Liam (54) & Victoria

Volunteer since
2021

Speaks

We're fluent in English, Chinese and Russian and our French is B1 or B2

Last seen online
more than 6 month ago

About me

We're a couple of teachers, taking some time out during this endless pandemic. Our hope is to return to the classroom in August but in the meantime we've been doing some volunteering. We've had some enjoyable experiences and we're both hard-working and have a range of useful skills and abilities so we feel we're useful to have around.
The biggest thing we miss about employment is receiving a salary (of course!), so the ideal situation for us is one where I spend 20 hours a week volunteering and the rest of the time (10 to 20 hours a week) doing paid work so we save a little cash each week. If the work is gardening, carpentry, general labouring or whatever tasks you need to get done I'm pretty handy and adaptable, so if that's something that might be an option then please let us know.
A little more about us: we enjoy reading and similarly chilled-out activities, so if your property is in the middle of nowhere that's not an issue for us as peace and quiet is just what we're after. We also like going for long walks (or runs, depending on our energy levels) so a place with access to some quiet paths, trails or roads would be ideal.
We don't smoke or do any drugs stronger than pastis, but we do enjoy an apéro and/or glass of wine at the end of the day. We're not vegetarians but we do try and eat healthy.
We're in the Midi-Pyrenees at the moment but flexible as to where we go next: anywhere in France is our boundary. For the last five weeks we've worked on properties in the middle of nowhere, which not only suits our taste for peace and quiet, but also means that our covid exposure has been close to zero as we've only interacted with our hosts.

Preferred location

Looking for work in France and Italy

Skills

I worked for 8 years as a carpenter, doing timber-frame construction in the States (Boston and San Francisco). I've built houses from the foundation up, hung sheet-rock/plasterboard, installed kitchens, hung and trimmed doors and windows, built fences and decks, etc etc. In essence, if it involves wood I've probably done it before and if I haven't I'm usually able to figure it out, so if you've any construction projects that need to get done I'd be glad to help. I grew up in the Irish countryside so I've lots of experience working on farms, doing gardening, etc.
My wife Victoria has translated books, websites, documents, etc (she's fluent in English, Chinese and Russian) and is a qualified ESL teacher. She's also helped repair doors, window frames etc (caulking, filling holes, sanding and painting them) and she has some knowledge of - and enjoys - DIY. 
Plus... we've accumulated lots of experience with children, both informally - babysitting my 14 nephews and nieces - and formally: we've been teachers for the last 13 years.

Additional info

I am not a smoker, don't have a drivers license, I am not a vegetarian and I have no allergies.