Careers at the Chestnut School

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Our Reason for Being

We connect people with plants and the earth through teaching about herbalism and the empowerment of bioregional herbal medicine. These connections are foundational for a sense of place and, in turn, nurture a reverence and responsibility for the health of the planet. Through a kinship with one’s community, we hope to inspire our students to actively work toward social and racial justice, and reducing health care disparities. Through our educational materials, social media, community giving, scholarships, and partnerships, we champion social justice, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, anti-racism, equity, and measures and practices that promote planetary health. Our nonprofit partners in the field of food and medicine justice award scholarships that we donate to people who work in communities organizing for collective liberation. We also offer 200 need-based diversity scholarships annually. Please read our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism Statement to learn about where we are and where we’re heading.  –

Work-Life Balance

We don’t f*#$ around when it comes to self-care, rest, or rejuvenation. We are a small, tight-knit team and we want our employees to happily stay with us until they retire (or their dreams call them elsewhere). We promote wholeness through careful planning (to spread the load and minimize tight deadlines) and by offering six weeks of paid vacation/sick leave, plus paid parental leave, a health care stipend, and a green 401-K. We invest in each team member’s professional development and require annual diversity, equity, and anti-racism training. We also contribute to our employee’s financial wellbeing by offering above-average salaries and profit-sharing bonuses. Our leadership team understands, exemplifies, and prioritizes flexibility in balancing work with the care of our families and our emotional and physical health.  –

Communication

We practice clear, direct, and compassionate communication with each other and the public. Our sweet spot is the intersection between kindness and radical honesty. We err on the side of overcommunication to reduce misunderstandings and increase team cohesion. Our leadership team is open to feedback and gives regular employee reviews with meaningful feedback. We are all in this to grow personally and professionally, and to do this we foster humility, vulnerability, and compassionate active listening. We acknowledge that our decision making is stronger and more informed by listening to diverse perspectives, not just the voices of those in power. We aim to cultivate a culture where it is OK for everyone (not just those in power) to question assumptions, goals, methods, and perspectives and for others to listen with humility, vulnerability, and openness.  –

Silliness, Beauty, and Personality Keep Things Lively

Our high-quality educational materials are filled with beauty, inspiration, humor, and clear instruction. We know online learning is inherently challenging so we engage all types of learners through diverse media and content review. If you think muppet GIFs, emojis, setting intentions, and interoffice cursing are unprofessional or off-putting, we’re not your peeps. –

Attention to Detail

The Chestnut School team runs a tight ship: we prioritize professionalism. This means we focus on a smaller number of high-quality endeavors rather than completing a slew of mediocre projects. Sloppiness and shoddy work are not how we roll–this means we spend lots of time on editing, processes, checking each other’s work, and overcommunication. This doesn’t mean we don’t fudge up. Instead, we have each other’s backs to catch the inevitable mistakes, missteps, misunderstandings, or oversights. And we give ourselves the time to plan, plant, prune, and weed each and every project.  –

Overdelivering

We are a high-touch company, prioritizing student support through technical and instructional assistance. Our students are ALWAYS our top priority and our reputation is a testimony to our integrity in timely communication and overdelivering. Our pricing reflects the quality of our work and our top-tier customer service. –

Impeccable Integrity

We are diehards for attribution and reciprocity. Our culture thrives on honesty, personal responsibility, and discretion. We have a zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism. Our standards for attribution are clearly outlined in handbook form for our team, as well as guest writers, teachers, and contributors.