Elevate your hands-on building skills at the Canelo Project.

We’re on the lookout for someone passionately curious and ready to dive into work this August 2024. While this isn’t a traditional apprenticeship, it’s a chance to delve into natural building as you contribute to our projects.

You’ll be immersed in various tasks, including preparing for multiple natural building projects, working on foundations, carpentry, framing, and prepping materials for our workshops. You’ll also have the chance to assist and partake in our Introduction to Natural Building and Earthen Oven workshops at the end of that month.

We’re offering a work-trade arrangement with 25-30 hours per week that includes accommodation, community dinners, and food staples. You’ll also have 8 hours of chores such as landscaping and gardening, along with ample opportunities to learn with us on our natural building and craft projects. If you’re eager to learn, enjoy physical labor, and don’t mind the desert heat, we’re excited to hear from you. Practical, hands-on skills will certainly be a plus. 

We may be open to a couple if appropriate. 

About Us

Canelo is a family home on a 40-acre property, located in Southeastern Arizona, 1-1/2 hours from Tucson. For the past 30 years we have developed and taught natural building techniques, including straw bale and earthen plastering. Our community consists of 8 family members (including an infant) and another couple living onsite. We typically host 5-6 workshops per year with guests, smaller groups and work-exchange people throughout the year. 

There is a cottage with small kitchen and bathhouse available for the work trade to live in.

Benito Steen and his wife Amy will be primary directors and guides for the work. 

Valuable skills

• Enthusiasm to work hard and eagerness to learn
• Ability to work both independently and with groups 
• Building or practical hands-on skills
• Physical landscaping experience or experience working on organic vegetable gardens
• Good organizational and time management skills and ability to work independently
• Preference for being in a community 
• Flexibility within a work plan

Expectations & Requirements

• Commit to 1 month living at the Canelo Project
• Be a community member within our family, and yet are responsible for taking care of own needs including meals
• Notice must be given for time away and coordinated with our schedules
• Must love working outside and able to tolerate desert climates while doing physical work
• We live in a rural location where you would need to have a car 

Benefits & Compensation 

• Accommodation provided: the work trade will live in our small, cozy strawbale cottage. It is a one bedroom studio with a small kitchen and an adjacent bathroom and composting bucket toilet (which you must be comfortable emptying).
• Be a part of our workshop: The work trade will assist and partake in our Introduction to Natural Building and Earthen Oven workshops at the end of that month.
• Communal meals:  We have 4 dinners per week together as a community. The work trade will be responsible for cooking one of these meals. You will also have access to many of our food staples
• Learning experience: This is not a structured internship, but the work trade will have a chance to learn more about our methods of sustainable building practices that use natural materials as well as other crafts we can share. Please note there may be times where you will have to work alone on projects.
• Be based in place: Opportunity to live and work on a beautiful property surrounded by forest land and become a part of our family and working team.

To apply, please send the following application form to caneloproject@gmail.com.