The way i Freelanced for the a great French Chateau Just before COVID

• Stefan Palios

My freelance providers could have been remote since i established it into the 2017. I’ve work at my company out-of numerous cities – my flat, a restaurant, and in multiple different places while on travel over the years. In azing chance: to run my providers while staying in an effective French chateau – for free.

I fell for the a whole industry, thanks to standard Uk reveals Escape towards Chateau and you will Escape toward Chateau Diy. We heard of their well-known numbers such as for instance Knob Angel Strawbridge away from Chateau de los angeles Motte Husson, Stephanie Jarvis from Chateau de Lalande, and you will Michael Petherick out-of Chateau de los angeles Basmaignee.

My personal experience took me in order to Chateau Gonneville (aka Ce Fleur), which had been recently seemed about year from Eliminate on Chateau Do-it-yourself. Here’s how it simply happened – and you may how it happened when lockdowns started halfway compliment of my personal journey.

Eliminate with the Chateau and you can Workaway

Since the a kid, I became obsessed with castles. Turns out, that was not simply a teens fantasy. I came across Avoid towards the Chateau and you will Stay away from toward Chateau Diy for the 2019, plus it totally reignited my love of historical tissues. I leftover thinking so you’re able to me that I would personally happily wade benefit totally free easily you may simply stay at these types of chateaux.

Far to my happier shock, I discovered a job interview in which Angel told you they hosted volunteers of all over the world playing with a deck entitled Workaway. The newest premises out-of Workaway is simple: it is a social change web site where you are able to experience local lives global. Your help you in various indicates since the a resident of every place perform, and in change you earn place and board. For French chateaux, your day to day life is cleaning up dated attics, permitting regarding yard, or any other restoration performs this isn’t accomplished by beste Dating-Seiten für asiatische Jungs specially educated music artists.

The tough alternatives in life: choosing a palace to operate away from

• Working in English, but with bilingual (French) speaking servers.
• A great chateau mid-maintenance. Very maybe not carrying out foundation / artisan work, but providing that have obvious-outs, heavy lifting, paint, scraping, an such like. (I am not an excellent handyman but i have particular experience in an artwork brush).
• Near sufficient to Paris that we you are going to travel inside the and take a subway truth be told there relatively with ease (in other words, not entirely remote. I reside in Toronto, thus i expected simple public transportation immediately following flying inside).

Due to the fact an email, Workaway enjoys a little rates – doing $fifty USD to own a-year out-of membership. This guarantees certain vetting towards the both sides, checking such things as IDs off both “Workawayers” and you will computers.

For the later 2019, I might end up being the primary going back to me to head to France: enjoying sufficient to perform works external yet not so beautiful you to definitely it becomes uncomfortable. Following immediately after looking at actually hundreds of chateaux on Workaway and you may Instagram, We narrowed my personal search down seriously to about three chateaux: Chateau de- Bourneau, Chateau de- Lalande, and you can Chateau Gonneville.

Chateau de- Bourneau: an aspiration into the prepared

While i earliest saw Chateau de Bourneau to the Stay away from into Chateau Diy, I decrease crazy. The fresh chateau is found in the town away from Bourneau, on the Vendee region in the Southwestern France. It is built to mimic Chateau Azay ce Rideau, a classic regal chateau immediately following used by brand new Kings and you can Queens from France.

Abreast of reaching out to the fresh chatelaine, Erin, We unfortunately found they won’t undertake Workaways – preferring to keep all really works between Erin and her husband, JB.

Chateau de Lalande: a story book palace

Chateau de- Lalande is a sixteenth century chateau that has been added on typically so it can have this new U-shape they currently has. In the first place a fortified chateau merely away from main French city of Limoges, it progressed to-be a pleasure palace getting a popular French loved ones whose claim to magnificence is having one predecessor companion Marie Antoinette to Paris whenever she found its way to France.