Live, Work & Play With Us

Join the Adhisthana Team

The Adhisthana Team is looking for community-minded Order members and Mitras training for ordination who would like to engage deeply with Bhante’s vision of the Dharma, and who through their roles live out this vision and enable it for generations to come.

To live in the Adhisthana community is to live a life in service to a vision far greater than one’s own. This means engaging seriously with the teachings we have received from Bhante Sangharakshita, and to the best of our ability, living up to the values and ideals contained within those teachings.

Adhisthana is unique in Triratna, in that we have two single-sex communities, living and working alongside each other.

Adhisthana’s community are also very visible in and around the site, which is unusual for a retreat centre. This is because Adhisthana isn’t simply a retreat centre, but more like a Buddhist village – those who visit here are temporarily joining the community, stepping into the vital flow of spiritual practice that is already taking place here, participating in and strengthening it together.

Working at Adhisthana means living a life fully dedicated to my highest values, shoulder to shoulder with a community who share that vision, where all aspects of my life fold back into practising the Dharma.

prakashamitra

Current Vacancies

Living and working in such an immersive context is suitable for people who have had at least two years experience of regularly attending a Triratna Buddhist centre and going on retreats, and who have already asked, or intend to ask for ordination.

Kitchen manager or second Cook

The kitchen plays a central role at Adhisthana nourishing and sustaining retreatants, guests and the communities. We’re looking for someone to work as our Kitchen Manager or Second Cook to keep up a steady flow of delicious food produced in a friendly, harmonious kitchen.

Some experience of cooking for large numbers is ideal. You will receive training on the job. A desire to create the best conditions for our retreatants and guests to contact the Dharma is required. For a mitra who has asked for ordination or an Order Member.

This could be combined with other work to form a full-time role. Application deadline 29 October – please email or call 01531 641726

gardener

Our extensive gardens are an important part of Adhisthana contributing significantly to the beauty and aesthetic experience of everyone who attends. Sanghadeva, our gardener, has worked tirelessly to transform what was farmland into a delight for the senses. We’re looking for someone to work with Sanghadeva to maintain and continue to develop his vision for the garden into the future.

FUNDRAISER (GRANTS, APPEALS, DANA CULTURE, INCOME STREAMS)

The Fundraiser will be responsible for developing and implementing strategies to increase Adhisthana’s income through various fundraising channels, including grants, appeals, dana culture, and other income streams. The role will focus on increasing resources to maximize the organization’s effectiveness in making Bhante’s presentation of the Dharma available as widely as possible.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Research and identify potential grant opportunities and prepare grant proposals
  • Develop and implement fundraising appeals to support Adhisthana’s ongoing operations and specific projects
  • Cultivate relationships with donors and supporters to build a culture of dana
  • Explore and develop new income streams for the organization
  • Work collaboratively with Adhisthana’s team to ensure fundraising efforts align with the organization’s strategic goals
  • Monitor and evaluate fundraising efforts, and adjust strategies as needed to ensure maximum impact and effectiveness

Qualifications:

  • Proven experience in fundraising, with a focus on grant writing, appeals, dana culture, and other income streams
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and concisely
  • Excellent research and analytical skills, with the ability to identify funding opportunities and evaluate their potential
  • Demonstrated ability to cultivate and maintain relationships with donors and supporters
  • Highly organized, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines
  • A commitment to Adhisthana’s mission and values, and a passion for making Bhante’s presentation of the Dharma available as widely as possible.

If you have the required qualifications and are interested in this position, we’d love to hear from you.

Online Programme Coordinator

You will work very closely with the Dharma Team to be the driving force behind our new push for a strong online presence making extensive use of our new Connected Shrine Room. You will be driven by the desire to serve and vivify this project. Our online programme could include live classes, courses, puja and a ‘thought for the week’ with plenty of scope for new ideas and creativity. For an Order Member or experienced GFR Mitra.

