Farm and Land Steward Apprenticeships dates: April 11–October 10, 2025
Please note that all apprentices are assigned to either the Farm Apprenticeship or the Land Steward Apprenticeship. There is a space to indicate your interest in one or the other (or both) on your written application, and you will have the opportunity for additional discernment during the Guest Student portion of the application process.
San Francisco Zen Center welcomes international visitors in the US on B visas to participate in our various offerings, workshops, and retreats. We also welcome students to participate in our Apprenticeship Program. Because the Apprenticeship Program is vocational, we are able to offer M-1 visas to students across the world. For more details about visas, click here.
Before applying, please review Green Gulch Farm's current Health and Safety Requirements.
Please read and be familiar with all of the information on this web page (as well as all of the information on the Farm and Land Steward Apprenticeships Program page) before applying. Contact the Farm and Land Steward Apprenticeships coordinator at farmapprentice@sfzc.org with any remaining questions regarding the program or to discuss whether it may be the right fit.
Part 1: Application
Please complete the online application. Before completing and submitting the application, read the Green Gulch Residential Guidelines (Shingi). Please take time to think about the questions and provide sincere and candid answers. Program directors take into account an applicant's reasons for applying, what they hope to learn, and what they feel they can contribute.
Applications are reviewed for suitability for the program. If further information or clarification is needed, the program coordinator will reach out with a phone call or email message. Once the application is accepted, candidates will be notified and invited to move on to the second phase (i.e., Part 2) of the process.
If the Farm or Land Steward Apprenticeship Program does not seem like a good fit, the coordinator may suggest one of the other apprenticeship programs offered at Green Gulch; see Apprenticeship Programs for more information.
Part 2: Guest Student Stay
All applicants who are invited to continue the application process will be invited to come for a two-week stay as a Guest Student from approximately the end of January through mid-February. The purpose of the Guest Student stay is to give you an opportunity to participate in and get a feeling for the daily life of the Temple and to meet the community. During your stay you will work on the farm, in the garden, on the land, and in other areas of Green Gulch. You will have the opportunity to speak with current and former apprentices and staff members, to have question-and-answer sessions with the Farm and Land Stewardship Managers and the Director of Green Gulch Farm, and to be exposed to Buddhist teachings offered by resident teachers. Apprentice applicants will also meet formally with the Green Gulch Tanto (Head of Practice) as part of the application process. The two-week stay will close with individual interviews with the Farm and Land Stewardship Managers.
Although we are open to alternative Guest Student dates, we have a strong preference that all applicants come during the specified dates if at all possible. Please let us know if you have a major conflict and are requesting alternative dates for your Guest Student stay.
Part 3: Review
Upon completion of the two-week Guest Student stay, apprenticeship applicants are asked to reflect on their time at Green Gulch and communicate if they would like to return for the Farm or Land Steward Apprenticeship Program or withdraw their application. We try our best to let everyone know the status of their application by the second week in March.
Back to Farm and Land Steward Apprenticeships Program information.