Volunteer at Corbenic

What's it like?

You will have the opportunity to meet like-minded young people from Europe and beyond and have a brilliant time exploring Scotland too! A life-enhancing and life-changing experience!

We have many different nationalities here at Corbenic – we like to consider ourselves a veritable mini United Nations!

If you choose to come and volunteer for a year at Corbenic you will live alongside the residents in one of the seven houses on the large estate here in Dunkeld. Each house is home to between four and nine residents. You will provide companionship to the residents and day service participants throughout the day and evenings.

Meals are taken together within the home and residents participate in activities depending on their ability and wishes. During the evenings there are social and recreational activities to be involved in. Your days will involve providing companionship, laughter and encouragement to residents, increasing their confidence and their interpersonal skills.

Monday to Friday you will accompany residents to their activities which include woodwork, baking, estate work, pottery, craft, farm, gardens and horses.

The weekends are more relaxed. You’ll be with residents whilst they participate in a number of different activities depending on what the residents want to do.

Please note that the houses and workshops are ALWAYS staffed with experienced and qualified employees. Your volunteering will ALWAYS be supervised by the EMPLOYED staff. Our employed Care Workers are required to issue medicines, conduct personal care, do sleepovers, manage rotas, handle resident’s money, carry out any administrative work by updating records, reports and care plans. They are also responsible for liaising with social workers, health professionals, families and legal guardians. Please note that your volunteering will not involve any of these things.

How will I get there?

Travel Arrangements

If you arrive in the United Kingdom via London there is a direct train, daily, from Kings Cross Station to Perth or Dunkeld. There are also long distance coach services between Victoria Station in London to Perth or Dunkeld. If you arrive at Edinburgh, Glasgow or Aberdeen airport, there are direct train services to Perth or Dunkeld. There are also coach services.

Those who are joining us for less than one year will be responsible for their travel expenses to and from the Community. Those people joining us for one year or more, should purchase an open-ended return ticket and, on leaving Corbenic, will have the return portion of the fare reimbursed, upon production of the ticket, to a maximum of £230 within Europe and £500 outside Europe.

How do I apply?

You will need to fill in an application form first. When you send it back, please remember to include:

A passport sized photograph
A current police check

Please Click Here For the Application Form

What's life like at Corbenic?

As in all Camphill communities the cultural life is strong and diversity is celebrated, not least through the range of multi-cultural and inter-faith festivals, which are celebrated throughout the year. Many of our cultural activities involve preparation for them with drama, singing and music. There are regular trips to concerts, theatre and the cinema, and occasionally visiting artists, musicians and actors.

You are asked to bring sufficient clothes for winter and summer use and for working out of doors (waterproof clothing is essential) as well as clothing suitable for evening and weekend activities. If you play a musical instrument, it would be appreciated if you bring it with you.

Living Arrangements

As a live-in volunteer, you will be provided with full board and lodging, although you may be required to share a room with another volunteer. You have two days off per week and will receive basic subsistence allowance.

Provided you are 21 years of age and have held a driving licence for 12 months which permits you to drive in the United Kingdom, you will have the use of the volunteer car. To qualify for driving the car you will have to pass an assessment with a qualified driving instructor after receiving tuition.

How do I get a visa?

We ask you to commit to joining us for a period of one year. This will give you time to settle into the way of life here, become confident in yourself and your abilities and establish meaningful friendships.
If you are coming from overseas, you need to apply for a ‘Temporary T5 – Charity Worker Visa’.

This currently costs £259.
We are able to sponsor your visa application and can support and guide you through the application process.
As part of your visa application, you will need to pay an ‘Immigration Health Surcharge’ of £1035. This will enable you free access to the National Health System in the UK through the local Health Centre throughout your stay, although you’ll still need to pay for certain types of services, such as prescriptions, dental treatment and eye tests

Amanda's Story - "I'm a better person for it"

"It’s like one big family and I feel lucky to be part of it"

I am 23 years old and from Brazil “Each one of our residents is unique and in need of different levels of support. Ouside of the house, our community offers workshops which we all join according to our needs and abilities. For six months I was part of the Horse Group, where I learned so much, gaining experience with residents and volunteers from the other houses. “I love Ossian and this community. It’s like one big family and I feel lucky to be part of it, helping people everyday. It’s not always easy though, I have had challenging situations and difficult relationships to manage. It’s evidently quite intense volunteering in the same place with the same people, but it is one of the things that makes it all so special and you need to just work through any issues that do arise. “My volunteering work here has given me the opportunity to learn so much and I believe I’m a better person for it. From navigating a different language to the ever changing weather and learning about the varying disabilities that we have to deal with and the multiples cultures that we share living in this community. It makes you think just that little bit more and put others first. “Little things make me smile. I like the way someone loves music, or how someone else tells stories and speaks the words in their own dialect. Or how someone loves Bridget Jones movies and another always want to carry anything with wheels, or the person who always says ‘good morning’ when I go to the kitchen. It’s so nice just having the meals together, it makes being here a different way of seeing life. “I’m not really sure how I ended up here, but I know why I am here now and that I would like to stay longer. If anyone here needs care I want to be here to help, because I care so much for everyone here and I want to be doing something useful in this moment when the world needs help.”

Mailin's Story - "What volunteering at Corbenic meant for me!"

I`m 19 years old, from Germany. After finishing school, I wanted to do some meaningful work abroad for a year. When my mum told me about Camphill Communities in Scotland, where she was herself at my age, I got very curious about it and through the German organisation, ‘Freunde der Erziehungskunst’ I found Corbenic. I also applied to other Camphill’s but after seeing Corbenic for the first time on the internet there was a special click and my heart told me to go there. And so, I did. Now, eight months after I left, I am super grateful and still fulfilled by this magical experience. Before I went to Corbenic, I had no contact point or experience with people with special needs. That`s why I was insecure in the beginning and whether it was right for me to do. But now, after spending a whole year in this wonderful community, I know that there was no need to worry before. With this account, I would like to encourage interested people to definitely go there, to have a look and to get to know all the wonderful people there and to get a better understanding of what it means not just to share work but also your life. Corbenic is embedded in a beautiful rural area and you can easily lose track of time. There are seven houses in the community, which means there are many people around, but it is still small enough to connect to everyone and to build deep friendships. Because of this atmosphere you can settle in very fast which makes it easy to feel like home. Sharing your life every day can be very intense but because of spending so much time together you can experience the amazing impact which goes with it. Your stay in Corbenic, I promise, brings a huge potential of inner growth. By sharing life with so many different kinds of people, also from all over the world, you will develop a different version of yourself. Surrounded by the happiness and good will of the community, you will open yourself and you will recognise that by helping others you get so much back. Those wonderful moments will carry you through harder times and they will still warm up your heart many times after leaving Corbenic. Many interested people came for a year to volunteer and fell in love with that community (and sometimes another volunteer!) so they stayed for a second, third year…and now they are working as house coordinators or workshop-leaders. So maybe you will be one of them. Take this chance and go there to experience it yourself. I`m sure you will never regret but always profit from it.