What is the schedule of the Kitchen/Garden intern?
The commitment for the Kitchen/Garden internship is one year (to go through the whole growing season (January-December 2008). The daily and weekly schedule will vary depending on season, weather, and whatever classes are happening on campus. This position will require working many weekends (with days off during the week). We anticipate that 60-70% of the intern's time will be spent helping in the kitchen, and 30-40% spent in the gardens.

What are the typical duties and responsibilities?
Our Kitchen/Garden Intern will share the general duties of kitchen maintenance and cleaning, food preparation and serving with the other two kitchen staff- the Chef and the Kitchen Assistant. The intern will also be in charge of planning, expanding, planting, maintaining and harvesting food from our gardens.

How much do interns get to participate in the courses and workshops?
Due to the scheduling requirements of the position, our Kitchen/Garden intern will not be able to participate in classes unless they can be scheduled around kitchen shifts (i.e. weekend workshops are easier than 2-week classes). However, you sometimes can sit in on evening lectures or join on a house tour, as long as it doesn't disrupt the flow of the class.

What is the overall community atmosphere like- people, services and resources, housing, etc?
The people here tend to be wonderful. We seem to attract interesting folks both as students, staff, interns and instructors. The housing for interns is definitely simple, it's reminiscent of a shared house for college students (depending on who's living there, it can get a little messy). Upstairs there are 2 bedrooms, each with 2 twin beds (usually we have 2 guys and 2 women), a shared bathroom, kitchen and living area upstairs, and downstairs has sleeping space for 2 more people, a bathroom, living room, and basic kitchen. The intern house (we call it the "Chalet") is located just on the other side of our parking lot, so it's a quick 2 minute walk to work. Some students and most instructors stay on campus while they're in class- we have dorms, cabins, etc. so there's often another community of folks around as well. The 4 full time staff also live nearby. We're right on the border between Waitsfield and Warren, two small Vermont towns of about 2,000 people each, but there are convenient grocery stores, hardware stores, banks, post office, etc within 3 miles of Yestermorrow.

What kinds of things are available to do when you are not working, and can the internship hourly commitment be overwhelming?
This is a beautiful area to be in; if you're a skier, then winter brings plenty to do with skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, etc. In the summer there is a swimming hole across the street, great cycling, hiking, live music a few nights a week at different local venues, and Montpelier (movies, bowling, etc) is only 30 minutes away.

How expensive is it to live at Yestermorrow?
For the Kitchen/Garden internship we provide housing, meals and $100/week stipend. Still, most people would be hard pressed to save money. It definitely helps if you have some savings before you start the internship.

How are interns supposed to afford health insurance?
It's difficult. Due to the nature of the work here and a variety of reasons, we require interns to have health insurance while they're here. Vermont residents can usually qualify for free health insurance through VHAP, and temporary basic medical insurance is available for about $50/month. Some interns are able to get coverage through their parents if we provide them a letter stating that they are a full time student intern. Others choose to pay COBRA or some continuation of their previous insurance, which is typically a few hundred dollars per month.

What if I am unable to visit before I apply?
We understand that it is not feasible for folks spread all over the country (and the world!) to visit before they apply. We recommend it simply because we feel it's the best way to get an idea of what Yestermorrow is like. Alternatively, you can view photos of our campus, call with questions, or email Associate Director Kate Stephenson (kate@yestermorrow.org). We will conduct phone interviews with applicants who cannot come in person due to distance.