Internships
About OAEC
OAEC is an intentional community and non-profit educational institute working in the arenas of ecology, horticulture, the arts, and social justice activism. The Center is located on an 80-acre property of beautiful organic gardens and orchards, and diverse wildlands about 65 miles north of San Francisco, and eight miles from the coast in western Sonoma County. We are a community of about 24 people, including six children, sharing meals and facilities, and actively participating in each other’s daily lives. We celebrate diversity, are non–sectarian, and are committed to maintaining a pluralistic, supportive, honest and open working and living environment.
We are looking for people who want to experience semi-rural communal life while working in a thriving non-profit organization. Applicants should be flexible, energetic, comfortable in groups of people, and able to manage a broad diversity of challenges at once. A good sense of humor, positive and enthusiastic attitude, and willingness to learn are essential attributes of prospective interns.
Terms of the Internships
In exchange for 25 hours of work per week, OAEC provides single-dweller, rustic but charming accommodations for the 9- to 10.5-month positions, and large tents for the 6-month positions. Use of the bathhouse - including showers, a cedar sauna, and hot tub - is included. (Sorry, no pets are allowed.) We pay for utilities and half of your food costs; we ask you to contribute $87.50 per month toward the other half of your food costs. We maintain a vegetarian kitchen (although not all residents are vegetarians), and dinners are shared by the entire community. All adult residents - including interns - participate in a cooking and cleaning rotation, as well as a recycling and refuse chore rotation.
In your free time, you can take advantage of the facilities, which include 70 acres of beautiful backcountry, a large pond for swimming, library/meeting room, kitchen/dining room, and laundry room. You are welcome to participate in other Center activities such as construction and carpentry projects, and to take Center courses as space permits. Interns are also eligible for vacation, prorated based on a full-time equivalent of four weeks per year.
To Apply
Send a cover letter and resume to the supervisor named in the specific internship description. In the cover letter tell us about yourself, your interests and experience, and what you hope to get out of your time at OAEC. If you have been here before, tell us about your experience. Please include work and personal references with day and evening phone numbers, if possible. The internships are open until filled. If you would like more information about OAEC before submitting an application, feel free to call our office and we will be happy to answer any questions.