Staff Positions at Gaia Sagrada Retreat Center

Have you ever wanted to have a fun and unusual job at a retreat center? This is your chance! It doesn’t pay a lot, but it will be the experience of a lifetime! Work side by side with Christine Breese, founder of University of Metaphysical Sciences and Gaia Sagrada Retreat Center. Being in a work exchange volunteer role at Gaia Sagrada requires openness and flexibility, and everyone here has the opportunity to wear many different hats, depending on what is needed at any given time. If you can cook (don’t worry, we have recipes and the cooking is simple), teach yoga or workshops (not required), love gardening, and enjoy working with people and supporting them in their healing, then this job is for you! What is required is a positive attitude, willingness to learn, and a desire to be of service.

Gaia Sagrada offers Ayahuasca and San Pedro shamanic medicine ceremony retreats with Ecuadorian shamans. As a nonprofit, we are able to keep our prices affordable, lower than any other retreat center of this type in South America.

We save most of our volunteer roles for former guests who have been through a retreat with us, as we have found they make the best volunteers. However, we welcome applications from anyone who is interested in being a part of our spiritual family and who is called to be in service to the work we do here.

To learn more and apply please visit: Volunteering at Gaia Sagrada

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Time Commitment

If you are interested in being on staff at Gaia Sagrada, you must first come for two months in a volunteer position so we have time to get to know you, see your work, and also so you can make sure this works for you as well.

We only hire staff from current members of our Work Exchange team, and our openings are very limited, as we have many long term staff who are here permanently. We choose our staff from those who standout as leaders in their volunteer roles. Being in a volunteer position is your job interview process!

To be considered for a staff position, you must commit for a total of 6 months to being here in Ecuador at Gaia Sagrada. The first couple of months in a volunteer position must come first, and then a 4 month commitment to a staff position. There is no back pay for the two months of volunteer work exchange. You would be paid for the remaining 4 months if you stay on as a staff member. To get a 90 day tourist visa extension (which gives you a total of 6 months in Ecuador) you must go to the airport in Cuenca to apply and pay the fees. This must happen on the day your first visa is set to expire. The cost is around $130 USD. We can help you with the paperwork and advise on how to do this once you’re here.

We have short breaks between retreats, and every three retreats we have close to a month off. You can use this time to travel and explore Ecuador and neighboring countries, but your work with us must be the priority.

The Work

Our management roles are as follows:

Assistant Kitchen Manager: Cooking simple vegetarian meals for 70-80 people (no certification required in Ecuador), helping manage food and produce orders, managing and maintaining the kitchen and food bodega, making ceremony food, managing kitchen volunteers, participating in the community, and supporting guests. If you are comfortable with it, you can lead workshops and activities for the retreat participants. If you are a yoga teacher, this can be part of your hours as well.

Office Assistant: Assisting in day-to-day retreat operations, quality control – checking the work of our volunteer team daily, guest services and support, ceremony setup, facilities, participating in the community, and many, many other duties that are too numerous to list!

You won’t be bored, and you won’t feel like you are working! We have a very positive, high vibration team that works closely with our guests to make sure their experience is healing and joyful. What’s more, you will be helping people with a truly transformational and life changing experience which is amazing to watch. The transformations people go through in two weeks are incredible!

What you get for 40 hours of work per week

  • Shared room with another staff member
  • Food during retreats
  • $150 stipend, which is more than enough spending money for a few nights out on the town, toiletries, transportation to the city, etc. Ecuador is very affordable.
  • Free wifi
  • Use of hot tubs and sauna
  • 55 acres of hiking in the Andes mountains
  • Discounted shamanic ceremonies ($100 per ceremony, one ceremony per retreat is guaranteed)
  • Free participation in workshops and sharing sessions during retreats
  • Free yoga, meditation, and movement classes
  • Rest in between retreats
  • Love: Be part of our incredible family and team at Gaia Sagrada!

To apply to volunteer, fill out our Volunteer Application Form