Resident Stewardships
In non-Buddhist countries, remote monasteries like Birken depend on the voluntary help of long-term Resident Lay Stewards. Stewards live at the monastery full-time and volunteer their services free of charge. This is an excellent opportunity for practitioners who are looking for a simple life devoted to the Buddha’s teachings, meditation and meritorious acts of service to the Sangha, to dwell in the company of like-minded individuals who are also committed to these ideals.
Suitable Resident Lay Steward candidates will possess:
– Interest in deepening their practice of the Buddha’s teachings in a supportive environment.
– Commitment to abide by the Eight Precepts while at the monastery.
– Stable personality.
– Well established meditation practice.
– Good physical and mental health.
– Willingness to learn and adapt; to live and cooperate harmoniously in community.
– Ability to work 4-5 hours every day.
– Minimum service commitment of three months (longer period required of Office Stewards).
– Valid Class 5 Canadian driver’s license (or its equivalent) before arrival.
– All COVID-19 vaccine doses to be considered fully vaccinated. This is a firm policy.
Job Descriptions
KITCHEN STEWARD:
Kitchen Stewards are responsible for planning, shopping for and preparing meals for the resident community, as well as managing kitchen facilities and supplies, cleaning the kitchen & storage areas, organizing garbage & recycling, housekeeping the main Vihara building (including washrooms), and driving to Kamloops for weekly shopping & errands. These duties are shared amongst the kitchen stewards. Cooking experience would be an asset, although it is not required. Assisting in other areas of monastery duties may also be required.
MAINTENANCE STEWARD:
The male Resident Maintenance Steward assists with the daily maintenance of the monastery buildings, off-grid systems and grounds maintenance (including winter duties such as the daily starting and stoking of our wood stoves, clearing snow from roofs, walkways, and paths, as well as snow plowing our 7km logging road with a tractor). Candidates must have a capacity for heavy labour when required. The ideal candidate will possess handy-man skills and experience with basic carpentry / plumbing / electrical work (although this is not mandatory). Experience with tractor driving and off-grid systems would also be helpful. Assisting in other areas of monastery duties may also be required.
OFFICE STEWARD:
The Office Stewards are responsible for coordinating the monastery’s daily email, mail and phone correspondence; managing overnight, day visit, and danā meal bookings; maintenance of the Birken website and other communications materials; attending to the administrative needs of the resident monastics; providing support to Birken’s Treasurer and offsite Bookkeeper; fulfilling all Registered Charitable Society requirements (coordination of Annual General Meeting, filing of Annual Charity Returns, etc.); and generally attending to all administrative and communications needs of the monastery. Ideal candidates will have good organizational, communication and computer skills, as well as prior experience in an office / administrative setting.
How to Apply:
All of our steward positions are currently filled.
Please note that all steward applicants must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 (including booster vaccine) and able to provide proof of vaccination, if requested.
If you are interested in serving as a steward at Birken in the near future, please read the general Steward guidelines and job descriptions shown above. Then please read through our GUEST GUIDELINES to get a sense of daily community life here at the monastery. Lastly, please email us for more information specific to the current closure period.
Then, when you are ready to apply, click the “Apply Now” button below to take you to the application form.
Along with your application, please provide us with an official record for the past 10 years of your driving experience. For British Columbia drivers, this website is available for fast online requests. For other jurisdictions, based on the ICBC website, please provide the best equivalent of the following documents:
- Driving record (Driver’s abstract)
- Insurance and claims history record
- Driver factor report (prototype)
Many people’s perceptions of life at a monastery rarely match the realities of living in community so far away from the city life. For all new stewards, even those people who have visited us as guests in the past, the first two weeks of your service period will be treated as a trial period for both sides to assess our mutual suitability. Long term stays are subject to this two-week probationary period, as well as periodic approvals by the Abbot and the other members of the resident community.
Please don’t hesitate to email us if you have any questions!