Help

From the home page select "Create new account" under the login box. You will need to create a user name and provide a valid e-mail address. Your user name should relate to your actual name because it will be used in the list of hosts or as a title for WWOOFers' information pages.

Once this has been submitted you will need to respond to an e-mail message which will be sent automatically to the address you gave at registration. This is a security measure. Once you are an approved member, you can subscribe as a WWOOFer or Host.

If you lose your password, there is an option to request a new one under the login box. Just follow the instructions.

1. First you must register on this site.
2. Once registered, log in with your username and password and go to the "How to be a Host" or "How to volunteer".
3. Read the instructions and the host or wwoofer commitments and click the links at the bottom of the pages.
4. You can pay by PayPal, or you can pay by sending a cheque. The PayPal option subscribes you immediately after payment. If you pay by cheque, you will need to wait for us to clear the payment and manually set you up as a subscribed WWOOFer or Host.

When you pay by PayPal, your subscription will take effect immediately and you will be able to enter your WWOOFer or Host details without waiting. It saves time for us and helps to keep costs to a minimum.

You will need to set up a PayPal account, because access to your subscription will be from it for renewals and cancellations.

If you have problems with the process, there is a resolution service offered by Paypal and we will do everything possible to help with any issues you may have. Please do contact us if you have any questions.

When in your Host or WWOOFer profile form, click on the 'Browse' button. This will open a window showing files on your computer. Navigate to the image you want to upload. Select the image ('open' in Windows) and then click 'Upload' in your profile form. Wait for the image to upload. It will be resized to fit on the site, but your original will be untouched.

Image file size

There is a maximum limit of 8 megabytes for uploads but images will be automatically re-sized to much smaller than this (your original will not be altered). If you have a slow connection and need to make your picture smaller, try one of these methods:

For Windows see the instructions HERE

There are also image resizing services online. Try HERE or Google 'Image resize'

If you have uploaded an image but it will not display, it is usually because the file name contains illegal characters. You will need to rename the file using only Aa-Zz, 0-9 characters and upload it again.

If you get a 'You can't go there' message when you log in or nothing you do seems to work, you should clear your internet files and cookies - you browser may be 'remembering' incorrect details. See THIS PAGE for instructions.

Some users with Internet Explorer version 6 have experienced problems with the username box not accepting input. IE6 is now an outdated browser and the problems disappear if you upgrade. Changing to Firefox is recommended - it is available as a free download HERE.

If you forget you password there is a facility to request a new one. Use the 'Request new password' link under the login box. You will be sent a link that will give you temporary access - you must set up your own password immediately. Note that the temporary link expires after 1 day.

If you get a 'You can't go there' message when you log in or nothing you do seems to work, you should clear your internet files and cookies - you browser may be 'remembering' incorrect details. See THIS PAGE for instructions.

To register on the site, your email address must not have been used already. This should only be a problem if you have registered more than once.

The subscription is 30 euro for 1 year.
If you were a Host in the WWOOF Independents list, the subscription arrangements have changed and you do not have to re-subscribe every February. Your subscription to WWOOF Ireland lasts for 1 year from the time you subscribe.

In the first week of November 2010 we made some changes to our subscription payment system. All hosts should have been informed. Here is the email that was sent...

We have made some changes to the way we manage PayPal subscriptions for WWOOF Ireland hosts.

We will be ending the type of subscription plan you are using now. To do this we must cancel your old subscription so PayPal does not charge you again for it.

When we do this you will receive a notification from PayPal which you can IGNORE. Your WWOOF Ireland membership will NOT be cancelled - it's just a change in the payment plan. When your current membership reaches its next due-date, we will send you a reminder and you will need to re-subscribe using the new options we have provided.

WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
We need to improve the way the WWOOF Ireland website handles PayPal subscriptions. To manage the change we need to cancel your existing subscription and ask you to re-subscribe when your current membership runs out.

WHAT NEW SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS WILL THERE BE?
When your existing membership ends on its next due date you will be able to choose a new 3 year PayPal option (3 annual payments) or a 1 year postal payment. Prices have not changed.

WILL I LOSE MY MEMBERSHIP WHEN MY SUBSCRIPTION IS CANCELLED?
NO! Your existing membership will run to its next due date, one year after the date of your most recent payment.

HOW CAN I FIND OUT WHEN MY MEMBERSHIP IS DUE FOR RENEWAL?
Your subscription record will appear in a new tab in your ‘My Profile’ page after we make the changes. You will be automatically reminded before your membership is due for renewal.

WHAT IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG?
As we are making some technical changes to the way the WWOOF Ireland website handles subscription information, there may be some minor errors. We promise to correct any errors and you will not lose any of your membership entitlement.

IS THIS SECURE?
YES! It's just a change in the way we manage subscriptions at our end - your PayPal account is completely secure and we cannot access your account information in any way. None of your credit card or bank account information is ever sent to us or kept on the WWOOF Ireland site - it stays securely locked up within PayPal and only you can access it.

