If you are interested in applying for an Internship at the Retreat, please read this page.

Frequently Asked Questions about a Retreat Internship

Following are answers to some of the basic questions we get asked about our internship program, as well as some additional information about it.

How long can I stay?

Interns have stayed with us anywhere from two weeks to a few years. We require a minimum stay of at least two weeks. Given our remote, rugged location and the time expenditure and logistics of incorporating a new resident, we have found this to be the barest minimum to make it worth our and your time. It is our policy to treat the first two weeks of an intern’s stay as an initial orientation and trial period to help you and us determine if your remaining here longer is something both you and we would desire and would likely be mutually beneficial. Generally things work out just fine!

How much advance notice is required before I come?

In order to facilitate our planning we prefer getting a minimum of one to one and a half month’s notice as to the earliest time you would like to come. However, if we can work it out we can be flexible with shorter time frames.

As an intern, what would I be doing?

The primary purpose of our offering internships is to share our practical life skills and knowledge and to provide an opportunity for interns to learn a lot of the skills mentioned in our questionnaire, as well as your providing us real help with our workload in all these areas. Day to day work could be most anything and everything involved in maintaining and running an organic farm and retreat learning center, and of course normal household chores. Longer term interns have also been involved with more desk-oriented projects. 

Can you tell me what a typical day is like?

A typical day at the Retreat consists of rising at a consistent time each day with ample space before breakfast to do individual inner practices along with running, hiking or other forms of exercise. We eat our meals sitting on the floor/ground, either outside or in front of a large window through which we can see some of the fields and the Gathering of Friends cliffs across the river. The workday begins soon after breakfast and lasts until late afternoon with a midday break for snack, lunch or tea. Before dinner there is time for people to review their day, hike, journal or do any kind of personal practices, personal study or details they’d like. Evenings after dinner are spent on things ranging from personal projects and time, various work and research projects, study nights, cleaning blitzes or just laying low and taking it easy, etc. This is a brief sketch of a typical work day, however there is a host of other things we do. For instance one day a week is set aside for exploring the riches of this natural environment through hiking, sitting and just enjoying being outside. We also have special group activities outside of working and eating our meals together, like the weekly celebration that brings us all together to have fun. This can be doing crafts, skits, singing, poetry readings, mending or a toasting circle followed by a lively dance party that can last deep into the night.

What we provide. 

Regarding what we provide for our interns, for the short term we provide food and camping spaces. For longer term interns, what we provide may expand depending on the situation. Camping is in our forested campground area called Half Mile. We expect our interns to provide their own tents, but if they don’t have one, we can sometimes lend one that is not in use however you need to check with us about this ahead of time. 

Who would be my living companions?

It’s a pretty intimate close-knit people scene here except for when the population swells to as many as 35 for holiday visits or workshop retreats. There are anywhere from 8-14 permanent, full time residents who live here, depending on time of year and who and how many are out of town.

Where are you located?

We are in southwest New Mexico, right up against the Arizona border (within about 12 miles as the raven flies) about 2/3 of the way down. We are remote! Situated in the Gila Wilderness, the nearest town is the village of Reserve, 14 miles and 7 river crossings away from us; the nearest anything you could even begin to call a city, Springerville, AZ, is 1.5 hours drive away; and the nearest city that merits the name ‘city’ is Albuquerque, NM, 4.5 hours drive away. Our nearest neighbors are 2.5 miles downriver. On a weekly basis, one of our staff goes into town for mail and basic supplies. Otherwise, we mainly get around on foot, which is why the shoe rack is overflowing.

Is it a problem if I eat vegan or have other specific dietary needs?

No it is not a problem as long as we are aware of these needs in advance, and are able to plan accordingly. If for some reason we feel that we are unable to accommodate your needs, we would like to establish that up front. Given our location and resource management needs, we plan and follow a menu and it just doesn’t work for us to accommodate spontaneous or other preferences. Our nutritionally balanced meals are based on tried and true recipes developed over 40 years. They allow a supplement-free, whole food diet that can support vigorous physical activity, sustained over many years. We call it gourmet peasant food—simple and wholesome, with the foods and preparation of the highest quality.

What kind of recreational or exercise options are there?

Running (we run a lot! and what a great way to explore a wide expanse of the natural setting here), hiking, mountain biking and swimming seasonally and/or wetsuit permitting. And whatever active games or play we create!

Will I have internet or phone access?

Yes—but minimally. This is a chance to not only be off the grid but to take a break from being ‘plugged in’ all the time, and experience life without being saturated by media and technology. If you bring your own portable computer we do have satellite internet access with which you can check your email. However because of our location and our limited bandwidth – we ask that interns check in if they need to use websites and not just email, and to keep their phone in Airplane Mode because these both use up more bandwidth. Streaming services are not an option either given the bandwidth usage – that means no Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Youtube, etc.
 At times people have asked to get onto someone else’s computer; unfortunately residents have found loaning out their computers for such use to be problematic in terms of their own productivity and space needs so we ask you to bring your own if you want that kind of access. Also as we have only two phone lines in the Main House, we need to keep one line open for dealing with in-going and out-going calls, leaving only one line to we share among us for phone calls. Given our remoteness, we cannot add more phone lines (even if we felt the monthly expense of additional lines was merited it is technically not feasible). No one here has or should expect unlimited, anytime access to a phone line as might be the case in another setting. Just so you understand our remoteness – there is no cell phone signal in this canyon. Instead, you can listen to the animals, the river, the wind in the trees, and the quiet as you look at the stars.

You have a unique scene here. I’m curious to know more of what you are about and I have a lot of questions.

We are used to hearing something like this quite often. We have found that internships afford us an especially good opportunity to address and respond to all those questions. Generally when we have had visitors here (for workshops, internships, or just friends and family visiting) people get excited by what they see and want to know more. There are a lot of reasons for why and how we do most of what we do which you will learn about over the course of your stay. 

We also encourage you to wander around this site to learn more about us, more about this place, and our way of life. If you are interested in applying for an internship, you can fill out this questionnaire. We look forward to hearing from you!