Just I want to know how you react when your host don't respect you when you are WWOOFer??? It's easy to say WWOOFers don't respect their host and I can understand hosts are not happy about this!
I have a bad experience in farm : our host just believe we are his slaves... At the beginning of this experience, conditions are "you work 5 hours each day for fruit picking, 7 days on 7 for your accomodation and food. And the afternoon you can enjoy your FREE time" but after that you work 5 hours per day (ok!) but during afternoon you prepare dinner for all farm (15 people) (I have an other idea to enjoy my free time). And one evening my host had a bad attitude maybe because he was drunk or the dinner was late, but I don't want to extend about this... The day after I just said him, he shocked everybody here at this moment and I don't like cooking and he answered me : "If you don't like cooking you have nothing to do in my farm. I think you can come back in your country!" I just said "Maybe that's better for me!!!".And I left his farm, 3 days after coming. That's really short time in farm!!!! I'm really digusted about WWOOFing. I hope just other hosts are not like this.

And you how would you react????

PS : Sorry for mistakes but I'm not aussie or english...

Hi,

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. The truth is that all woof hosts are people too. we have our bad times and our good times. Sounds like you arrived at harvest, which can be fun but is also a lot of work.

Why not try another place and see how you go, before you give up woofing.

We have been woof hosts for about a year now and most of our woofers have been great. About 2 we weren't happy with and i expect they weren't happy with us either. You can't make all the people happy all the time.

Cheers
Allison

Just I forgot to explain : the day before my leaving, owner hit a new japanese wwoofer on the top of head and he yelled him doing washing up (after 3 days)...
I'm really sorry but we are civilized people, don't touch WWOOFers!!! We can discuss if you have problem with us! Others people just spoke on his back after... Me sorry I can support this attitude!
For other work in farm, I did and I said nothing!!!
And I didn't have other problem with him except his attitude...

Thanks Allison for your answer!
Cheers

I would say you did nothing wrong..., as far as I can tell from your words..., clear communication/understanding is the key.
It's always important to stand up for yourself with appropriate, clear and polite words.

The pressure to make a profit in these hard economic times is always there for WWOOF hosts who run a business from their properties and and utilize WWOOFer visitors to do this.
I am not suggesting that all commercial WWOOF hosts mistreat, abuse or even use their WWOOF visitors as "cheap labor", but I do believe that commercial WWOOF hosts and non-commercial hosts have very different imperatives, incentives and expectations..., especially with regards to their WWOOF visitors.

Also...., as the other poster said everyone has good and bad days.

Both hosts and visitors need to use clear and polite communication...., "BEFORE" any visit in order to know exactly what each others expectations are.

So sad you are having a bad experiance to start your Wwoofing and good to hear you kept calm and stood up for yourself, please dont let it sour you on Wwoofing there are many wondefull hosts out there and i hope you try wwoofing again and find a lovely host family next time.

I have only just signed up to become a Wwoof host and have yet to host my first wwoofers, but i am horrified to think you have been poorly treated.

Good day or bad day there is NO excuse for putting your hands on someone else. I hope your friend reported him to Wwoof. In Australia hitting a person is considered assault and if it took place the way you said it did, could land him in big trouble.

There are somethings I'm a bit confused on. Were you cooking for everyone by yourself? Were they all Wwoofers? Were you taking turns with cooking and washing up? It's not unreasonable to expect Wwoofers to help with cooking and washing up but best communicated to the Wwoofer before arrival. On the other hand if you dislike cooking you should let your host know before you arrive as well.

Did you pick a primary producer because you wanted to do a Visa extension? I'm sure this isn't you but there have been a few problems with agencies placing clients with primary producer Wwoof hosts. They tend to give them unrealistic expectations as to the work level expected and the comfort level of what they'll recieve all to collect a fee. Unfortunately some hosts carry the emotional baggage of Wwoofers past.

I hope you give Wwoofing a go again but choose your host carefully my friend and make sure you ask questions and let them know your personal likes and dislikes before you do.

Ann Cains
El Arish Tropical Exotics

Thanks to each person who answered!!!!
I have a new host today!!! And communication is better...

I try to find a new host for my 2nd visa but it's not important. For me now, the most important is to enjoy Australia, have great experiences with WWOOFing and not lose my time with some people...

My road trip taught me there are really good aussie and I want to meet them again!!!!

Cheers,

Sorry to hear of your bad experience. It is horrible to have to confront these things. Usually though, wwoofing is a positive experience and your experience very rare.

I am shocked to hear a host showed physical aggression and should really be followed up further.

I am very surprised that someone from the WWoof office has not responded to this.

It would be very bad form for anyone from wwoof to reply here without getting both sides of the story first...sometimes the expectations of first time wwoofers are quite amazingly selfish that it has to be seen to be beleived..I however was just fortunate enough to just spend 2 days and nights at the Great Barrier Reef in our boat with 2 french wwoofers who spent 3 weeks with us and are hard working, amazing humans that have helped us,been great with our kids and had a great time catching plenty of fish and seeing some nice underwater reef.....they busted there hump for us and were rewarded with some cool adventures of waterfalls,a boat trip down a crocodile infested creek,numerous trips to the local swimming hole,2 days on the reef ,and as much fantastic food as they could eat......

All in all really a great exchange for all concerned..but unfortunately not all wwoofers seem to be satisfied with such things and arrive with bags of laundry to be done,weeks worth of emails and internet/photo stuff to upload as well as dental and medical work that they expect us to book and run them around for..and just looking for the next destination to be ready for.. .

We are a commercial business and have no time for these jokers..however if they are are willing to pitch in and contribute as much as possible (we dont expect them to be perfect,only that they try their best ) then they will have a really amazing experience..I have taken many wwoofers to the reef for 1 and 2 day trips,camping on the islands (Dunk Island)and even on extended Cape York trips,crabbing,fishing and sightseeing tours for crocodiles down our local waterways..the list goes on...

I however do not tolerate laziness and any disrespect towards our family and lifestyle..a few that have tried have been asked to leave very,very quickly...


Scott

Thanks everybody for your answers!!!!

Every WWOOFers aren't same! But I can understand Scott's point of view. In my case, my new family is really fantastic. They don't need to yell or show who is owner because I'm in their house, that's normal I respect them. If they need something they ask me, sometimes they don't ask but I do because when you have a property, everytime you have something to do. We have a good relationship! That's wwoofing as I like. I have 30 years old, some hosts have the same age. I can understand if you come in my home for WWOOFing and you stay in my house just for holidays or you damage it (NA106's topic), I think I can say you to leave or I can ask explanations. That's your right! My last host didn't ask me to leave, that's my own decision.

And If I don't wrote names or place, I want just to know how you react, not do a bad advertisement!