How many volunteers are there?
How old are the other volunteers?
What's the average age of volunteers?
Where are the other volunteers from?
How much do volunteers work in June/July?
How much do volunteers work in August/September?
How much free time do I have?
When is the best time to come?
Can I come any time?
How long can/should I stay?
Do I need to be very fit?
Do I need to bring cooking equipment, plates etc?
How much money should I bring?
Should I bring cash, traveller's cheques, a bank card?
How many volunteers are there?
We normally take around 30-40 volunteers during the whole season. There will be 4-15 volunteers at a time, depending on the period (June and July we need more). A few of them will be staying longer than a month, possibly with increased responsibilities. Everyone else will stay for a month. At the beginning and end of the season, we usually have a lower number of volunteers. August is the peak month for tourism.
How old are the other volunteers?
What's the average age of volunteers?
The majority of volunteers are typically in the range 18-25. We usually don’t take volunteers under the age of 18. Older volunteers are very welcome and appreciated, and always form part of our team.
Where are the other volunteers from?
We have a range of nationalities, and obviously it varies from season to season. We receive a lot of applications from Brits but there are significant numbers from other European countries and people come from as far as America and Australia. Read some ex-volunteer stories here.
How much do volunteers work in June/July?
Nesting season is the hardest, because we do nights on the main nesting beach as well as day shift.
Each volunteer can expect to do 2-4 night shifts per week, and day shifts on the other days.
During night shift you will walk the nesting beach from sunset to sunrise
(about 22:00 - 6:00), with breaks, up to 3-4 nights in a row. This is a hard and
tiring task.
When you have day shifts you will usually have
one shift in the morning (could be beach survey from 6:00 or Centre
9:30-13:30) and one in the afternoon (again beach or info shift,
usually from 17:00).
How much do volunteers work in August/September?
Typically a volunteer during hatchling season has this amount of work in a day:
one beach shift in the morning (usually about 3-4 hours) and one
education shift in the afternoon (again 3-4 hours), or viceversa.
It's easier than nesting season, and especially in August we focus more on the educational aspect.
How much free time do I have?
Will I have time to go around and explore the island?
Volunteers have one day off per week. This is the best time to go around. You may also have some mornings or afternoons free in a week. Every day you have some free hours to rest, swim, read, look around or whatever you like to do.
When is the best time to come?
Definitely between mid May and the end of July. This is when we need the highest number of volunteers because of the nights on the beach, and you have a chance to see the mother turtles nesting. If you have only one month June is the best option. Then comes July, then September. August is very busy, and it's good if you can speak Italian or Greek, or if you want to help with the Environmental Festival.
Can I come any time?
I would like to help in the winter. Do you have any activities?
We take volunteers between May 15th and October 1st, when the turtles and the project are active. We have set time slots for volunteers to come, you can find them on our forum. Beds are limited, so everybody needs to stick to the dates.
How long can/should I stay?
One
month is the minimum and recommended time. Another good stretch is mid May - end
of June (for one month and a half), especially if you like to set up
things, less people around and you are a handyman or handylady.
It usually takes one week to
understand what's going on, and definitely longer to be able to deal
with most situations.
Do I need to be very fit?
During nesting season you need to be able to walk for 7-8 hours, with breaks, on sand at night. On average you cover 10-15 km in each nightshift. You also walk a lot during the day. In general you need to be able to cope with the hot temperatures of the Mediterranean summer. Whatever your shape is, you will get fit pretty fast. We also need to know if you want to cycle uphill and/or kayak on a small stable seakayak, which greatly facilitate the survey of the other nesting beaches.
Do I need to bring cooking equipment, plates etc?
It is not necessary to bring your own cooking and eating stuff, as we have pans, plates and cutlery here. If you have extra pans, plates or cutlery that you don’t mind bringing to leave here we are always happy to accept donations!
How much money should I bring?
You
will need at least 30 Euros per week for food, more if you
don't join communal meals. You should allow some money for your
personal expenses (snacks, drinks, phone, internet, bus, etc.).
Examples of other expenses:
Dinner in a restaurant: 10-30 Euros.
Bus to Argostoli: 3 Euros.
Bar drink: 3-5 Euros.
Internet connection: 4 Euros per hour
Should I bring cash, traveller's cheques, a bank card?
You can change traveller's cheques in some shops in Katelios, but they will take a commission. You can use your bank card in Skala (7 km), but the cash machine is not always working. There are many bank machines also in Argostoli. You should really come with at least some money in cash. Katelios is in general a safe place where it is ok to have cash.