Working guest option

Exploring Community Life as a Part Time Working Guest

This option will allow you to experience community life for a while, for your personal learning and growth whilst giving you the freedom to explore the surrounding area.

- Be part of the Newbold House Family

Newbold House is a small community that comprises of a core team of staff members, working guests and a voluntary group who regularly come and support us. With our open minds and hearts we welcome working guests of all traditions and religions who want to come here and join us on this programme.

The Working Guest option provides a unique opportunity for individuals from all walks of life and different cultures to come together within a small spiritual Community that has a very special dynamic energy of love and healing.

Each working day begins with a brief community meeting. Once a week we meet together for a sharing time

You will be required to work either mornings or afternoons 6 days per week in various areas: kitchen, home care, garden or maintenance, etc. You may find yourself working with other people or on your own.

- Connect to the Findhorn Wider Community

Staying at Newbold House is also a big opportunity for an introduction to the Wider Findhorn Community.

This wider Findhorn Community, started in 1962, is approximately 400 people living in different locations in the neighbourhood of Forres and Findhorn Village (north-East Scotland) These people share a common ground of spiritual and social values and keep alive a rich environment of activities and events. (See www.findhorn.org).

The value of belonging to the Newbold House Family and to the Findhorn Wider Community by membership of the New Findhorn Association (NFA) provides a unique experience for a healthy balance between close and intense personal relationships in a small group and lighter stimulating and rich connections with a lot of interesting people coming from all walks of life and countries.

There will be some advice for exploring the area with a particular focus on the Findhorn wider community activities and places of interest.

- When the programme starts

Working guests are accepted for a minimum of 1 week up to a maximum of 6 weeks.

- Accommodation

Your room will be in the main house or possibly the Yurt. You may find yourself sleeping in  one of our guest rooms sharing with other working guests of the same sex.

- Requirements and Reviews

This experience requires an interest in “service”, an ability to handle active physical work (in our kitchen, dining room, homecare, gardens, and maintenance departments), and to hold a sense of responsibility for the work done.

It also requires an ability to relate and communicate well with others of diverse backgrounds, ages, languages and skills.

The working guest option is not a workshop run by trainers or a healing programme for addressing personal issues. We require that people coming are able to look after themselves at a physical, mental and emotional level. A Working Guest will have a review at the end of each week to see if the relationship is working for you and us.

If you are considering this option please send an email requesting an application form to edu@newboldhouse.org. We very much look forward to hearing from you.

The WWOOF Scheme

WWOOF an acronym for “world wide opportunities on organic farms”. Woofers are registered to the international organisation (www.wwoof.org) that keeps them informed of the farms, communities and working opportunities available to them.

Accommodation is likely to be basic; mostly in caravans.

Again, you can apply for an application for via email  (edu@newboldhouse.org) (subject to availability of accommodation).

Woofers are limited in numbers (usually one or two) and accepted for a maximum of two weeks.