Desirable qualities:

  • Motivated and able to make ideas happen
  • Understanding of how people engage with online content
  • Competent with technology (Zoom, webcams, microphones etc)
  • Basic video editing (or willingness to learn)
  • Comfortable with hosting online sessions, good presentation skills
  • Ability to coordinate, liaise and work with Dharma teachers
  • Requirement to work flexibly (e.g. evenings) as required by scheduled online sessions
  • International focus (accommodating a range of timezones, languages)
  • Opportunity for Dharma Teaching (for an Order Member)
  • Comfortable doing fundraising/dana appeals

personal Assistant

Working closely with Khemabandhu, our Chair, and the Dharma Team to help us with the ambitious project of unfolding the vision of Adhisthana to its full potential with the opportunity to take on significant responsibility. The nature of the role will depend on individual skills and experience. For a GFR Mitra or Order Member.

Desirable qualities:

  • Attention to detail
  • Good organisation
  • Ability to work to deadlines
  • Discretion and trustworthiness
  • Tech competency
  • Great communication and team working skills

Tasks include:

  • Arranging meetings, taking minutes, scheduling, compiling agenda
  • Supporting/Driving projects
  • Writing
  • Document preparation
  • Research
  • Aptitude for proofreading

Guestmaster and driver

Adhisthana has a flow of guests, pilgrims and volunteers and your job will be to greet, smile and host them during their visit. It’s the perfect job for an out-going, friendly person who loves getting to know people. You will have demonstrated to ability to support others in the spirit of kalyanamitrata. You’ll also provide lifts to and from the local train station on a dana basis for these visitors as well as retreatants. For an Order Member.

Traineeships

Roles which include paid-for professional training to ensure you’ve got the skills needed.

gardening traineeship

Our extensive gardens are an important part of Adhisthana contributing significantly to the beauty and aesthetic experience of everyone who attends. Sanghadeva, our gardener, has worked tirelessly to transform what was farmland into a delight for the senses. We’re looking for someone to work with Sanghadeva to maintain and continue to develop his vision for the garden into the future, with one-day-per-week training to ensure they’ve got the skills to carry out the work to a high standard.

Filled Roles

These are roles that aren’t currently vacant that we might recruit for in the future.

Manager – operations team

Details to follow…

Front of house

The Front of House is the first point of contact for those coming to Adhisthana, and plays a central role in communications, both with those who live at Adhisthana, and those who visit this place. This also involves coordinating the practical aspect of retreats and meetings here, from arrival through to departure. We’re looking for someone to work with the team to maintain and improve the standard of communication and organisation of our events.

Some experience working in an administrative forward-facing role is ideal. You will receive training on the job. A desire to create the best conditions for our retreatants and guests to contact the Dharma is required. For a mitra or Order member.

Caretaker/Handyman

With 7 buildings ranging from 30 to 230 years old, there’s plenty of upkeep required across our site. Our longstanding, hardworking and capable maintenance man, Yashodeva, has recently been appointed a Public Preceptor and will have less time and energy available to make our buildings look loved and cared for. Working under the guidance of Yashodeva when he’s around, the maintenance person will be confident and self-driven when Yashodeva is off leading ordination training retreats. For a mitra or Order Member.

Possible tasks include:

  • General Repairs
  • Painting & Decorating
  • Basic Plumbing
  • Window & Door Repairs
  • Gutters & Drains
  • Lighting
  • Renovations & Upgrades

Housekeeper

Keeping Adhisthana beautiful and clean is of great importance for everyone who comes here, from retreatants, to guests and the community members too. We’re looking for someone to work with the team, to maintain the spaces we have, continue to organise and develop systems for retreat clear-ups, and coordinate and manage volunteers when there are additional hands available to help.

You will receive training on the job. A desire to create the best conditions for our retreatants and guests is required. For a mitra or Order Member.

