Permaculture Apprenticeship in Eastern Washington

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Taylor in Apprenticeship, Education, Farming // 0 Comments

Permaculture Apprenticeship Opportunity in Eastern Washington – 2018

Heartsong is a beautiful, 8 1/2-acre former retreat center nestled in a forest-ringed meadow just 20 miles northwest of Spokane, Washington. The owners are accepting applications for permaculture apprenticeship positions for the 2018 growing season which will begin in April and last through October, 2018. Applicants may apply for one or more one- to three-month periods during the season. The Heartsong families seek motivated, neophyte permaculturists willing to commit to 4 hours of work and study, five days per week. Room and board provided in exchange. One apprentice will be invited per period. All periods will be filled in advance of the season.

Plans for 2018: The apprentice will work and study under the guidance of Heartsong’s caretaker who is a certified permaculture designer. The caretaker and apprentice will be tasked with implementing an ever-evolving work plan, including enhancing and maintaining the 8000 sq. ft. polyculture garden (including weekly harvests and distributions), maintaining a flock of laying hens, tending the goat herd, re-establishing a honeybee colony, seed saving, woody plant propagation, food preserving, developing a pasture management plan and continuing with planting the food forest. In addition, other general site maintenance, upkeep and improvements will also be included in the work plan as

Work/Study: The apprentice is expected to perform a minimum two hours of study per week which are included in the 20 hrs./wk. work requirement, following a lesson plan provided by the caretaker. The lesson plan will cover a broad range of topics related to permaculture with emphasis on subjects that apply to the work at hand. The apprentice will keep a journal and complete a written final project.

Who’s being sought/What’s being expected: The permaculture apprenticeship is designed to be an immersion in living a lifestyle of a permaculture homesteader. Each day there is work. Some of the work is tedious and repetitive. Some of the work is physically taxing. Some of the work is a learning experience. Some of the work is fun. Some of the work is just work. At times, it feels as if there are too many tasks to accomplish, and there are. Since a person can only effectively do one task at a time, a skill to learn is how to choose the most appropriate task from all the options. Heartsong is looking for an apprentice who tends naturally to be busy and finds an outlet for creativity through work.

Life at Heartsong can feel very isolated. Often it is only the Caretaker and the Apprentice on the property. The nearest town is 20 minutes away and the city of Spokane is about 40 minutes away. Some people yearn to get away from the rat race, thrive on nature and find enjoyment when there’s lots of physical space and fewer humans around. The Heartsong families are looking for a responsible person who enjoys quiet focus and is self-reliant in terms of putting time to its best use, on or off “the clock.”

To apply for the permaculture apprenticeship, please go to https://tinyurl.com/heartsong-application

Questions? Contact: Chrys Ostrander – 7034C Hwy. 291, Tumtum, WA 99034
Email: farmrchrys@gmail.com

To learn more about farming jobs and internships or to post an opportunity on beginningfarmers.org, go to: https://www.beginningfarmers.org/internship-and-employment-opportunities/