Hostel Work Experience
A True Account of Hostel Work
by Justin Collicutt
Working in a hostel, well, it’s definitely the new experience I was looking for. Like all things, hostel work has its quirks, but in my experience the pros definitely outweigh the cons.
- The pros: Working in a foreign place, learning a new language and meeting amazing people from all over the globe.
- The cons: The on-going process of hostel life, meaning that unfortunately your time with guests usually lasts no longer than a day before they move on to new landscapes and adventures.
So how did I wind up working at one? Daily life was getting boring back home and the travel bug was biting too hard to resist. After some research on the Internet, looking for a variety of jobs, I came across Contact Chile. It was a great source for paid and volunteer work from throughout the country. After a small application process and short wait I was put into contact with my future job. Of course, this is just one way of getting hostel work. There are so many hostels that pick up backpackers, allowing them free or discounted room and board in exchange for work.
Depending on your plans and how much work the hostel has, your stay could range from a week or two to several months.
Hotel Work Tips
For wherever you are planning on trying to get a job its usually recommended– if not required– that you have enough of a grasp on the local language to do the tasks required of you. Personally, when I came down here to Chile for my job, my Spanish was so bad that I just got a deer-in-the-headlights look from the locals and vise versa because the Spanish down here is spoken fast and uses a good amount of slang.
When approaching any hostel, be upfront and tell them your intentions, whether it’s for a couple nights stay in exchange for some work or for a temporary job.
Make sure to find out what kind of jobs you will do and how much work they expect out of you to do in return for your stay.
You may find out that they expect more than what you think is fair or may request that you do some jobs that you do not want to do. One example is dumping waste bins (putting toilet paper into a bin in South America is common as pipes are not burly like those in North America. It’s a hilarious-yet-frustrating situation the first couple times, when you forget and hope that the toilet doesn’t get plugged. Let’s be honest, who wants to dig it out?), cleaning the washrooms, re-making all the beds in the hostel, etc. You will be a lot happier if everyone is on the same page and your hostel experience will be much more enjoyable as well.
A Typical Day at the Hostel
Your typical hostel work day consists of working the reception, checking in and out guests, providing info about the area or things to do, and minor upkeep of the hostel. Sometimes if you’re there for only a short stay you will be assigned small projects which are usually overlooked due to a lack of time or manpower to do them. For example, my second day at the hostel they asked us to make toilet paper holders for the upstairs bathrooms out of whatever we could find in the backyard.
Some skills or knowledge of carpentry or computers can help improve your chances of hostel working and possibly even making a bit of money. However, don’t be discouraged if you do not have that kind of skill set. Lots of hostels are just looking for a body to help out and will gladly try to work out something.
Working in a hostel for an extended amount of time will give you a better insight into the community in which you’re working. You will also get to know the culture and the customs of its people. You can walk down the street and get waves from local shopkeepers – now your friends – or get invited to a special local gathering which you would have never been invited to if you were just a tourist passing through town.
The hostel starts to feel like a second home and your co-workers form a little family away from home.
Meeting New People
The best part of hostel work is the amount of diverse and interesting people that come through the hostel door. They are from all walks of life: doctors, backpackers, scientists, natives of the very country you’re in… and the list goes on. Not to mention all the different nationalities: Swiss, Israeli, North Korean, South African, American, etc. The experience of talking to such a range of different people is incredible. Debates on popular topics, stories about their country or cultures – there isn’t much you can’t learn. The potential is there to talk for endless hours.
I’ll never forget the nights of talking to complete strangers about life and the world over a bottle or two of wine. The stories and laughs I shared with them will be in my memories forever. And through this you may make lifetime friends or connections that can open countless doors. Now you have a new excuse to travel and go see them.
There is no telling what you will get out of working at a hostel. It may be a roof over your head for a couple nights as you try to stretch your money during budget travel. Or you may crave to dive right into a new culture and really get down to its roots. The opportunities and new experiences are there waiting for you, and if taken, may educate and shape you into a different person.
About the Author:
Justin Collicutt went to Chile with no experience and very little Spanish, but had a great hostel work experience!
