are on a budget its great value (no caravan park fees). Applicant must have own shower and toilet facility in caravan and we have ample room for large van in a beautiful garden setting."
So they are offering a patch of ground, maybe even with grass, with electricity and water BUT no amenities worth what? $15 a day. In return you are required to work 2.5 hours a day at your own risk for no wages which should be $63 at minimum wage.
Such generous landowners aren't they! AND they have the gall to assure us they are not looking for slave labour.
-- Edited by Tony LEE on Saturday 12th of November 2022 01:18:13 PM
-- Edited by Tony LEE on Saturday 12th of November 2022 01:25:40 PM
Mike Harding said
02:45 PM Nov 12, 2022
I couldn't find that ad. a link would help.
However what I did notice, and something which makes the classified section next to useless, is that the ads. do not have a posting date on them and I very much doubt there is any point in replying to a, say, 12 month old and.
86GTS said
04:22 PM Nov 12, 2022
A while back I read an article (not too sure where) about an elderly couple that had spent 4 months camped on an outback station.
They'd been working their guts out six days a week, nine hours a day basically for nothing & were totally exhausted.
Its amazing what people will do just to give themselves a sense of 'being needed''.
Betcha the station management was sorry to see them go & would love to find another couple of suckers to replace them.
Wannabe nomad said
04:37 PM Nov 12, 2022
I've read a lot of these on different adds on different sites and got tired just reading them lol
I've just secured a 3week house sit 4chocks, a bit of gardening look after the house and sleep in a bedroom, can borrow a push bike if I want and can drive to the beach. Now that sounds more like it!
Cuppa said
05:06 PM Nov 12, 2022
Tony LEE wrote:
Occasionally have a look at the grey nomads classifies for a bit of a laugh at what people think our labour is worth and what they think their offer is worth.
One today -
" We offer 1 to 3 week stay (Or negotiable) including power and water in exchange for 2.5 hrs a day help around the farm doing anything from gardening/property maintenance/handyman work/animal feeding and other outdoor chores. So if you are on a budget its great value (no caravan park fees). Applicant must have own shower and toilet facility in caravan and we have ample room for large van in a beautiful garden setting."
So they are offering a patch of ground, maybe even with grass, with electricity and water BUT no amenities worth what? $15 a day. In return you are required to work 2.5 hours a day at your own risk for no wages which should be $63 at minimum wage.
Such generous landowners aren't they! AND they have the gall to assure us they are not looking for slave labour.
Hi Tony, it's been a while, hope you are well.
You're right , there are a proportion of folk out there who see the chance of cheap labour as nothing more than that, folk who are willing to exploit & who fail to see these sort of arrangements as a two way process. Sadly I expect they do it & keep on doing it because some folk say "yes please". However the exploiters are pretty easy to pick, especially for those of us who have done a reasonable amount of house/farm sitting & caretaking. We know there are plenty of folk out there who are prepared to be fair. The further away from civilisation the more reasonable people seem to be as a general rule. Not surprising because getting anyone at all can be difficult.
Eg. Last year we spent 7 months caretaking at Moreton Telegraph Station. There would have been an average of 2.5 hours a day there at least, with a mix of fairly slack days & occasional busy days. It rarely felt like 'work' though. When we agreed to take it on (on the shake of a hand) we were initially asked for our ABN. Clearly the expectation was that we would be paid. Surprise was expressed when we made it clear that we did not want payment, but rather an arrangement of mutual benefit. This included me making it clear that I have a crook back, so would not be doing any heavy manual work, nor swinging a heavy petrol whipper snipper. The response was "there are plenty of ways to do things easier & the last thing we want is you up here, cut off, having done your back". As it turned out if there was anything heavy needed doing, the tractor & front end loader was used, & the industrial sized ride on mower got to most places. We were 'paid' in a fashion. All of our food +& beer + wine was provided, to our choice (& very generously too, we were still eating meat from there 3 months after we finished), plus we left with full diesel tanks in our car, all on top of having a unique wet season experience that few will ever have the opportunity for, in a house with all services, including internet & air con included. Kinda makes the 2.5 hours a day for a space to put a van & nothing else look positively stingy!
We are now looking after a place which if it were paid accommodation would cost a minimum of $200 a night, in a unique locationIn the middle of a rainforest) with a very comfy room + en suite, for 12 months. No payment as such, but there was a stipend offered to cover our food costs, which it does, & again we have all the usual facilities including internet. Around 60% of the time we are here alone but have occasional scientists & researchers come to stay for periods of 1 to 3 weeks. They self cater, but we ensure they have a clean room to come to, & clean after they leave & wash the linen. I do a bit of maintenance & gardening now & then as I see fit, & occasionally we do an airport transfer. Here, as at Moreton the primary role is 'providing security via our presence'.
These were 'experiences' we were keen to take on, and which have been completely cost neutral. In both places we have had the use of vehicles & have not even needed to buy fuel for ourselves for over a year now.
I could give more examples, but basically we have never felt exploited, nor have we felt we have exploited anyone's generosity. My post is to let others know that if they are happy to take on something as per the ad you referred to (& we have seen plenty like that) that's fine, but also to let folk know that there is a lot more out there available which won't make them feel used.
