Internship

Internship Program

TLA offers 3-week live-in internships.

TLA offers 3-week live-in internships. Interns work according to their skills and interests as well as the needs onsite at the time. Outdoor work includes caring for animals, gardening, systems maintenance and building projects which vary, of course, with time of year and current workload on site, but there is usually something "under construction". Indoor work includes cataloging, inventory, research and data base projects as well as sustainable housekeeping tasks.

We support our interns’ individual life direction/plan and point them in what we see as productive directions, based on their individual needs, experience, resources and skills. Roughly half the academic experience is hands-on education, half research, analysis, synthesis and discussion. Interns' education at TLA is personalized, intensive and often life-changing.

Internships are unpaid volunteer positions. Interns must be at least 18 years old with a minimum of one year of independent living. They are expected to put in a full workweek, to commit to the three-week stay, and to complete their assigned curriculum. In return, we provide room, board, hands-on education, and the opportunity to contribute and to ask questions nearly 24/7. It is sometimes possible to extend an internship past three weeks by mutual consent of all parties midway through the internship.

TLA also offers an academic program for interns. The normal hands-on education afforded by working on a footprint reduction homestead and demonstration site is enhanced with a course of study undertaken on off-hours using our library of books, periodicals and media. In some cases, college credit for independent study may be available. Tuition is $100 and covers the duration of your internship.

For more complete details and an application send an email to our Education Director tlifeboatacademy (at) q (dot) com

Comments from former interns:

Francis Quebec, Canada

“My internship at Titanic lifeboat academy has been a fantastic experience. The hosts are amiable, well informed on future changes, political issues and alternative living. My time over there gave me the opportunity to get the information and resources that I was looking to create a better way of living for myself. Practical experiences were interesting and diverse. I enjoy my time in Astoria and I will recommend this experience to anybody that believes in sustainable practice.”

Owen Wiltshire, England

“Learning about peak oil was very interesting (and scary!). Rounding my experience and knowledge of sustainable living and also learning some useful life skills, e.g. animal husbandry and some basic carpentry. All round, this was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and a very valuable one, too, made all the more enjoyable spending my time here with 2 of the most intellectually sound and nice people I have met. It's a great experience and very useful...If only everyone could partake in an internship like this, then we truly might see change!”

Clare Albany, Oregon

“TLA is a place with infinite learning possibilities that interns can tailor to themselves. Caren and Christopher were good about both seeing what interested me and supplying me with material and discussion on that matter, and also steering me towards totally new information. It is an experience that is very real-life-applicable.”

Jeremy Brunswick, Georgia

“These guys have it all! Solar panels, wind turbine, goats, chickens, garden, humor. It’s worth coming here for the exposure and knowledge gained from the library, video archives, and Christopher & Caren’s personal experiences; and that’s just your first day!”

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