| Live and work at Omega Institute for Holistic Studies.
Founded in 1977, Omega is the nation’s most trusted source for wellness and personal growth. As a nonprofit organization, Omega offers diverse and innovative educational experiences that inspire an integrated approach to personal and social change. Located approximately two hours north of New York City on 195 acres in the beautiful Hudson Valley, Omega welcomes more than 23,000 people to its workshops and retreats in Rhinebeck, New York, and at exceptional locations around the world.
OMEGA'S MISSION STATEMENT:
Through innovative, educational experiences that awaken the best in the human spirit, Omega provides hope and healing for individuals and society.
OMEGA'S CORE VALUES:
Accountability, Holism, Integrity, Service, Simplicity, Sustainability, Teamwork, Welcoming
Omega offers more than 325 workshops, conferences, and professional trainings on the Rhinebeck campus, which is open annually from April through October. Each day there are many tasks to be done to keep Omega running smoothly. Each year, hundreds of seasonal staff join the Rhinebeck campus to work in exchange for room, board, a stipend, and educational classes—taught by Omega's visiting faculty and fellow community members.
An Omega season is an excellent way for college students to gain work and life skills while on summer break. Many staff in mid-life find that a season at Omega is an ideal experience during career changes or life transitions. It is also ideal for active retirees who want to participate in community living and could offer mentoring to younger staff.
THE SEASONAL STAFF EXPERIENCE:
The Seasonal Staff experience falls into the following overlapping areas:
The Work:
Omega is a business. We contribute to the world by providing education experiences that serve as catalysts for growth. In support of our mission, everyone on staff works hard. Signing on for a job with us means making a full commitment to a 30-40 hour work week. The work consumes much of the staff’s time and energy while here.
Each day there are many tasks to be done to keep Omega running smoothly. The work itself is sometimes very basic and often strenuous, such as the jobs in maintenance, housekeeping, food service and luggage handling. There are also a number of jobs in administration. For these, we need staff with office, customer service, and /or retail experience. These positions require good communication skills and patience; some require computer literacy. In addition, we need lifeguards (Waterfront Certification needed) and first aid staff, as well as qualified people to fill a limited number of supervisory positions.
While many of our jobs are basic support roles, they offer valuable life skills for both the inexperienced and veteran worker. There is much to be learned about communication, self-responsibility, and service in all work opportunities. In addition, the team building, problem solving and group dynamic processes learned will translate wherever you go.
Every job, regardless of the specific tasks, is important to Omega. We seek individuals who can see beyond the details of their duties, knowing that the functions they fulfill are a vital part of a larger vision of transformation in the world. If we can approach whatever task is assigned with the view that we are making an offering of service to our guests and to each other, our work becomes meaningful.
The Individual:
Individuals who can make a commitment to Omega’s work, and who live up to their commitments are welcome to join us. As part of the staff experience there is encouragement for each staff to engage in the inner work of self-examination and personal growth. We request, however, that you look at your individual growth in the context of how this may also serve others. Personal growth, in the context of giving, contributes most greatly to our community experience.
The Community:
There is an impressive depth of feeling that occurs when hundreds of people gather together to live, work, and grow. But there are also many challenges. Living and working with others in close quarters over a period of several months can magnify personal issues and bring up questions about individual freedom. It challenges us to take responsibility for our own lives, to look deeply at our strengths and weaknesses, and to learn how to live together with creativity, harmony, and humor.
As in any community, there are standards and rules. They are based on mutual respect, honoring agreements, and maintaining safety. Individual needs are often weighed against the needs of the whole community. Our boundaries though broads enough to allow a large amount of personal expression, are firm. Please release any preconceived ideas about what community is or should be. The staff community is many different things to different people. Everyone who comes here needs to take responsibility for his or her own experience and for helping to create the community at large. Omega's staff changes from year to year, and is comprised of real people with real human strengths and frailties. Being at Omega can be deeply rewarding. It can also be intense and demanding. The key is to find the balance in every experience.
Staff Education and Development:
To compliment your work at Omega, there is a staff education program. This program is committed to providing a curriculum that is meaningful, diverse, and stimulating. The curriculum is designed to support your process of self-discovery within the context of community life. During the season, hundreds of classes are taught by respected faculty and are available for staff to select from.
Interactions among the staff, the guests, and the faculty comprise another part of the “Omega experience”. There is a wealth of knowledge regularly shared among this larger group of the community with boundless opportunities for new learning and growth.
Your Commitment to Us:
Work Schedule
1. Full-time: 40 hours per week (usually five days).
2. Part-time: 30 hours per week (Usually 4 or 5 days).
Length of Stay
1. Full-time: Full season (April/May-October)
2. Part-time: One, two, or three
work periods (6-7 weeks each).
See application for exact dates.
Our Commitment to You:
Stipend:
1. Full-time: $50 per week (Supervisors and returning staff are paid more).
2. Part-time: None.
Housing:
1. Full-time: Rooms or trailers, simply furnished, with shared bath.
2. Part-time: camping (staff must bring their own 8x8 tent and necessary camping gear).
Meals:
Three mostly vegetarian meals per day (occasionally fish/or chicken)
Campus Facilities:
1. Use of the sauna, tennis, volleyball & basketball courts, lake, walking trails, etc.
2. Discounts at the Bookstore, Café, and Wellness Center.
Staff Curriculum:
1. Participation in the specially designed staff classes.
2. Daily open classes in yoga, tai chi, meditation and movement.
3. One two-day or five-day available catalog workshop (for a full season, May16th-October commitment only, both part-time and full-time status).
4. Access to Omega concerts, dances, catalog sampler classes, and other campus events as announced during the season.
Omega is committed to staff diversity. We encourage service-oriented people of any age (18 and over), gender, national origin, race, sexual orientation, and spiritual belief to apply.
Please visit our website, http://eomega.org/about-omega/omega-staff/seasonal-staff-experience to read in detail about our work exchange program, or contact us for an application packet by mail, phone, or fax. Attn: People & Culture Dept.).
BY MAIL:
Omega Institute - People & Culture Dept.
150 Lake Drive
Rhinebeck, NY 12572
BY PHONE:
845.266.4444, ext.304
BY FAX:
845.266.8691
Attention: People and Culture | 
