Dechen Chöling is a place of beauty and bliss, the atmosphere is marked by timeless continuity of change and the willingness of everyone to create the space in which we can work with ourselves and others. Three months might feel like three years or vice versa.

Head of the Kitchen

Paid position, private accomodation. Open Spring 2009

Dechen Chöling is searching for a friendly individual with experience of running a kitchen to come and join our community. Throughout the year, Dechen Chöling hosts programs for 12-250 people and there is a constant staff of 20-50 people here to feed through all the seasons.

The kitchen provides meat and vegetarian meals two times a day and occasionally caters fundraising events, birthdays, picnics, and so forth. This role involves the day-to-day running of the kitchen and leading by example.

You will be responsible for the supervision, orienting, and training of multitudes of lead and assistant cooks, scheduling, preparing menus, ordering food, and maintaining the organization and hygienic standards of the food storage and preparation areas. As Head of the Kitchen, you will need to supervise a team of 2-12 lead cooks, assistants, and incoming rota people from programmes. This means that you must have excellent communication skills, be kind, patient, and clear with instructions and feedback. In addition to the cooking, communicating, and planning, you will need to order supplies and work within the budget provided.

Previous similar experience is essential. You will be an excellent team player and leader and able to work under stress while keeping a calm head. You've got good management skills and the ability to develop and bring out the best of your kitchen assistants. Good financial management skills also required. You will be able to handle significant responsibility and have good communication skills with not just your assistants but with other areas of Dechen Choling's operations as well. Speaking French in addition to English is strongly desired. The Head of Kitchen at Dechen Choling is one of the most demanding positions at Dechen Choling during the summer months and this is taken into account when determining the monthly stipend.

If you have a passion and desire for cooking and feel that this could be your dwelling ground, then this could be an extremely rich experience for you. We are looking for someone who can join us in March and stay until the end of September 2009. Apply now!

Head of Office

Paid Position, private accommodation. Open March 2009

The Head of Office is responsible for the management and supervision of details related to reception, registration, housing, and database and e-mail management.

Excellent organizational skills and computer proficiency required. Supervisory experience preferred. Fluency in French is mandatory. The applicant would ideally start as 'Office Assistant' in March, train as Department Head and take over the position beginning April. The Office department represents the main interface with the outside world and requires constant interaction with the public; friendly and hospitable people skills are a must. Apply here

Head of Boutique

Paid Position, private accomodation. Open Spring 2009.

As the Head of the Boutique, you will be responsible for all the activity of the boutique, providing leadership for boutique assistants, creating merchandising and visual presentation. You will have excellent customer service skills and the ability to keep the boutique running smoothly. You will be able to communicate regularly with the finance department, prepare timely financial and inventory reports. You will keep the boutique stocked with items that Dechen Choling's visitors want to buy. You will understand which items a particular programme may create increased demand for and you will be able to have those items stocked in advance. You are detail-oriented, good with numbers, have good communication skills, are flexible, and have a desire to fund-raise and create income for Dechen Choling. Past retail management experience is desired. Apply here

Head of Garden

Paid position, private accomodation. Open Spring 2009

2 or 3 year committment required.

The Head of Garden oversees and cultivates the many vegetables and herbs for Dechen Chöling's kitchen and also flowers for shrines and rooms.

As the Head of Garden, you will be responsible for the production of these resources, for timing their harvests according to Dechen Chöling's programme schedule where appropriate and for recording and documenting the work and production of the garden. For this position, you are required to have experience, knowledge, and skills in organic gardening preferably from working in a market garden.

The Dechen Chöling garden is organic and you should therefore be prepared to grow flowers and vegetables using organic principles, using a relatively small budget. You should have a view of the garden as practice place and as being somwhere to also cultivate joining mindfulness and awareness. You are able to work independently and are organized. During the summer months, you will have extra support in the form of gardening assistants, but during the winter months, you would work primarily alone. Apply here

Job openings for Volunteers

For all the volunteer jobs posted, there is a monthly stipend negotiable depending on level of experience and commitment made.

Lead Cooks and Cooks Assistants

Open March 2009

Short and long commitments possible

The lead cook is someone who knows how to put a tasty meal together for up to 60-70 people. You will work with the Head of Kitchen in planning the menus and exploring ways of using fresh vegetables from the garden and all the wonderful mushrooms we find out in our fields. It is great if you have an overall vision of what good food should taste and look like.  If you would like to be part of a cozy community where we have practice sessions of Shamatha twice daily and you are able and willing to cook meat/fish or tofu (as we provide vegetarian and non vegetarian food twice a day for our staff and guests) then please apply.   If you have a passion for cooking and a love for creative ideas then this might be the place for you to explore them. Sense of humour and friendly disposition desired...

An assistant acts as the main support for the cook in charge by instructing preppers and taking care of the many areas of the kitchen. Please apply if you feel that the kitchen is a practice ground, you work well with others,and you take delight in preparing food and learning more about cooking in a large kitchen. Apply here

Maintenance and/or Facility Assistant

Open March 2009

As Maintenance Man/Woman you would be concerned with working in a variety of areas- you need good people skills and an ability to do general repairs in plumbing, electrical work, maintaining equipment, carpentry, and being mechanically minded. As a facility assistant, you would need to be physically strong and able to work outside in all kinds of weather.  Stipend Negotiable. 6 month commitment desired. Apply here

Practice and Study Assistant

Open May 2009

This position involves assisting the Head of Practice and Study by setting up practice spaces and shrines for a variety of programs. Applicants will help coordinate MI's for staff as well as organize trainings and on going classes for staff. Knowledge of liturgy and ceremonies, shrine set-up, and teacher service is a must. Applicants should have the ability to multi-task, prioritize, and use a computer, be physically fit in order to prepare the set-up of practice spaces, and have a familiarity with the organization of library/reference/archive material. Four to six-month commitment desired. Apply here

Programs Assistant

Open May, 2009

For this position, we request that you are a Vajrayana student. We are hoping that applicants have previous experience with programme coordinating. People that apply must have a detail-oriented mind, be extremely organized, enjoy working with all kinds of people, work with pre-coordination and follow through of programs, and computer friendly. Apply here

Household Assistant

Open March, 2009

If you delight in taking care of the sangha by preparing bedding, cozy accommodations, laundry, and using your talents to generally "uplift" any environment, then please feel welcome to apply! Apply here

Audio-visual wizard

Open May, 2009

Available Now through December (may be combined with another job during winter)
This job involves setting up the the sound-video system and translation equipment in the various Shrine Halls and the main Shrine Tent. Other job repsonsibilities include recording the talks, archiving talks for later use, storing and maintaining all sound/video equipment, and handling orders from the participants of programs. This involves making copies of CD's, labeling them, sending them by mail, and making financial reports of the sold CD's for the Finance Department.
Applicants must have previous experience with sound systems, recording devices and video recording equipement, be able to troubleshoot during recording and have some affinity with recording and archiving. A great benefit to the job is partaking in programs by being there when a talk is given by every teacher that visits Dechen Chöling. Apply here

Garden Assistant

April- September

For this position, we request that you enjoy working outdoors and are capable of working physically. You should be comfortable and willing to work in all kinds of weather- rain or shine (sometimes very hot). Apply here

Childcare Helpers

Open May 2009 (possibility for short term commitments)

People who apply for this position should have a real interest and love for working with children. Helpers will be working under the  guidance of the Head of Childcare but also as a team to create an overall fun and caring situation for the children. Previous experience desired.  Since there are children from all over Europe, it is helpful if you speak more than one language. Apply here