Are you a mature person who perhaps with your family are looking for a life change, a step into mutual support, continuous learning and growing responsibility within an ideals based community which also expect high professional standards?
Your skills, personal qualities, ideals and aspirations may find a new expression here in Coleg Elidyr.
Our Co-workers dedicate their energy, skills and human capacities in a voluntary, non-contractual way. Their relationship to the community is based on mutual trust, a shared vision and inner commitment to the principles, values and aims of the community, and to all those participating in its life.
Co-workers do not draw a salary, but their reasonable needs, including discretionary provision for their needs in retirement, are met by the community from its funds.
The tasks and responsibilities that Co-workers in Coleg Elidyr carry are varied. Many require specialist skills, experience and a high level of professionalism, including accountability to regulatory bodies. Other tasks rely on more general human qualities.
For each Co-worker the tasks and responsibilities need to be balanced against their personal interests and development needs beyond those arising from being a carrying member of the community; for many this also needs to be balanced against their commitment to their own family.
Many Co-workers will be acting as House Managers in one of the community households. In this capacity you will be sharing daily life with a number of the community's Residents.
As a House manager, you will be responsible for your Residents' daily welfare and safety arrangements, managing and supervising the domestic provisions (meals, cleaning, laundry, house accounts etc).
You will liaise with the Residents' families, social workers and other agencies involved with your Residents' welfare.
You will have support from employed support workers and/or of Guest Volunteers (usually young people who join the community for a limited period of 6-24 months).
You will be involved in aspects of their induction training and on-going supervision; you are also likely to share and support them in their personal joys and sorrows.
As a Co-worker you might also carry specialist responsibilities in areas such as teaching, therapies, leading day activities, craft workshops, cultural activities, liaison with authorities, etc.
Such involvement usually arises out of pre-existing skills or a particular interest, and the community may ask you to take up specialist training.
As a Co-worker new to Coleg Elidyr you will be required by our statutory welfare arrangements to complete a program of Induction training. This will cover topics such as care, health & safety requirements, welfare and educational needs and risk assessment and support planning, record keeping, concerns and complaints etc.
We also offer a Camphill introductory course that will give you a general first introduction to the community's underlying image of the human being (Anthroposophy).
We require that those in positions of responsibility hold recognized professional qualifications relevant to their work in care or education / training. Therefore, as a Co-worker, you are likely to be asked to undertake such training, unless you are already qualified.
The levels and nature of responsibility that you will take on as a Co-worker require you to commit yourself for a minimum stay of 1 year, preferably 2.
Many Co-workers, however, will make the community their home and place of involvement for a longer or open-ended period.
We are open to have a number of Co-worker families with children to join us. Children bring colour, youthfulness and a wealth of relationships to a place. We believe that children also benefit tremendously from growing up in such an environment.
However, it can be a challenge to Co-worker parents to balance the diverse needs that arise between community responsibilities and the needs of the nuclear family. It is therefore important that joining a community is right for all the members of the family.
There is ample evidence that many children that have spent some of their childhood in a Camphill community can develop a particular ability to engage with ease in a wide range of mature social relationships.
At Coleg Elidyr you will be expected to work approximately 43 hours a week and have 2 days off.
It is, however, important to know that the borders between work and time off can be vague.
Additionally, we do expect people who choose to live here to take part in community activities beyond the normal working hours.
There are four holiday periods of varying lengths in our college year: in October, at Christmas, after Easter and in the summer (in total approximately eight weeks per year). The Easter holiday only begins after Easter.
It is important that you have, or are able to very quickly develop, a reasonable standard of English.
Many of our students have difficulties with communicating. This can lead to frustration for them. Co-workers with limited spoken English increase these difficulties.
Furthermore, the levels of responsibility that you will carry as a Co-worker require you to have a good and reliable level of both spoken and written English.
The unsalaried Camphill Vocational Co-worker has been recognized by the UK Tax authorities as a legitimate though unusual status. This brings privileges, but also responsibilities. We are able to cover our Co-workers' legitimate personal needs on a discretionary basis and within agreed budgets.
While Coleg Elidyr will, in general, cover your needs arising from your work and life in the community, any pre-existing obligations such as loans, maintenance payments, pension plans and life insurance contributions need to be discussed with the community and agreement reached before you join.
Personal assets of Co-workers such as property, cars etc. remain the responsibility of the Co-worker.
When you move on and wish to leave after a period we will usually wish to support you and your family, financially and in other ways, in taking the next step, within the constraints of the community's resources and Charity Law.
If you would like to know more about Coleg Elidyr and maybe would like to join, please take a look at the vacancies below, or contact us. If there are no vacancies, or you do not find anything suitable below, you can still send us your details, including information on what you might like to do and a CV. We may contact you when a something appropriate becomes available.