Gap Year in Disability Services
About L'Arche and the job:
We should let you know right away that L'Arche is not an ordinary job but also a choice to participate in a spiritual community with a certain lifestyle. We are currently hiring for the role of a live-in care assistant to support L'Arche Core Members (adults with developmental disabilities) in living their best life. Assistants and Core Members share a home and life together in our 3 homes in Seattle. Living in the L'Arche Seattle community is a unique and authentic experience that can teach anyone what it means to be a part of something bigger than oneself.
The responsibilities of an Assistant include
- care-giving
- helping to create a home environment
- building community
- being an accompanier to those with disabilities.
Assistants are often surprised by the new horizons that open up for them through the depth of their experiences and by the way that the people at the heart of a L'Arche community touch their lives.
Qualifications:
As a candidate for membership, one is not required to have any previous experience with people with a developmental disability or community living. For many, L’Arche is their first experience of both.
Students must be at least 18 years of age and clear a background check. They must be responsible, patient, and flexible. As L'Arche employees hold responsibility to the quality of care for the individuals we work with, the student must be dependable and ready to learn quickly.
Educational benefits:
Students working at L'Arche will get hands on experience in non-profit management and health care advocacy. There are also many opportunities to gain meaningful experience in art, therapy, psychology, accounting, and culinary arts. As many of our Core Members are Deaf, students working at L'Arche can also expect to learn ASL. All training is supplied by and paid for by L'Arche.