What sort of help can I get?

All sorts! If you can imagine it, I’m sure there is someone out there who is willing to share their professional skills and talents to help you do it.

Here is a list of a few example:

• Web designer – does your website need boosting?
• Marketing - does your business need promoting?
• Teacher – do your kids need to brush up on their English or Maths?
• Health practitioner– do you need help improving your health with a daily massage, a meditation tutor, a yoga instructor or regular Reiki sessions?
• Personal trainer – could you improve your fitness or drop a few pounds?
• Animal care – do you have animals that have specific needs?
• Builder – does your loft need converting or does that summer house need finishing?
• Gardener – is your garden a mess but you don’t want an amateur pulling up your fa-vourite flowers?
• Writer - do you have content that needs writing up, or copy that needs editing?
• Carer – does your grandma need a friendly and experienced nurse to help her with her daily chores and put a smile on her face?

I don’t need a helping hand, so why should I be a StayLance Host?

StayLance is not just about getting skilled professionals to help you out for free. There are lots of other reasons for you to share your home and lifestyle with travellers. Have a look at these example:

1. You are a social person who enjoys the company of others
2. You are looking to learn a new language or experience a different culture
3. You are open to learning a new skill or talent e.g. belly dancing, playing the guitar, surfing, Japanese cuisine
4. You want to be part of something bigger; a global community of sharers who will embrace you when you decide to set off on your own travels.

What do I have to do to be a StayLance Host?

You don’t have to do anything, except to incorporate StayLance’s values of kindness, honesty, openness, patience, respect and sharing. However, if you are going to be a Host, we recommend using some or all of the guideline below to create a safe, fair and comfortable StayOffer, which will help you attract the right StayLancer for you.

1. Suitable accommodation: Our StayLancers should be treated with kindness and respect. Your StaySpace might be a separate cottage, a comfortable room in your home or just your couch; whatever it might be, remember to treat your StayLancer as you would like to be treated. Would you sleep there?
2. Meals: This is negotiable. We would expect you to offer food to a StayLancer if he/she is sharing her professional skills and talents with you. Always mention your dietary habits on your profile, and how many meals you will provide.
3. Wi-Fi: In this day and age, most travellers need access to the internet, mainly for safety purposes and communication. If you do not have Wi-Fi then you need to let them know before they arrive, and discuss how they will be able to communicate with the outside world. We recommend to all our StayLancers that they keep family members and friends informed of their whereabouts.
4. Health and Safety: We encourage both Hosts and StayLancers to leave reviews of their stay on their Hosts page not only so StayLancers can get a better idea of what it will be like at each place where they are looking at sharing their professional skills and talents, but also so that Hosts can find out a bit more about the StayLancer. The safety of all members of our community is our priority, and negative reviews can warn others of a Host or StayLancer who may not share the same values as StayLance, or who may be a threat to the health or safety to our other members. If you have a bad experience, then our community will want to know, and if it’s a good one, then we certainly want to know! Obviously, there may be times when you do not want to leave a negative review openly because you might be worried that it would reflect badly on you, in which case we encourage you to email us in confidence about any negative experiences, which we will investigate seriously.
5. Transport: Some Hosts who live remotely might offer their StayLancer the option of using their car, but please always check insurance details. StayLance takes no responsibility for accidents. Always let StayLancers know where you can collect them from, and if you can provide transport such as a car, bike or other. This should be listed on your profile.
6. Insurance: It is always a good idea to make sure that your StayLancer has travel in-surance, especially if they will be participating in a lifestyle or activities where an accident is possible, such as using machinery, riding horses or taking part in a dangerous sport.
7. Lifestyle: Some Hosts will want to share their lifestyle more than others. While one Host might prefer the StayLancer to live separately in an outside cabin and not socialize at all, other Hosts might wish to include the StayLance in everything from meals to being included in family activities and more. Some Hosts might be big drinkers and smokers, enjoying a party every night, while other Hosts might be clean living and will not want a StayLancer who smokes or drinks. Again, please indicate what sort of Host you are on your profile.
8. Length of Stay: Once again, this is up to you to agree a length of time that you are comfortable having a StayLancer. Some Hosts prefer short term stays of only a few days, while other might be looking for StayLancers to stay longer; sometimes for many months. For longer stays, we recommend a trial period of around a week, before committing to a longer StayOffer.
9. Hours of Work: Our general guidelines are 15 to 25 hours a week (depending the skills) and 2 days off a week or a comfortable place to sleep and 3 meals a day. However, it really depends on what the StayLancer is offering. For highly skilled professionals who usually charge an arm and a leg for their services, they might expect more from you for less hours. Please agree on the terms in an email (in writing) before the StayLancer arrives, to prevent misunderstandings.
10. Payment and Extras: Some Hosts might want a professional StayLancer to share their skills over many months, and for much more than 20 to 25 hours a week. We recommend offering payment to StayLancers for full time work, on top of accommodation and meals. Once again, this can be negotiated with the StayLancer through our platform or before the StayLancer arrives. You may prefer not to pay your StayLancer using cash or credit transfer, but offer them other incentives to work extra hours. Either way, this is something that you need to agree with your StayLancer ahead of schedule.