Farm & Garden Apprenticeship Application Process

Farm & Land Steward Apprenticeship Application Process


We are no longer accepting applications for the 2023 season.

Please check back in late summer 2023 to apply for the 2024 season, or apply now to either our kitchen or guest program/hospitality apprenticeships.


2024 Apprenticeship dates will be posted near the end of Summer 2023; they are generally from mid-April to mid-October


Please note that all apprentices are assigned to either the Farm Apprenticeship or the Garden/Land Apprenticeship. There is a space to indicate your interest in one or the other (or both) on your written application, and you will have the opportunity for additional discernment during the Guest Student portion of the application process.

All applicants for the Guest Student and Work Practice Apprenticeship (WPA) programs must be fully vaccinated with one of the three FDA-approved vaccines—Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson—and have received appropriate boosters (if eligible).

Please read and be familiar with all of the information on this web page (as well as all of the information on the Farm and Garden Apprenticeship Program page) before applying. Contact the Farm and Garden Apprenticeship coordinator at farmapprentice@sfzc.org with any remaining questions regarding the program or to discuss whether it may be the right fit.

Part 1.

Please fill out and submit the following to farmapprentice@sfzc.org: the Farm and Garden Apprenticeship Application [Word] / [PDF]. Before completing and submitting the application, read the Green Gulch Residential Guidelines (Shingi). Please take time to think about the questions and provide sincere and candid answers. Program directors take into account an applicant's reasons for applying, what they hope to learn, and what they feel they can contribute. Please note that we currently have modified forms and guidelines during COVID, which you will receive more information about once you apply.

Applications are reviewed for suitability for the program. If further information or clarification is needed, the program coordinator will reach out with a phone call or email message. Once the application is accepted, candidates will be notified and invited to move on to the second phase (i.e., Part 2) of the application process.

If the Farm and Garden Apprenticeship Program does not seem like a good fit, the coordinator may suggest one of the other apprenticeship programs; see Apprenticeship Programs for more information.

Part 2. Guest Student Stay

All applicants who are invited to continue the application process will be invited to come for a two-week stay as a Guest Student from January 31 – February 14, 2023. The purpose of the Guest Student stay is to give you an opportunity to participate in and get a feeling for the daily life of the Temple and to meet the community. During your stay you will work on the farm, in the garden, on the land, and in other areas of Green Gulch. You will get the opportunity to speak with current and former apprentices and staff members, to have question-and-answer sessions with the Farm and Land Stewardship Managers and the Director of Green Gulch Farm, and to be exposed to Buddhist teachings offered by resident teachers. Apprentice applicants will also meet formally with the Green Gulch Tanto (Head of Practice) as part of the application process. The two-week stay will close with individual interviews with the Farm and Land Stewardship Managers.
 
Although we are open to alternative Guest Student dates, we have a strong preference that all applicants come during the specified dates if at all possible. Please let us know if you have a major conflict and are requesting alternative dates for your Guest Student stay.

Part 3.

Upon completion of the two-week Guest Student stay, apprenticeship applicants are asked to reflect on their time at Green Gulch and communicate if they would like return for the Farm or Garden/Land Stewardship Apprenticeship Program or withdraw their application. We try our best to let everyone know the status of their application by the second week in March.

Back to Farm and Garden Apprenticeship Program information