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Five Changes Internships at Manzanita Village

Internships and Apprenticeship

Our internship program is for people who wish to live, study, and work at Manzanita Village for a minimum of three months. Upon acceptance of your application form an initial month of mutual evaluation is required and then, if approved, you may make an additional three-month commitment.

As a temporary resident at Manzanita Village you will be expected to participate in a daily alignment/meditation process under the direct supervision of Michele Benzamin-Miki and Caitriona Reed. Your schedule will be self-directed with gentle supervision and support from them.

There will be weekly check-in times and assigned work and study periods, as well as several communal meals each week.

Your supervised study will be at the intersections of spiritual practice and personal development – meditation, NLP, hypnosis, literature and art, and will be based on your needs and preference and our availability.

You will do an average of four hours work per day: landscaping, housekeeping, maintenance carpentry, trail-making, plumbing, office services, and computer etc. depending on your skills.

To meet the demands of living in the country, helping maintain Manzanita Village, and embarking on a program of transformational change, you must be in good physical, emotional and psychological health.

Manzanita Village is forty minutes by car from the nearest towns, so applicants should have their own transport.

Internship at Manzanita Village is ideal for couples in long-term stable relationships, writers, artists, students, teachers or others on sabbatical, contemplatives and experienced meditators who are drawn to innovative styles of intensive practice.

Requirements:

  • Meditation experience and/or a commitment to learn while here
  • The willingness and ability to sustain a daily routine of work and study
  • Creative, innovative, self-motivated – or willing to learn how to be
  • Abstain from meat, alcohol, and non-prescription drugs while at Manzanita Village
  • Physical, mental and emotional stability and resilience
  • A flexible mental attitude, able to take initiative as well as to follow directions
  • Established skills in several of the following areas: cooking, carpentry, plumbing, housekeeping, office services, landscaping, trail building, computer skills, and maintenance
  • The ability to make a minimum commitment of three months after an initial one-month trial period
  • The financial resources to sustain personal needs (medical, transportation, clothing) for a minimum of three months
  • A good sense of humor and effective communication skills
  • Love challenging yourself and learning new ways of being in the world

Cost of internship: $800 for initial month try-out period, then $500 per month for the ensuing months. We will eat together for several meals each week. You will be responsible for most of your meals. We provide dry goods: grains, herbs, legumes, oil. You will be responsible for buying your own fruit, vegetables, and other perishable goods.

Laundry facility and internet access is available.

Please submit your application form. We will then contact you to arrange a time to speak by phone.