Roy E said
10:47 AM Nov 13, 2022
Cuppa, that sounds a great life. Hoping to do similar to you in the not-too-distant future.
Cheers,
Roy.
Cuppa said
12:07 PM Nov 13, 2022
Roy E wrote:
Cuppa, that sounds a great life. Hoping to do similar to you in the not-too-distant future. Cheers, Roy.
Hope you can Roy, we have no regrets. On the basis of our experience the key is threefold - travelling slowly, flexibility & networking along the way. Not impossible to organise things in advance but far less likely to get what you want. Being 'on the ground' as it were makes a huge difference. The 'modus operandi' which has worked best for us is to visit areas of interest hoping something might turn up whilst we are there to enable us to stay longer if we want to. So far so good.
CrashHD said
12:55 PM Nov 13, 2022
Cuppa, Roy
That sounds simply outstanding, extremely satisfying and enjoyable. Certainly seems like an ideal way to spend time and see this great land. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
We hope to be able to do similar in the future.
Cheers
Dougwe said
04:21 PM Nov 13, 2022
I have done many house sits over the years being full time on the road and enjoyed every single one of them and have made friends with every single owner. I have only ever knocked a house sit back once and that was only due to being in a city and nowhere for the TeePee to park up except on the nature strip down a few houses. There were also a few things expected of me I wasn't happy about, so just said, "sorry, no can do". I felt bad about it as I really enjoy helping others.
If you don't like the sound of what is expected of you, you don't have to agree to do it. Just move on.
I have enjoyed every single house sit I have done and felt good about helping someone out so they could get away or for whatever reason.
I am currently doing a house sit just North of Wagga Wagga and so far, has been great. I have even played foreman Doug while a large area of concrete was laid then construction of a large covered in outdoor living area finished off. That was educational for me as never seen a large area of concrete laid. Even seeing the newer materials used in the patio construction. All very interesting indeed. That all done and dusted now, time is mine. I have even caught up with other friends that live in the area as well and will do again before I leave.
IMO the original post was a big ask by the people wanting a house sitter. That said, if you are happy to do it, go for it.
Edit....better go put bins out.
-- Edited by Dougwe on Sunday 13th of November 2022 04:56:31 PM
Southern Cruizer said
06:21 PM Nov 13, 2022
Make sure they don't float away tonight Doug
Dougwe said
06:33 PM Nov 13, 2022
I'm not worried about them floating away Graham but more so blowing over. We have have had some strong winds today. I can see myself making a quick run out front in the pj's during the night to save them. I need the recycle bin emptied to get of all the bottles from the wild parties
Southern Cruizer said
07:28 PM Nov 13, 2022
Geez Doug, out on the street in the PJ's. I'll ring Monte Cristo and get the local haunted ones to keep an eye on you.
Yeah the wind did blow a bit today AND why wasn't I invited to the wild parties?
travelyounger said
08:34 PM Nov 13, 2022
Hi
Why not go an try a volunteer job such as blaze aid which I did recently helping flood and fire events
They give you free rent food and washing facilities for helping the community at your own pace i did it for two weeks and did not spend a cent and met great people
Roy E said
08:21 AM Nov 14, 2022
Some great and interesting stories here.
Every time we go away in van, we love the long stay away from the city but rue the trip home.
Looking forward to when motorhome comes off production line and we will do some really long away trips and put some of the contributors' ideas here into action.
Cheers,
Roy.
Tony LEE said
10:01 AM Nov 14, 2022
The link for the example I gave is
https://www.thegreynomads.com.au/classifieds/help-wanted/beautiful-adelaide-hills-lobethal-sa/
But there are plenty of other examples.
We have done a few of these over the years, some really good experiences as Cuppa has described, and some not so good to the extent that the farmers involved could only be described as thoroughly miserable ($**!? /_ whose adverts indicate at least some level of compensation, but who are too miserable to give us enough fuel to get us to the next town.
As for the minimum award wage rate I mentioned, the reality is many of the jobs I've done have involved wage rates many times that amount. As Cuppa made clear from some of his own experiences, it all needs to be discussed beforehand rather than afterwards, and even then it can turn out poorly.
Tony LEE said
10:13 AM Nov 14, 2022
Yes Mike, they used to include the posting date, but no longer. Backwards step, especially given inclusion would just require a date field in the heading so involving zero extra work for office staff
The advert I referenced is an ongoing plea for slave labour so always relevant. Maybe want 3 hours a day now to cover electricity price rises.
At least the House sitting and Volunteer ones are generally dated within the text.
Cuppa said
11:28 AM Nov 14, 2022
Roy E wrote:
Every time we go away in van, we love the long stay away from the city but rue the trip home.
