We welcome volunteers from all over the world, either independently or through one of the volunteer programmes that we subscribe to.
We offer basic accommodation and meals in exchange for working alongside us on the farm and house. We have limited caravan accommodation and lots of camping space for the warmer months – please bring your own tent! We have limited space for live in vehicles and the quinta is approached via a fairly easy road.
There is always work to be done in the gardens and the animals need daily attention. We’re slowly extending the area of cultivated land and there are normally various ad-hoc projects on the go. If you have some experience Jeroen is always pleased to have help with building work as he continues with the renovations and slowly improves our facilities. We don’t expect our volunteers to do anything that we wouldn’t do ourselves and we do try and offer you work that suits your preferences (within the boundaries of the work that’s available, obviously).
Volunteers are expected to work 25-30 hours a week and we’re very generally pretty flexible about how those hours are fitted in. Some people prefer to start early in the morning whilst others are later risers, generally though our guests tend to start after breakfast. In the summer it’s important to schedule work for outside the hottest part of the day. We work seven days a week so we’ll arrange days off to suit. It’s important to point out that we work whatever the weather.
We speak English at home but we can also speak Portuguese, and Jeroen speaks Dutch and German.
There is no maximum length of time that volunteers can stay with us but we do request that you stay for at least two weeks. We’ve hosted over 200 volunteers now, and we feel that the ones who have gained most from the experience have been those who have stayed for at least a month.
If you were to stick a pin in the centre of a map of Portugal, you probably wouldn’t be far from our farm. As a result it’s equally easy to reach us by public transport from Lisbon (via Fundao) or from Porto (via Coimbra). We can pick you up from local bus stops. Basic public transport directions are here.
We’re happy to answer any questions you have about volunteering at Casalinho e Escabelado, but please check our Frequently Asked Questions and packing sections first.
