Lost Valley Internships

We offer positions for Community Interns to collaborate and learn with us in many areas of our work as an intentional community and nonprofit educational center dedicated to working towards sustainability. As full participants in the life of our community, interns have the opportunity to explore the diverse aspects of our lives, including personal growth, sustainable living skills, Permaculture, group process, service, seasonal celebrations, and more. Lost Valley is a rich learning environment!

General Information

An internship at Lost Valley is an opportunity to increase and broaden your practical skills and experience community in a cooperative, supportive, and stimulating environment. We like to work with those who are excited about working, about confronting challenges with a positive attitude, about growing as human beings in relationship with others...people who are excited about learning, and taking responsibility for their own feelings and their own experience. As much as we value technical skills, we are a community that values a strong commitment to personal growth and honest communication. Living here you will learn how to work with others in relationship with the land; you will learn about your strengths and weaknesses; you may learn spiritual and emotional lessons just as valuable as the technical skills or knowledge you acquire--perhaps more so.

Our internships are work-focused, and intended to develop leadership and independent proficiency in an area you have prior skills and experience in. Our internships are not entry-level educational programs as much as leadership development opportunities. Much of your learning will be through the nuances, joys and challenges of day-to-day living in community.

Internship Details

Interns work approximately 30 hours per week. Most of that time is in the primary internship, with occasional time spent in other areas or on special projects as requested by your program. Interns also participate in around 7 hours of community activities (cooking, cleaning and Intern Gatherings) per week, for a total time commitment of ~37 hours per week. All internships require occasional weekend work (within weekly hours) to support our conference center.

Lost Valley has internships available year-round, and applications are taken on a rolling basis, though certain positions are offered only during specific times of the year (see individual position descriptions for details). We have found that for most internships a 5-12 month stay best offers a chance to fully experience community life and to reach proficiency in the internship. Some positions have a shorter duration of 2-4 months, check the specific position descriptions for details.  You are encouraged to send in an application even if the position(s) you are interested in is not currently available as sometimes spaces open up unexpectedly and you will then be contacted to see if you are availble to fill it.

We require some prior experience in the area of your choice (see individual position descriptions for details). The first two weeks are a trial period to see if things are likely to work out. Time off can be arranged, as long as it does not conflict with your responsibilities.

We offer these opportunities as a direct work exchange for room and board including fresh, all-organic vegetarian food (some of which is grown on-site!). Our summer housing is camping in our beautiful meadow. Fall through spring, some dormitory-style housing is available.

Interns can frequently participate in the wide variety of workshops hosted at Lost Valley and can take advantage of our incredible amenities - 87 acres of beautiful land with nature trails, creek with swimming hole, solar showers, DSL internet access, libraries, sacred meditation yurt...and more!

How to Apply

Send a completed internship application, along with a resume pertinent to the position(s) you are applying for, and 3 work-related references to the address or email address listed below. Contact us by phone or email with questions.

Internship Coordinator: intern at lostvalley.org
Phone: 541-937-3351 x102
Lost Valley Educational Center
81868 Lost Valley Ln.
Dexter, OR 97431

Internship Links: See sidebar for specific internship opportunities and availability.