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 40 volunteers during the whole season. At the campsite we have 5-15 volunteers at a time, depending on the period (June, July and August normally 15). A few of them will be staying the entire season, forming our core group of volunteers with increased responsibilities. Most volunteers stay for a month or two. At the beginning and end of the season, we usually have a lower number of volunteers. August is the peak month, for tourism and for volunteers.
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 often receive a lot of applications from English volunteers, but there are significant numbers from other European countries and sometimes volunteers come as far as from America and Australia. Read some ex-volunteer stories here.
How much do volunteers work in June/July?
Typically a volunteer during nesting season has this amount of work in a day:
usually 2 nights a week you will be patrolling the beach, from 22:30-5:30. This is a hard and tiring task, so the day after a night shift is free, except for easy shifts like cooking dinner or cleaning. The rest of the week you might have one beach shift in the morning (that normally lasts 3-4 hours, with rare exceptions) and one education shift in the afternoon (3-4 hours), or viceversa, 4 days a week. Some days, 2 or 3 times a week, you cook lunch or dinner or you clean, usually in pairs; some days you only have one of the main shifts and the rest of the day free, unless you take part in other side activities. We always make sure that you have breaks between shifts, so for example if you are on the beach from 7-11am, then you staff the environmental centre 5:30-9:00pm. You also have one day off per week.
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 (that normally lasts 3-4 hours) and one education shift in the afternoon (3-4 hours), or viceversa. Some days, 2 or 3 times a week, you cook lunch or dinner or you clean, usually in pairs; some days you only have one of the main shifts and the rest of the day free, unless you take part in other side activities. We always make sure that you have breaks between shifts, so for example if you are on the beach from 7-11am, then you staff the environmental centre 5:30-9:00pm. You also have one day off per week.
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. If you want to go around the island, you can plan some days at the end of your stay with us before you go back. If you want to volunteer for the whole season or more than 2 months, one or more short breaks are totally understandable.
When is the best time to come?
Definitely from mid May to 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 turtles and the project are active. Apart from May, when we need a couple of weeks to set things up and help is really appreciated, volunteers should arrive on the 1st day of the month +/- a couple of days. This is important for planning the season, so everybody should stick to it.
How long can/should I stay?
One month is the minimum and recommended time. If you can cover a whole section of the season (end of May – early August for nesting season, late July – early October for hatchling season) it would help us, you would become a reference for other volunteers and for us, with some higher degree of responsibility. Another good stretch is mid May - end of June (for one month and a half), especially if you like to set up things and you are a handyman or handylady.
If you have only 3 weeks, we could consider exceptions only at either end of the season, when we are sometimes short of volunteers. 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 hours, with breaks, on sand at night. On average you cover 10-15 km in each nightshift. 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. If you can cycle uphill or kayak we have some opportunities in 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 should allow 20-30 Euros per week for the kitty (this is organised by the volunteers, and usually includes breakfast, lunch and dinner). You should allow some money for your personal expenses (snacks, drinks, phone, internet, bus, etc.).
Examples of other expenses:
Dinner in a restaurant: 12-30 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. It is better to come with at least some money in cash. Katelios is in general a safe place where it is ok to have cash. There is no facility to keep valuables locked away on the campsite. We can keep your valuables locked in the office if this will make you feel safer.