Good Time Sports Village in Mak

Worst Experience as a Volunteer by Workaway – Not Recommended

This was my experience with Kerstin:
After countless messages and requests, I finally received replies only after 18 days. The tone was arrogant and selective, and I sensed a negative perception towards me following my introduction in the chat. This was later confirmed by another volunteer who had a conversation with the host about me.

The agreement was 6 hours a day, 6 days a week, with breakfast and lunch included.
I never had a direct meeting with Kerstin in the first few days, as she was always busy and canceled two scheduled appointments with me, delegating another volunteer to introduce me, show me around, and explain the tasks.

From the first day, this volunteer — who basically managed my tasks — told me to work from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a one-hour break. My duties mostly involved gardening, cleaning, and some simple repairs.

Apparently, I was working one hour less than what Kerstin expected. When she realized this — ten days later, since she provided no supervision or management — she didn’t take it well, believing I was lying to gain more free time without her knowledge. After I explained and apologized for the misunderstanding with the other volunteer, I asked to negotiate a bit more free time, pointing out that the working hours were closer to that of a full-time employee rather than a volunteer. As far as I know, the Workaway policy always includes two free days and a maximum of five hours of work per day. This was clearly beyond that.

Kerstin’s response was to ask me to leave 48 hours after my request, saying she didn’t want “unhappy” people at her resort, disrupting my plans since we had agreed on a three-week stay that ended after only ten days.
I wasn’t the first to be asked to leave early — it happened to others before me as well.

Breakfast was almost non-existent: water, tea, and milk were available, but there was little food and always improvised.
Lunch was excellent, always ordered from a restaurant.
The resort itself is very beautiful and in a great location on the island.

It’s a shame, because the atmosphere felt more exploitative than one of group spirit, communication, and local culture.