A Place to be Real Together

Caterer

Timeline

Closing Date for applications: no closing date

Starting Date: We hope our new Caterer will be able to join us ideally in the autumn.

If you are shortlisted, we will ask you to volunteer with us for a few days, including planning and cooking meals, before any formal interview. As well as an introduction to the work, this allows you and the Othona team to get to know each other. We interview at the end of such a volunteer period, if both you and Othona decide to go ahead with your application.

How To Apply

First, read For All Applicants: The Three Keys.

Then read the brief job description below. Do you think living and working with us in this role might suit you?

If so, read this background information, a more detailed job description and download an application form.  Please email your completed application form to us at recruitment@othonawestdorset.org.uk  Please use 'Caterer' as the subject.  Alternatively you can post your form to: Recruitment, Othona West Dorset, Coast Road, Burton Bradstock, BRIDPORT, Dorset. DT6 4RN

Recruitment, Othona West Dorset, Coast Road, Burton Bradstock, BRIDPORT, Dorset DT6 4RN

Caterer

Do you enjoy cooking and community? If you do, perhaps you would enjoy living and working at Othona, as part of the core community and as our Caterer.  The role of the core member with catering responsibility at Othona is really vital and can be very fulfilling. You’ll need some competence both in cooking and in running a kitchen (menu planning, ordering, food hygiene and so on). But just as important, you will need an interest in, an appetite for, and a readiness to involve yourself in, the wider dimensions of community life. Both these perspectives call for personal qualities, not just technical expertise.

This role is probably best suited to someone who loves cooking, planning menus and working with people, but may not have had formal training. Alternatively, you might be an experienced cook but now looking to live in a community-oriented environment where the kitchen is more like a large family kitchen than a standard commercial operation.

The attached job description is deliberately wide-ranging and can seem daunting - we know that few applicants are likely to come equipped with all the skills and experience we mention and we are happy for a successful applicant to grow in and into the job.

  • The salary offered is £ 9,536.90 pa plus full board and lodging in a self-contained flat. You can expect two days off a week (on a variable rota) and 28 days annual leave allowance. In addition you will be eligible for a non-contributary pension equivalent to 10% of salary.

Othona is a spiritual community, but without lots of pious talk or formal religion. We do ask of core members that you’re committed to spiritual growth in yourself and others. Our approach is very inclusive: Othona West Dorset is a centre dedicated to human wellbeing – of body, mind and spirit. We have found that individual wellbeing grows through an experience of community with others and of connection with Spirit/God. We welcome people of all faiths and none. Only together can we hope to build a sustainable future of justice and peace. Down-to-earth and open-hearted, Othona has its roots in the inclusive Christian tradition, and now draws on a wealth of other inspirations too.

All Core Members

The following are all essential to the running of the centre and will be carried out by a combination of long and short term core members and local volunteers. They offer variety and sometimes the opportunity to use (or develop) special skills or pursue a personal interest.

Common Tasks

The following tasks are shared between core members, often on a rota basis:
  • cooking
  • contributing to chapel gatherings (with support/training as appropriate)
  • cleaning
  • hosting (event liaison with facilitators and visitors)
  • dealing with rubbish and recycling

Other tasks relating to the running of the Centre may arise, which by agreement the core member may wish to pursue in addition to their lead role.

The core members are at the heart of this Othona centre. They need to be committed to the work of the community, its ethos and values. Core members work actively to live these out in their everyday life, and to further them. The competences below provide good examples of what this means in practice. The programme explains what Othona is about. Our policy statements show how Othona seeks to realise these values in the way it manages people, its policies of equal opportunities and the green policies for house and grounds, and in its open Christianity.

The heart of Othona is people – core colleagues, visitors and all those who we interact with. People come because they know they will be welcomed, accepted and valued for who they are. Our role is not to be therapists or counsellors, but we do need to be interested in people and willing to listen and share. We also need to be aware of our own responses and feelings, and especially of the impact of our own behaviour on other people.

Othona core members live and work together, and are hosts to an ever-changing number of visitors. Core members have to be flexible, able to adapt to varied and changing circumstances and people.

The main purpose of Othona is to provide visitors with a taste of life in community. The core members need to be able to live and work together co-operatively, and provide support (and challenge). This is important not only to carry out our work but equally so we can enjoy our life together, relax and have fun.

Othona West Dorset offers an experience of Christian community of a very open sort – rooted in the Christian heritage, open to the widening future. This is an approach to spirituality where you may experience the fellowship of the spirit in everyday life. Although core members do not have to be Christian, and may be of any faith tradition or none, we expect that they will respect the importance of the Christian tradition and the values that are at the heart of Othona. They adopt a 'Rule of Life' as a framework for shared life, and participate actively in the spiritual aspects of community life including chapel services.