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Summer job in Iceland for a 17 yo ?

Posted by on

Hello !

I was wondering if there were any possibilities for a minor to get a summer job in Iceland or to volunteer there, with parental permission of course.

I'm from Switzerland and currently live here, I'm 16 but I'll turn 17 soon. I would love to spend my summer break (1-2 months) in a host house in Iceland, and helping there. I don't necessarily want to get paid, I just want to get to spend time in this country and to work, on a farm, with animals (horses especially),in the outside or even with house work such as cleaning and cooking. I'm not picky and would love anything.

But is it possible for a 17 years old ? I only found websites where you had to be at least 18, and the only possibilities for a teenager were summer camps and that's not what I'm looking for.

I think that some host families wouldn't mind a minor, as long as I'm capable and hard-working, but I don't know where to search ! Should I directly contact by email touristic stables ?

Thank you !

Posted by
11 posts

Hello,

Thank you for your interest in Rick Steves' Europe!

Iceland is a beautiful place to visit and it would be wonderful to volunteer there.

You can find some farms who are looking for volunteers at http://wwoof.net/ . This is the website for WWOOFING international, a site where farmers from around the world post help wanted adds. I am not sure if you have to be 18 to participate in this program, but it is worth a try. I volunteered on a farm in France last fall and had an excellent time.

You can also look into Work Away, which is a similar volunteer resource: https://www.workaway.info/hostlist-IS.html

If neither of these websites have opportunities to work with horses, I would contact the stables directly.

Hopefully this helps!

Posted by
3398 posts

workaway.com is a great place for you to start! My son did a workaway at a farm in France this summer and had a very good experience. Most situations are room / board in exchange for some type of work. He was helping to restore their barn and develop a permaculture farm. 3 weeks of good, solid work while practicing his French.
Just make sure to read the reviews and be very clear on the work hours, specific tasks, sleeping arrangements, etc., to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Posted by
2 posts

Thank you both for your replies !

Anyhow, I need to be at least 18 to register on workaway.com and wwoof.net, and it's not free either so I dont want to pay and lie, with the risk that nobody will accept to host a minor.

But I was able to browse through the host lists without an account and find a couple of families that I would really love to join for the summer. I found their professional website and I'm going to try and send them an email. We'll see if it works !

If anyone has other suggestions and advices, I would gladly read them. Thank you so much for those who already answered !

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