JOIN THE DHARMALAYA TEAM

Dharmalaya Institute for Compassionate Living, an educational and charitable society in Himachal Pradesh, is looking for new members of its long-term volunteer family and management team. (To know more about Dharmalaya Institute, start here.)

What we’re looking for:

People inspired to be a part of Dharmalaya Institute’s community to help in the running of the institute and its programmes in the long term and help to continue the development of our Himalayan eco-campus near Bir, HP. 

Qualities we’re looking for in our team members:

  • People who love to help make great things happen, who are inspired to learn a particular aspect of our work well enough to be able to help manage it (e.g. hospitality, supervision of volunteers, gardening, facilities maintenance, bookkeeping, etc.).

  • People who are interested in running (or helping to run) workshops, retreats, and other programmes related to sustainable and compassionate living. 

  • People who love organic gardening/tree planting/landscaping or would love to learn about it by doing it.

  • People who love to make and eat healthy vegan food.


Time commitment:

The standard minimum time commitment varies from six months to one year depending on the position, but longer or shorter periods may be negotiable depending on experience level and other factors.


Positions and compensation:

Dharmalaya Institute is a volunteer-driven NGO, and as such offers unpaid volunteer opportunities, plus one sponsored management position that provides room and meals in exchange for committed service. Volunteers receive no wage or stipend, but in the case of well-suited long-term volunteers taking on significant responsibilities for six months or longer, shared accommodation is provided at no cost. For long-term management volunteers, meals may also be provided for highly qualified, committed volunteers (subject to circumstances).

Current open positions:

  • General Management Team: Be a part of the diverse and dynamic team that manages Dharmalaya Institute’s operations, including our life-changing and world-changing educational programs, retreats, and special events, as well as the day-to-day administration needs of this innovative nonprofit organisation. We are currently seeking five new General Management Team members. All five of these positions will receive free shared accommodation and, after a training/trial period, will also receive free meals while on duty. There is also potential for a stipend to be provided for committed managers, subject to the financial well-being of the organization.

  • Bookkeeper: Help keep the Institute’s books and records in order and coordinate with our Chartered Accountant for annual audits and filings.

  • Gardens and Grounds Managers (both full-time and part-time positions available): Develop and maintain the Institute’s organic gardens, orchards, and the grounds of the campus. Should have prior experience with natural gardening techniques. In particular, experience with permaculture, Elaine Ingham’s soil food web model and/or the Jeavons Biointensive method is a big plus.

  • Kitchen Managers and Experienced Vegan Cooks (both full-time and part-time positions available): Provide healthy, organic, plant-based (vegan) meals for the Dharmalaya community and ensure the Institute’s high standards of health, hygiene, and ethics, while also helping our guests understand the many benefits of a healthy, organic, plant-based diet. Prior experience cooking vegan meals and catering for large groups (up to 30+) is a plus (though not strictly required if one is a fast learner with regard to scaling quantities for different group sizes). Note that we already have several local cooks with whom one would be collaborating.

Application process:

  1. Understand Dharmalaya Institute’s mission, principles, policies, and programmes: First, before enquiring about job opportunities, please read all of the information in the ‘About’ section and the ‘Programmes’ section of our website.

  2. Submit the application form with detailed answers to the application questions. You’ll find the form here. We’ll follow up with you once we’ve had a chance to review the applications.

  3. Let’s get acquainted. The very best way for applicants to know us and for us to know you is for you to participate in one of our residential programmes. Indeed, most of the people we have invited to join our team started out as participants in our programmes. (However, we realize that this isn’t possible for everyone, particularly those coming from outside India, so if you are not able to participate in one of our programmes first, we can set up one or more video calls to enable us to get to know each other and discuss the realities and the possibilities.)