Tips For WWOOF Hosts

1. Don't treat your WWOOFers like low wage labor. Most WWOOFers are interested in learning about farming and experiencing your culture. If you've got them working on menial tasks for 8 hours per day, they aren't learning much and they have no time to explore your country.


2. Read the WWOOFer profiles on the WWOOF website. Don't only read the email. Put some effort into who you accept into your home and if you take multiple WWOOFers at the same time, consider compatibility between those WWOOFers. It's unlikely that a 40-year-old farmer who's WWOOFing to learn how he can convert his farm to organic and a 20-year-old from the city who's interested in traveling for a year before starting an office job will have a lot in common.


3. Don't treat your WWOOFers like idiots. As often happens, we think our country is the best and people from other countries are less educated and less capable. Telling a WWOOFer that every action they take is "amazing" will fell condescending, even if you didn't mean it that way. Offering praise is welcome but do it in a "you did a good job" way and not is a "holy cow, you can do X" way.


4. Consider WWOOFers travel plans. Getting from place to place in a foreign country can be stressful. Don't get upset with your WWOOFers if they come a day late or need to leave a day earlier than planned. When you're relying on busses and trains, travel plans can change quickly.


5. Spend some time explaining the basics. Where will the WWOOFers will be sleeping? What work they will be doing in the different seasons? etc. Ask native English speaking WWOOFers for help with your host profile, they'll be happy to help.