WHAT MUST  I DO NOW?
NOTHING! Just wait for a reminder to re-subscribe when the time comes and follow the instructions.

The host subscription is a PayPal recurring payment. It will renew automatically each year for 2 years after the initial payment unless cancelled. We have used this method because it creates less work and so keeps costs down.

If a subscription is cancelled, he membership ends on its next due date.

PayPal is a safe and secure way to pay. We promise to refund subscription renewal payments if they are not required and to do our best to resolve any other payment issues fairly.

When you have subscribed as a WWOOF Ireland Host, log into the site and you will see a new menu titled 'Host Menu'. In this menu is a link to 'Your Host Information'. This will take you to the form to be completed. Once some information has been entered, the Host Information also becomes available in the 'My profile' menu item. You can edit your Host Information whenever you wish.
Note that WWOOF Ireland administrators are informed whenever members update their information, as a security measure. If any information is considered to be inappropriate, it may be removed and you will be informed. If you have any problems with the process, please do contact us via the 'Contact' link at the top of every page.

When subscribed WWOOFers search the 'List of Hosts', they can 'bookmark' your profile page and can contact you using the 'Contact' button under your profile. (The button is not shown if you have switched off e-mail contact).

From the contact button, WWOOFers write a short message and send it to you via the WWOOF Ireland site. Your e-mail address is not revealed. When you receive the message, you can view the WWOOFer's profile from a link in the message once you have logged in to the site.

You then reply to the WWOOFer with a normal e-mail. (At this stage, of course, your e-mail address will be sent to the WWOOFer).

Postal and telephone contact

In your profile, you can select to show or hide your telephone number. Your address will always be shown to subscribed WWOOFers. If you do not want contact by post, you can say so in the 'Other Information' box in your profile.

Sometimes when this error occurs, you may just need to log in again.

If you are getting repeated 'You can't go there' messages when you click the link in a message from a WWOOFer, even if you have logged in, please check that you are using the full address for the site which should include the 'www' prefix. If you have previously logged in without the 'www' prefix, and are still getting errors, you should clear your browser cache.

If you do not get any error messages, but there is no profile to be seen, it is because the WWOOFer has not provided it. WWOOFers are told not to contact hosts before they have created their profile, and may be banned if they do. You are advised not to offer a place to WWOOFers with no profile because there will be no contact information available. It is better to reply with a request to provide information before they can be considered for a place.

You should not offer a place to a WWOOFer with no profile because they have not provided any contact details and cannot be traced. WWOOFers are reminded to create their profile every time they log in, so have ignored these reminders.

If you think feedback is unfair or dishonest, use the site contact form to tell us about it. Please include the WWOOFer's username. We will take whatever action we think necessary. The Feedback Policy explains the process.

More information can be found in the page 'How to volunteer'

1. Register with a username, password and email address.
2. You will receive a welcome message. Click the link in the message to complete your registration.
3. Go to 'How to volunteer' and select a payment option. Pay a subscription of 20 euro, by PayPal or by post.
4. When you have paid, you will see a new 'WWOOFer Menu'. You must write some information about yourself in 'My Profile' - hosts will read this when you contact them. You must not contact hosts before you have a profile.
5. Go to the 'List of Hosts' in the 'WWOOFer menu'.
6. Select hosts - you can 'bookmark' hosts you want to look at again.
7. Contact hosts by clicking the 'Contact' button under their page. (If there is no 'Contact' button, you must telephone). Write a short message with the dates you want to volunteer. Hosts will see a link to your profile when they read your message.
8. Wait for replies, ask any questions and make arrangements.
9. Check your insurance, arrange your travel and check visa and entry requirements carefully, especially if you have a passport from a non-EEA country.
10. If you change your dates, or need to cancel, you MUST contact your host to let them know!
11. After your visit, you can leave feedback about hosts - it helps other WWOOFers.
12. Enjoy WWOOFing in Ireland! If you have any problems, you can always contact us.

WWOOF Ireland can accept volunteers from the age of 16 with these conditions:

• 16 - 18 year olds MUST declare their age to the host and ask if hosts are willing to take responsibility for them in addition to filling in their age on their personal profile on the site
• 16 - 18 year olds MUST have an individual travel insurance which covers them as a member of a  volunteer association on a recognised volunteer project. IVC offer an insurance policy for volunteers with no age restrictions.

No. Membership of WWOOF Ireland only covers the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The subscription is 20 euro for a single WWOOFer membership and 25 euro for a joint/family membership.

A WWOOFer subscription lasts 12 months

Yes - but you must WWOOF together and expect to share a room or other accommodation. You must take the 'Joint WWOOFer or family' membership which costs 25 euro.

It is also possible to add a third member to a joint account. We don't recommend this as many host will not be able to accommodate you. If you must stay together, subscribe to a joint account and a single account. Contact us with names of both accounts and we will join them so they both appear on the joint profile page.

