SORRY, THESE POSITIONS ARE NOW ALL FULL.
We are now accepting applications for the long term intern positions at the new Panya CQ project in Korat Thailand.
These positions would start in January 2012 and run for 6 – 12 months.
We are looking for up to 8 motivated and interested individuals that are interested in giving at least 6 months time to help implement a permaculture project on a family farm in Korat Thailand. Interns will be asked to participate essentially as part of the staff of what will effectively be an education center and developing permaculture farm. We plan to host courses throughout the year, and to be doing major earthworks, intensive food forest plantings, and establishment of perennial fodder systems for permaculture-grown animal farming business.
The land is 50 acres in Korat, Thailand, about 2.5 hours NE of Bangkok. Covering the 50 acres are currently organic rice and corn systems as well as two very large ponds. Over the course of the next year, the plan is to implement the Permaculture design that is currently being created, and to see the transformation of the place in a major way. We hope to see a number of major changes over the next year:
1) the site being a rather low diversity ecology moving towards a much more rich diverse, nature friendly system.
2) The farm systems go from being just barely breaking even to moving toward a healthy profit (by reducing costs, intertwining systems and finding new markets)
3) Increase the health and beauty of the landscape.
4) and to make the climate of the land more livable.
Interns who are chosen to join us for this time will be asked to participate in the daily activities on the land 5 days a week, with possible small tasks on the weekends that we can rotate in and out of (collecting eggs, feeding chickens, watering certain beds, etc) Your tasks will range from the implementation of organic garden beds, to the construction of natural buildings, from working with short term volunteers, to feeding and caring for the animals, to answering e-mails to mulching the food forest. You are sure to get a full gamut of experiences from your time at the farm. Each of the interns may be asked to be the main caretaker for a certain area of the land for a given amount of time. You will also be give the freedom (when the time is right) to add some of your own ideas and to help bring more diversity and interconnection to the farm.
The community will function as a team, with regular meetings to discuss how things are going, and to make decisions about how to move forward. Although you won't technically have the power to block decisions, your voice will be considered as an important contributor to these meetings.
All interns are welcome to take part in certain courses that are held on the land, depending on space and need for your help elsewhere. If you have not received your PDC certificate you will be invited to join one of the PDC courses, and to receive your certificate. This is one of the ways in which we want to thank you for your help on the farm.
The design is exciting and ambitious! We look forward to seeing some amazing permaculture happen as the year goes by.
We are asking for a commitment of at least 6 months to participate as an intern. You will be treated as a competent member of the team (as long as you are competent!). This is not a workshop where you will be taught things day in and day out. You are sure to learn a ton during your time here, but that learning comes through your participation, not through direct instruction (though you may get some of that as well). We are looking for people who already have some permaculture experience, and are currently working on their permaculture diploma or are looking to get some solid permaculture practice.
Costs:
Minimum 6 months: $100 per month that you stay, with the first $600 paid up front (when you arrive).
This cost helps to pay for your food and other resources associated with having you on the land. No one is making any money from hosting you, we really would love to genuinely trade some of your work time for the amount of learning that can be had. We hope that the trade is a good one and that you go away having learned a ton, and had a lot of fun. Certainly we plan on having a lot of fun and will not work any of us to the point of not being happy.
We ask for a $200 non-refundable deposit to secure your place as an intern. We'll ask you to pay that after you have been accepted as one of the interns.
How to apply for the Internship
Please e-mail the requested materials below to:
Christian Shearer – christianshearer1@gmail.com
Please submit a record of your farm / permaculture work history. We don't need a full resume. Can be very relaxed.
And please answer the following questions if you are interested in being an intern in such as capacity as described above (cut and paste into an e-mail):
1. What most interests you about the internship mentioned above.
2. In what capacity at the farm do you think you would be most helpful (animals, veg gardens, orchards, aquaculture, working with volunteers, courses, cooking, cleaning, e-mails and communication, etc)? Which would you be most interested in participating in, if different?
3. What qualities would make you a good addition to our team?
4. Farm life can be less than luxurious. You may find yourself dealing with manure, doing some hard work occasionally that you don't find fun, and pooping in water-less humanure composting toilets. Also, because this project is just in the early phases, you may choose to live in a dorm situation, or to set up a tent. (we will be building while you are there.) Are you up for this kind of lifestyle?
5. Do you have experience living in community before? What were your strengths? challenges?
6. When would you be interested in coming, and how long are you interested in staying?
7. April, May and June can get bloody hot at this location. You will have lots of opportunity to jump in our large ponds, but are you ok with that heat?
8. Do you like to lose the line between work and play? Do you know how to take days off and enjoy yourself? We really want and need this support at the farm!
