On The Hill Traineeships

Two Land-based traineeships available with On The Hill April to October 2025

We are offering two traineeships for engaged, motivated people who are interested in exploring and learning from our experiential, land-based methodology and developing practical and facilitation skills.
We consider that everything that needs to be done here on the farm offers a learning opportunity.

Our philosophy is to engage people in meaningful activity in service to the land, self, community, and the future.

As well as our On the Hill trainees, there will be one other trainee working with Teign Greens CSA, developing skills, growing food, and learning how to set up a Community Supported Agriculture project. There will also be some residential volunteers and day volunteers supporting the work of Teign Greens, On the Hill, and Oxen Park Farm.

We would love to hear from you if you are keen to participate in the activities and general everyday life of our seasonal community at the farm. Every aspect of life here requires full engagement with the transient community, living, working, and playing here at Oxen Park Farm.

''Learning is experiencing, all the rest is just information''

Albert Einstein

Traineeship Positions

Land-based Learning Facilitator

On The Hill works with a broad range of people. Children, young people, adults, families, and students.

We are exploring a way of learning where people are engaged in practical activity engaging head, heart, hands, and all of our senses, where learning is collaborative and community oriented.

We believe that in light of the climate emergency and present educational and societal challenges we should be focusing our education on building mental and physical well-being, practical skills, communication skills, and the ability for self-reflection, ultimately building resilience in the next generation.

Ours is a relational pedagogy, less focused on content and information and more on how we interact with each other, our natural and farmed environment, the food we eat, community, and ourselves.

Our educational ethos is not just learning by doing, it is also learning by being. Spending mindful time away from screens; in nature, being still, being able to share reflections in a group process, engage in conflict resolution, exploring what we care about and what we feel responsible for.

If the above inspires you to want to be involved, and if you have had experience teaching, facilitating or working with young people in another capacity then we would like to hear from you.

We are looking for a passionate educator who would like to work with the rest of the team to design, prepare and deliver immersive and transformative programs.

Empowering the next generation will change the world.

Testimonial from one of our 2021Trainees

In becoming an On the Hill trainee, you enter into a wonderful network, a family of sorts, of people. So many talented, authentic, passionate and often hilarious people to share an insanely varied experience with. During the traineeship I was regularly out of my comfort zone, but I felt I was supported fully. I can now trust in my capabilities more as belief in them was reflected back at me.After a season of camps, working the land, and living in an insanely beautiful location, I really saw the value and transformation when working with young people in this way...for participants. facilitators and the land. I would say I gained clarity about my own way to make a contribution and how my interests could be embraced, explored and offered in a way that inspired. This is the sort of work people do for love, and it does create more love, however cheesy that sounds.

Testimonial from one of our 2022 Trainees

Coming to live and work on a farm was absolutely wild to me. Immediately I was met by Jo and Tina, who both have an incredible depth of experience in regards to living and working in community. I have felt so held and supported by the two of them. Living on a farm and working with young people in this way has allowed me to live a more fulfilled and nourishing life. I felt the skills that I had to bring were really accepted and valued. Working with these skills and learning new ones on the farm has allowed my practice as an educator and facilitator to deepen. I could not recommend it highly enough.

The Oxen Park Farm Community

Oxen Park Farm now hosts a small residential community. As a trainee you will become part of this community, living, working, and sharing facilities together. Your caravan will have a wood burner and a simple cooking facility, should you occasionally need to be self-sufficient. To facilitate the ongoing collaboration of our community, we meet each week to discuss practicalities, share what is happening for the week ahead, plan any social events, and raise any relevant issues or difficulties. Further to this, everyone who lives and works on the farm meets on a Monday morning for a check-in. This supports our working relationships in what is a very busy environment.

Land-based Learning Facilitator (Kitchen and Garden)

Food is central to everything that happens here, all who visit the farm in whatever capacity are involved in the growing, preparation, cooking, and consumption of food.

Children, young people, and adults are offered the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills in all aspects from seed to table.

To this end, we welcome applicants whose focus would be to facilitate participants to engage in all aspects of this work.

Please apply if you are passionate about bringing people into a greater connection and understanding of the relevance of all elements of food provision.

Some experience and a good level of confidence in managing a kitchen and cooking for large groups are necessary, along with experience working with young people

What we offer

A well-equipped, comfortable caravan with a wood burner to live in

A weekly £80 stipend.

Basic store cupboard foods and fresh vegetables (worth at least £40 p/w)

Monthly mentoring and reflection sessions

Weekly community meetings

Use of community kitchen and dining area

Compost toilets and hot showers on site

The chance to live in community

The expectation

4 days a week 8.45am - 5.00pm
Generally Monday - Thursday

However, the nature of the programs we run mean that keeping a regular 9-5 schedule is not possible. When the circumstances require, we are looking for people to go that extra step further.This is fundamental to living in community, playing your part in the running of the programs and the farm.

Please apply if you feel you have:

A commitment, and passion for developing a collaborative, eco-literate, and holistic approach to education relevant to people and to the planet, now and into the future.
Experience of working with young people.
Strong communication skills and the ability (with support and training) to communicate both the principles and practical applications of land-based education
A willingness to participate with the team as needed, including in developing our facilities.
Drive and motivation and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively. A willingness and enthusiasm to live and participate fully as part of the farm community.

The application process

The application closing date is December 22nd, 2024. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to come to the farm for an interview process including overnight stays from 20th to 22nd January 2025.

Successful candidates will be invited to move to the farm on Saturday 4th April to start work on Monday 6th April 2024.

If you would like to apply please complete this application form, and submit it along with your CV to info@onthehill.camp