Before you subscribe the 'Membership' tab in your account will be empty. To subscribe do this

1. Log in with your username and password
2. Go to 'How to Volunteer' (at the top of every page)
3. Read the instructions and click the link at the bottom - there are some translations available from the flag icons
4. Read the 'WWOOFer Commitment' and click the link at the bottom
5. Select you payment option - you can pay by PayPal or by post.

You will be sent a short message a few days before the subscription ends. When it has ended, you will see a message when you next log in to WWOOF Ireland. Not all facilities will be available until you re-subscribe, by PayPal or post. It is best to wait until the subscription has ended before you re-subscribe. Your WWOOFer information will not be lost and will be available again once you have re-subscribed.

We will remove all your information if you do not re-subscribe after 30 days, or earlier if you contact us.

YES! You should have travel and personal accident insurance. This is available from OVEuropa , International Volunteer Card or Worldnomads.com providing third party liability and personal accident, injury and illness insurance suited to volunteer work. 

Your profile is viewable by subscribed members only. It is not shown publicly. When you contact a host, they will be given a link to your profile page. If you post a message in the forum or on the noticeboard, your profile will also be viewable by subscribed members.

There is a 'Contact' button at the bottom of each host's page. If it is missing, the host does not want e-mail contact so you must write or telephone.

From the 'Contact' button, you can write a short message. It is a good idea to include the dates when you are available, and any information that is not already in your profile. When the host receives the message, they will be able to view your profile on this site and reply to you.

Go to the host's page and click the 'Leave feedback' button.

You can leave feedback to be seen by everyone, or you can report an issue or make a complaint to be seen only by the WWOOF Ireland team by clicking that section of the form. Complaints should be related to one of the areas of the 'host commitment' that all hosts agree to.

Please read the Feedback Policy

A bookmark helps to remember host pages.

When you 'bookmark' a host page it will be shown in your list of bookmarks so you can find it easily. The list of your bookmarked hosts is available from the 'WWOOFer Menu'.

The UK has recently changed its attitude towards volunteer schemes and this may affect some WWOOFers traveling via the UK.

If you are NOT from a Europen country (The USA for example) and are traveling to Ireland via the UK, you should contact us well before your departure date for advice about entry requirements. This applies even if you are only transferring between flights at a UK airport, including Belfast.

If you are intending to travel between Ireland and Northern Ireland (part of the UK) for a WWOOFing placement, you should also contact us for advice.

If you have a passport from a country in the EEA (European Economic Area), you do not need a visa to enter Ireland.

If you have a passport from a non-EEA country, you MUST investigate entry requirements. A visa is not required from many countries but there are other requirements which are described below. See the list of countries which do not need a visa HERE or find the Irish embassy in your country HERE

In January 2011 a new Lay Volunteer Visa was introduced which can enable WWOOFers from outside the EEA to come here and volunteer for a year and sometimes longer - See the details HERE - contact us well in advance of your departure and we can send the relevant documentation for section 3.

If you have a non-EEA  passport, even if you do not need a visa, you may be asked to give:

• Evidence of sufficient funds to support yourself
• Evidence of valid travel arrangements to leave Ireland
• Evidence of where you will be staying and what you will be doing

WWOOF is a voluntary scheme with educational, environmental and cultural benefits - no money changes hands and no permit is required. We are not aware of anyone being refused entry into Ireland just because they are volunteering through WWOOF. When entry has been refused there have always been other reasons. One of the reasons is not being honest, so it's OK to say you are WWOOFing.

If you are from a non-EEA country, even if you do not need a visa, you may be asked to show where you will be staying while in Ireland. You should have details of hosts you have made arrangements with, including verifiable contact details.

You can print an ID document from your profile. Edit your profile and open the 'Immigration ID' section and complete the form. A new link will appear in your profile which only you can see; click that link and a page ready for printing will be created.

Edit your profile and open the 'Immigration ID' section. Complete the details and save the form - you will need to select the first two hosts you have arranged a placement with and give dates using the pop-up calendar. You will now have an extra button in your profile which only you can see. Click the button and a page ready for printing will be created for you to print from your browser.
Joint/family WWOOFers will see a new button for each member once the form is complete.

Even if you do not need a visa, if you are from outside the EEA, you may be asked to show evidence of travel arrangements to leave Ireland within the time allowed, which is usually 90 days. This would normally be a valid ticket.

Even if you do not need a visa, if you are from outside the EEA, you may be asked to show evidence of having 'sufficient funds' for your stay in Ireland. There is no fixed definition of 'sufficient funds'. As WWOOFers will not be paying for accomodation the level of funding required may be less than for a tourist. You may still need to show that you can support yourself for the duration of your stay, if you have to leave a host earlier than planned.

You will need to have enough cash or an original bank statement with a card to access the account.

Remember that there is a border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland which is part of the UK. If you are from outside the EEA and intend to leave Ireland for Northern Ireland and the UK, you must be sure to check the entry rules. There are also rules about re-entering Ireland from Northern Ireland and the UK. More information about re-entry is available HERE