Roy your comment reminded me of something I wrote in my blog back in June '17 when I was thinking about how half of each trip is the 'home run'. As a young fella, from my mid teens I made many forays into Europe from the UK, hitch hiking & camping for as long as the money lasted (meaning returning home to get another job, save a bit & then head off again). Mostly the trips were only a few months, but the enduring memory of these 'fancy free' trips was the sense of freedom & timelessness which having no return date afforded me. It was something I was very keen to re-create for us both post retirement. I wrote:
"Its different this time, actually its different every time, but this time we are not embarking on a trip. A trip has a beginning, a middle & it has an end. Half way through a trip you are always on the home run which has an effect upon your perception of all you see & do. This time trip has been substituted by lifestyle. It will of course have a beginning, a middle, & an end but the significant difference is that we wont know when the middle is, only when it was, once we finally identify the end. Its an essential element to our dream".
Occasionally have a look at the grey nomads classifies for a bit of a laugh at what people think our labour is worth and what they think their offer is worth.
One today -
" We offer 1 to 3 week stay (Or negotiable) including power and water in exchange for 2.5 hrs a day help around the farm doing anything from gardening/property maintenance/handyman work/animal feeding and other outdoor chores. So if you are on a budget its great value (no caravan park fees). Applicant must have own shower and toilet facility in caravan and we have ample room for large van in a beautiful garden setting."
So they are offering a patch of ground, maybe even with grass, with electricity and water BUT no amenities worth what? $15 a day. In return you are required to work 2.5 hours a day at your own risk for no wages which should be $63 at minimum wage.
Such generous landowners aren't they! AND they have the gall to assure us they are not looking for slave labour.
-- Edited by Tony LEE on Saturday 12th of November 2022 01:18:13 PM
-- Edited by Tony LEE on Saturday 12th of November 2022 01:25:40 PM
I couldn't find that ad. a link would help.
However what I did notice, and something which makes the classified section next to useless, is that the ads. do not have a posting date on them and I very much doubt there is any point in replying to a, say, 12 month old and.
They'd been working their guts out six days a week, nine hours a day basically for nothing & were totally exhausted.
Its amazing what people will do just to give themselves a sense of 'being needed''.
Betcha the station management was sorry to see them go & would love to find another couple of suckers to replace them.
I've just secured a 3week house sit 4chocks, a bit of gardening look after the house and sleep in a bedroom, can borrow a push bike if I want and can drive to the beach. Now that sounds more like it!
Cheers,
Roy.
Hope you can Roy, we have no regrets. On the basis of our experience the key is threefold - travelling slowly, flexibility & networking along the way. Not impossible to organise things in advance but far less likely to get what you want. Being 'on the ground' as it were makes a huge difference. The 'modus operandi' which has worked best for us is to visit areas of interest hoping something might turn up whilst we are there to enable us to stay longer if we want to. So far so good.
Cuppa, Roy
That sounds simply outstanding, extremely satisfying and enjoyable. Certainly seems like an ideal way to spend time and see this great land. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
We hope to be able to do similar in the future.
Cheers
I have done many house sits over the years being full time on the road and enjoyed every single one of them and have made friends with every single owner. I have only ever knocked a house sit back once and that was only due to being in a city and nowhere for the TeePee to park up except on the nature strip down a few houses. There were also a few things expected of me I wasn't happy about, so just said, "sorry, no can do". I felt bad about it as I really enjoy helping others.
If you don't like the sound of what is expected of you, you don't have to agree to do it. Just move on.
I have enjoyed every single house sit I have done and felt good about helping someone out so they could get away or for whatever reason.
I am currently doing a house sit just North of Wagga Wagga and so far, has been great. I have even played foreman Doug while a large area of concrete was laid then construction of a large covered in outdoor living area finished off. That was educational for me as never seen a large area of concrete laid. Even seeing the newer materials used in the patio construction. All very interesting indeed. That all done and dusted now, time is mine. I have even caught up with other friends that live in the area as well and will do again before I leave.
IMO the original post was a big ask by the people wanting a house sitter. That said, if you are happy to do it, go for it.
Edit....better go put bins out.
-- Edited by Dougwe on Sunday 13th of November 2022 04:56:31 PM
Yeah the wind did blow a bit today AND why wasn't I invited to the wild parties?
Every time we go away in van, we love the long stay away from the city but rue the trip home.
Looking forward to when motorhome comes off production line and we will do some really long away trips and put some of the contributors' ideas here into action.
Cheers,
Roy.
Roy your comment reminded me of something I wrote in my blog back in June '17 when I was thinking about how half of each trip is the 'home run'. As a young fella, from my mid teens I made many forays into Europe from the UK, hitch hiking & camping for as long as the money lasted (meaning returning home to get another job, save a bit & then head off again). Mostly the trips were only a few months, but the enduring memory of these 'fancy free' trips was the sense of freedom & timelessness which having no return date afforded me. It was something I was very keen to re-create for us both post retirement. I wrote:
"Its different this time, actually its different every time, but this time we are not embarking on a trip. A trip has a beginning, a middle & it has an end. Half way through a trip you are always on the home run which has an effect upon your perception of all you see & do. This time trip has been substituted by lifestyle. It will of course have a beginning, a middle, & an end but the significant difference is that we wont know when the middle is, only when it was, once we finally identify the end. Its an essential element to our dream".