Caretaker – VACANCY at Othona West Dorset

The Othona Community (charity number 1154204) seeks a Caretaker to be part of the resident core community at its West Dorset Centre.

Othona is an open and inclusive Community rooted in the Christian tradition, and drawing on a wealth of other inspirations. We welcome people of all ages, abilities, backgrounds and beliefs. Through sharing in a daily rhythm of work, learning, worship, and play, we seek personal renewal and glimpses of the sacred. In community we explore the relationship between faith and life, and encourage one another in caring for the world and its people.

Timeline
Closing Date: Applications will be reviewed as they come in so please apply soon
Starting Date: Ideally our new Caretaker will be able to join us early in the spring

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How To Apply
First, return to the Vacancies page, read For All Applicants: The Three Keys and the other task descriptions applying to all core members.
Then read the job description below. Do you think living and working with us in this role might suit you?
If so, email us at recruitment@othonawestdorset.org.uk  Please use “Caretaker” as the subject. Please send a CV and supporting statement addressing these key questions
• Why have you chosen to apply to Othona as a core community member?
• How would you describe yourself and what would you bring to Othona (including any personal circumstances that are relevant)?
• Please say something about your spiritual life and orientation
• Do you have any special working or living requirements?
If you are shortlisted, depending on your previous experience with Othona, you will need to both visit and volunteer with us at a mutually convenient date. As well as an introduction to the work, this allows you and the Othona team to get to know each other. Usually we would aim for two visits, and we would interview at the end of this process, if both you and Othona decide to go ahead with your application.

Caretaker
As a resident member of the core community your role will include tasks that are often shared amongst community members. You will be part of the team that welcomes visitors and will take a turn cooking, participate in chapel gatherings and of course have an input into team meetings. These shared tasks apply to all established members of our core community and we work very much as a team to plan our work and develop our offer to our visitors.

So just as important as practical skills, you need the personal qualities to interact sensitively with our visitors and other contacts, to be well organised without being inflexible, to cope calmly in changing circumstances and work cheerfully in a small team. So spiritual and emotional intelligence and an interest in people will need to underpin your technical skills
As Caretaker your working week will encompass a range of core tasks that centre on ensuring that our beautiful retreat centre house and gardens are loved and cared for, thus enabling a warm welcome to retreatants.

You will be the key core member to undertake the “heavy” cleaning; that is a weekly deep clean of the bathrooms and a cyclical deep clean of other parts of the house, including the kitchen. Other core members and volunteers undertake much of the daily maintenance cleaning.

You will also undertake maintenance tasks, such as decorating, installing, changing or repairing fixtures and fittings, minor construction projects etc. And you will play a role in keeping the more public areas of the grounds tidy, e.g. mowing the lawns etc. If you have a trades background that would be beneficial, but equally you may bring experience of DIY and gardening within your own household.

You will need to live on-site where the available accommodation is a self-contained flat. A job-share with someone who shares your accommodation could be feasible. Please let us know if you have this in mind so that we can discuss the practicalities.

The salary offered is £9,918.38, but with full board and lodging, pension provision, utility bills and council tax paid by Othona, this equates to a much higher figure in real terms. You can expect two days off a week (on a variable rota) and 28 days annual leave allowance.