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IN OUR WORLD FRIENDSHIP MATTERS

Work With Us

At L’Arche Ottawa, people with and without intellectual disabilities live, work, learn together creating communities of friendship and belonging.

Open Positions

Being an Assistant Is About Sharing Life

L’Arche has a distinct spirit where persons with intellectual disabilities and those who provide personal care truly share life with one another while living together in a L’Arche home.

We cook and eat dinner together, get together with friends, participate in activities in our neighbourhoods, go on vacation together, and celebrate often. In living this simple yet profound experience, assistants gain valuable life skills opportunities for personal growth and self direction, as well as enhanced leadership abilities.

Career Opportunities

An assistant and two core members sit on a bench inside Tim Hortons holding to-go coffee cups and a box of Timbits.
Assistant Role

Through friendship, meaningful work, fun social activities, and home life, Assistants and Core Members build communities of belonging together.

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An assistant has her arm around a core member as they smile at the camera while the core member opens a gift bag.
Who We Hire

We are always happy to welcome new Assistants to the role of living with, supporting, and developing friendships with our members with intellectual disabilities.

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An assistant has her arm around a core member as they smile at the camera while the core member opens a gift bag.
Become a Partner
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Two people are smiling at the camera while one person holds up a peace sign with his fingers. The two people attend a L'Arche Ottawa event.

What's it like to live in a L'Arche community?

Assistants come to L’Arche from all over the world and from their local areas. Together with the people with intellectual disabilities, they create homes of welcome and celebration. The key to life in L’Arche is a commitment to helping one another build positive, supportive relationships.

Check out what it’s like to be a part of L’Arche!

What Assistants Say About L'Arche

L’Arche doesn’t feel like a workplace, it is rather a home where some work needs to be done.

Live-in Assistant, L'Arche Ottawa (La Source)

It gives me a lot of meaning to support and at the same time have friendships with Core Members rather than just having a Client-Staff relationship.

Live-in Assistant, L'Arche Ottawa (La Source)

At L’Arche, Assistants and Core Members are equally important. This is the beauty of the L’Arche model…It’s about welcoming people of different abilities in a community, taking care of each other, and learning through shared understanding and a sense of belonging.

Pascal Gagné Community Leader
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Live-In Assistant Role

Assistants come to L’Arche from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Most Assistants have university or college education. Typical degree programs include arts, humanities, music, teaching, social work, sociology, psychology, fine arts, theology, philosophy, religious education, disability studies, not-for-profit management and more. So far we have welcomed assistants from over 75 countries, and we are always hopeful to add to this list.

Assistants at L’Arche have many of the following qualities:

  • Care about other people.
  • Friendly and enjoy being with people.
  • Patient, with the desire to help others learn and grow.
  • Team player who is willing to work cooperatively.
  • Open to learning and receiving feedback with a desire for personal growth.
  • Responsible and takes initiative to live the role to a high standard.
  • Motivated to make a positive difference for our world.
  • Open to the spirituality of L’Arche and to supporting other’s faith journey.
  • Wants to participate in the fun of community life, share joy, and laugh together.
  • Able to appreciate other people in all their diversity.
  • Open to friendships with people with intellectual disability.

Other important skills:

  • Experience with people with intellectual disability.
  • Musical or artistic talent.
  • Driver’s License.
  • First Aid or other health related training.
  • Cooking or gardening skills.
  • Spiritual or faith-based background, training.
  • Experience living in a community (camp, shared home).
  • Creativity in planning celebrations.
  • Fun interests or hobbies.
  • Media and communication skills (photography, video, writing).

Required qualifications are:

  • Applicants must be proficient in English or French (written and spoken).
  • Must be at least 18 years of age.
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Day-To-Day Life

Live-In Assistants…

  • Sleep in the homes 5 nights per week.
  • Support the home and be available 40-44 hours each week.
  • Have flexibility in their schedule for accommodation of the special needs of each home.
  • Live with 5-7 other people.
  • Have their own bedroom space.
  • Support the Core Members with personal care.
  • Share some of the housework.
  • Require training to meet set standards of competence by the government.

Typical Schedule Example:

Mornings

  • Can be a busy time of the hustle and bustle of preparing for the day.
  • Supporting Core Members (persons with intellectual disabilities) to prepare for their day.
  • Helping with personal care routines, having breakfast together, and helping Core Members to head off to their work places or daytime activities.
  • Assistants attend to various household and community responsibilities like: cleaning up, running errands, attending community meetings, trainings, or formations.

Afternoons

  • Core Members are welcomed when they return home.
  • They may need accompaniment to do banking, shopping, or to go to appointments.
  • Core Members may just want to relax, watch TV, or rest.
  • Assistants and Core Members take turns preparing the evening meal for the household. If you love cooking, this is a great way to share your talent. Inexperienced at cooking? You’ll learn a new skill and will have fun as you do it.

Evenings

  • At dinner everyone sits down and shares a meal together.
  • This is an important time in the day to share news, chat, celebrate and simply be with one another.
  • After the meal we spend time together either at the table or in the living room to sit with each other and reflect. Often a candle is lit and we share our thoughts and reflections around our day and there is time for each one to express a prayer silently, or aloud.
  • Then, we all help with the clean up after dinner before taking time for outings or leisure activities. Some people may go visit another house, some may go swimming, or some may go to visit family or a friend. Others may simply relax and hang out.

Weekends

  • The schedule is more relaxed.
  • People typically sleep in and enjoy a slower time together.
  • There are chores around the house that need to be done, but there is also an atmosphere of leisure as a weekend typically brings.
  • Fun outings and activities are planned, as well as time to hang out and relax.
  • During the weekend, many members attend services at their churches, temples, or mosques, and this time is built into whatever else the weekend brings.
A smiling group of assistants and core members pose in front of a tree holding up multi-colored balloons.

Beyond Welcoming

L’Arche Ottawa is committed to becoming an Employer of Choice.

This means that our core members and assistants are equally important. Each person is not just welcomed but finds a place of belonging. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to the way that we live our mission together. We provide training and leadership opportunities to help people grow!