Technician – ONLINE Events

An exciting expansion at Adhisthana is the development of a strong online programme, building on all that we learnt during the lockdown of 2020 and allowing us to reach more and more people. Our team of online retreat tech support use our dual retreat setup which allows us to discreetly broadcast residential retreats to online retreatants.

Desired experience with or willingness to learn:

  • Running events on zoom
  • General computer competence
  • Willingness to serve retreatants and retreat leaders
  • Responsive
  • Friendly manner
  • Willing to work in a team

This could be combined with other work to form a full-time role.

Marketing, Publicity & Communications

Developing and executing a marketing strategy and working closely with the Dharma Team to understand and communicate to the Order, movement and general public the vision and events of Adhisthana. We aim to serve the international community with online offerings, to build up a large archive of quality Dharma teaching from the movement’s most experienced teachers consolidating us as an important voice in Triratna’s presentation and deepening practice of the Dharma. There’s significant scope for new ideas and creativity as our marketing, publicity and communications needs have greatly expanded. For a mitra or Order Member.

Desired experience with or willingness to learn:

  • Developing a marketing strategy, to maximise access to and participation in Adhisthana events
  • Social media management (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube)
  • Website editing (WordPress)
  • Copywriting (emails, blogs, event blurbs, etc)
  • Content creation and management (videos, audio, interviews, promos)
  • Basic Graphic design (with guidance from Dhammarati, an experienced Graphic Designer)
  • Basic video editing
  • Printing posters & Flyers
  • Building & coordinating a team of on-the-ground ambassadors around the world to promote our events

filmmaker

To spread the Dharma, we need to be able to tell stories, and the medium of film is one of the best ways to do this. You’ll produce promotional and information videos, reportage, interviews, talks and guided meditations following through from the initial conception, through planning & organising, to staging, recording, editing and uploading.

This role would be combined with other work to form a full-time role.

personal Assistant

Working closely with Khemabandhu, our Chair, and the Dharma Team to help us with the ambitious project of unfolding the vision of Adhisthana to its full potential with the opportunity to take on significant responsibility. The nature of the role will depend on individual skills and experience. For a GFR Mitra or Order Member.

Desirable qualities:

  • Attention to detail
  • Good organisation
  • Proactive and takes initiative
  • Able to see and think through implications
  • Ability to work to deadlines
  • Discretion and trustworthiness
  • Tech competency
  • Great communication and team working skills

Tasks include:

  • Arranging meetings, taking minutes, scheduling, compiling agenda
  • Supporting/Driving projects
  • Writing
  • Document preparation
  • Research
  • Aptitude for proofreading

full-stack web developer

During the lockdown of 2020 we took the opportunity to rebuild our website which launched early in 2021. We hope you like it, but the work is far from over. As we expand our online offering the website will need to respond and adapt with a web developer taking on this task. There is the opportunity to combine web development work with other, more hands-on roles.

For a mitra or Order Member. Ideal experience is listed below, but some learning on the job would be acceptable or even encouraged if you’re self-directed enough for that to work.

Ideally experience with (or aptitude & willingness to learn):

  • HTML
  • CSS
  • JavaScript and jQuery
  • PHP
  • WordPress
    • Custom theming
    • Custom plugins
    • Custom post types
  • PayPal integration
  • Security best practices
  • Version control with Git

This could be combined with other work to form a full-time role.

mobile app developer

We’re keen to expand our reach and spread the Dharma further and wider. In order to do that, we’d love to have a slick, well-designed app with high-quality content allowing convenient and easy access to what we have to offer. If you have experience building mobile apps and you want to join us here at Adhisthana then here’s your opportunity!

This would be combined with other work to form a full-time role.

Maintenance

With 7 buildings ranging from 30 to 230 years old, there’s plenty of upkeep required across our site. Our longstanding, hardworking and capable maintenance man, Yashodeva, has recently been appointed a Public Preceptor and will have less time and energy available to make our buildings look loved and cared for. Working under the guidance of Yashodeva when he’s around, the maintenance person will be confident and self-driven when Yashodeva is off leading ordination training retreats. For a mitra or Order Member.

