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Working as an exchange staff at THE EVERGREEN HOSTEL in Hiroshima

Working as an exchange staff at THE EVERGREEN HOSTEL in Hiroshima はコメントを受け付けていません

Working as an exchange staff at THE EVERGREEN HOSTEL in Hiroshima

Working as an exchange staff
at THE EVERGREEN HOSTEL in Hiroshima

I love traveling around the world and my lifestyle allows me to spend a lot of time in any destination I choose – therefor instead of paying for accommodation a more tempting option is to work short-term in a hostel as an exchange staff!

Finding a suitable place to work for and agreeing on the exact dates is really important. Depending on timing and your personal preferences it can be challenging to find a good place for work exchange. I personally prefer relaxed, cosy, home-like hostels instead of party orientated cliché-like backpacker places. I consider myself very lucky to have found a place in Hiroshima that is laid back, clean, comfortable and has wonderful, small staff!

Arriving to THE EVERGREEN HOSTEL was like coming home: I was received so warmly that I immediately felt at home. The feeling has lasted throughout my stay, six weeks and counting. I have been shown so much hospitality and feel like I have made new, wonderful friends in my short stay here 🙂

If you are not familiar with work exchange, here’s how it works. Working as an exchange staff in a hostel means that you work a certain amount of hours per week in the hostel and receive free accommodation for exchange of your work contribution. The amount and type of work will depend on the hostel itself but in general hostels need reception and cleaning staff doing day and night shifts. At Evergreen the exchange staff does both day and night shifts and the work is very enjoyable as it is easy-going 😛

In general the work load is not heavy: an average of 3-5 hours of work each day for 5 days a week will buy you free accommodation in a hostel. As a bonus you get to work with people that are usually very outgoing, helpful and friendly. Also working in a hostel you will always meet plenty of new people and it’s easy to make new friends, even long lasting friendships.

Working as an exchange staff will give you a lot of time to explore your surroundings – instead of spending a couple of days in one destination as a tourist you will have an opportunity to see the area with the eyes of a local when you stay for a month or more. It will definitely be an experience you will never forget!

In the six weeks I have spent in Hiroshima working at THE EVERGREEN HOSTEL I have been living a Japanese lifestyle: singing daytime karaoke, going to a baseball game, having “nomihodai” in an izakaya (Japanese restaurant’s all-you-can-drink-deal), 100 yen sushi train, finding local discount shops, flea markets, plenty of local festivals, visiting surrounding areas, music events, game arcades… The list goes on!

I completely recommend work exchange for everyone hoping to experience a country and immerse in the culture. 🙂

– Jenni
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Author

THE EVERGREEN HOSTELのオーナー・はづきです。 The owner of THE EVERGREEN HOSTEL.Thank you for reading our blog.