Possible tasks include:

  • General Repairs
  • Painting & Decorating
  • Basic Plumbing
  • Window & Door Repairs
  • Gutters & Drains
  • Lighting
  • Renovations & Upgrades

finance assistant

Adhisthana is a substantial charity with an annual turnover of up to £500k. Effective financial management and reporting are both legal requirements for the trust, and it is important to oversee the resources well in order to effectively run the centre so we can communicate the Dharma widely.

We are looking for someone who can work with Bodhiketu, our finance manager, as an assistant. If you require formal training, you may be interested in our Accountancy Traineeship.

An aptitude for working with figures, computer literacy, an eye for detail and a systematic approach to tasks are important aspects of the job. Experience of working with finances would be helpful, but training will be provided.

This could be combined with other work to form a full-time position.

Accountancy traineeship

Adhisthana is a substantial charity with an annual turnover of up to £500k. Effective financial management and reporting are both legal requirements for the trust, and it is important to oversee the resources well in order to effectively run the centre so we can communicate the Dharma widely.

We are offering to professionally train you with AAT training (1-3 years) and you’ll work with Bodhiketu, our finance manager, as an assistant.

An aptitude for working with figures, computer literacy, an eye for detail and a systematic approach to tasks are important aspects of the job. Experience of working with finances would be helpful, but training will be provided.

Why live and work at Adhisthana?

Adhisthana operates on the Triratna model of support within a Team-Based Right Livelihood context in which we provide the simple but nourishing conditions required to carry out the work and live a full, engaged Dharma life, with plenty of opportunity for study, communal meditation and practice, and spiritual friendship, all in the beautiful English countryside. We work 35 hours per week.

You’ll live in one of our two single-sex communities. We receive our food and board (which includes two cooked meals per day from the retreat kitchen) as well as £410/month to cover other costs. All retreats & events at Adhisthana are free for residents. Mitras who have asked for ordination receive the cost of one additional ordination training retreat at Tiratanaloka or Padmaloka covered per year. We offer six weeks’ holiday per year. Twice a year we come together for community days to spend time with each other in retreat-like conditions. We have access to Adhisthana vehicles at a subsidised rate.

At Adhisthana we aspire to live a simple life as part of our practice of the Dharma. Hear experienced community members share their inspiration for living a simple life:

Ratnaghosha:

Saddhanandi:

Listen to Max and Kaj talk about how living and working at Adhisthana has supported their growth and unfolding Dharma lives:

Max:

Kaj:

If you would like to help at Adhisthana but are unable to live and work here, you can always volunteer.

Go to our volunteering page

Hear a definition of a Team-Based Right Livelihood

Hear a talk about Study Groups

Hear an explanation of Spiritual Friendship

Read about the surrounding beautiful English countryside

See the community profiles

Visas and Right to Work

It’s very important to us at Adhisthana that we have a team that reflects the internationality of Triratna Buddhist Order and movement. You need a visa for us to employ those who don’t hold UK or Irish citizenship or other right to work in the UK.

Job Sponsorship

We are able to sponsor applicants for the two-year Tier 5 Religious Worker visa and for the three-year Tier 2 Minister of Religion visa. Get in contact if you you’re interested.

Youth Mobility Visa

If you’re aged 18 to 30 (or 35*) and you’re a resident of one of the following countries, you could be eligible for a two-year (or three-year*) Youth Mobility Visa:

  • Australia*
  • Canada
  • Monaco
  • New Zealand*
  • San Marino
  • Iceland
  • Hong Kong
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • Taiwan
  • Andorra
  • Uruguay

*For New Zealand (from 29 June 2023) and Australian (from 31 January 2024) citizens the age range is 18-35 and the duration of the visa is three years.

ancestry visa

If you have a grandparent that was born in the UK, you could be eligible for an Ancestry Visa.

English (UK)