Mini Internship
What does a Mini-Internship look like?
A mini-Internship is a great space to dedicate time with God and grow rich faith roots and create lasting friendships. It will consist of 4-6 Weeks reading the Bible, serving others, growing relationships with other interns and growing deeper with God!
The word ‘Intern’ can mean many things. In some organisations it means come and do all the odd jobs that our staff are too busy to do, help out, etc. At Attunga we see this very differently. Feeding into and discipling the Interns is our ministry. Camps and other things Attunga does is an out flow of that. So we feed into the Interns and they feed into the campers, guests, etc.
" For many this is a journey of healing, wholeness & restoration "
For others it's a time to put life as they know it on hold and give everything to God to shape and mould them as He wills, to break up the hard ground of their hearts or turn lukewarmness into a passionate, reverent love for the things of God.
Who are we?
We're a non-profit interdenominational Christian camp located at Canyonleigh in the beautiful Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia. Much of the 300 acre property is natural bushland with spectacular views, cliffs, valleys and lots of native wildlife that also call Attunga home. Our site is also surrounded by 20,000 acres of national park, so the setting and situation makes a really effective training ground for shaping young hearts and lives.
We have been here for almost 30 years and running these internships for over 10 years and the site was first opened and dedicated to the glory of God in 1982.
We run camps for schools, churches, families, community and corporate groups as well as holiday camps themed around horses, dirt bikes, etc but our primary focus and reason for being is discipling and equipping young people from all over the world through this intern program. For a statement of faith and values click here
Quick Facts
WHEN
24th March 2025
UNTIL
23rd April 2025
COST
Around $49 per day
WHERE
NSW, Australia
WHAT
Growing your relationship with God
"Just you + God"
Highlights
- You'll live at Attunga, serving and training as part of our Internship community
- Daily activities, devotional times, etc
- Read the Bible "cover to cover" with a reading schedule
- Includes the full 8 day Taste of Australia Camping Trip
- Serve in many different ways: helping run activities, cleaning, housekeeping and food preparation!
If you’ve never spent regular time away from everyday life to seek God with all your heart, you’re in for a life-changing experience. Living at Attunga means you don’t need to travel to get away to an isolated place - you’re living in one. There are lots of quiet scenic places to get alone with God. He will honour your commitment to time spent seeking after Him. During the internship you’ll build habits that will deepen your intimacy with the Lord and build your faith as you see God answering your prayers and changing lives around you.
“Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God” - Luke 6:12
Again and again in the Bible we see that Jesus set himself apart and spent extended time with God in prayer. If Jesus really needed this how much more do we?
Interns are personally mentored towards maturity in their relationship with the Lord and are encouraged to develop a strong, consistent prayer life and personal devotional habits that will change their heart and affect many lives around them back home after the internship.
Life Skills
" Building a servants heart through practical service "
Learning to be a blessing to others through practical service is a core foundation of our internship program.
Interns will be trained to be capable and effective in each of the following areas. Serving in these areas also allows us to significantly reduce the internship program fees, keeping them well below what would be expected for any full-board accredited course of study.
Food Preparation
Training for food preparation begins with safe food handling and storage training, followed by practical training sessions with our chef. Interns use these skills to assist in the preparation of camp and team meals.
Cooking & Food Service
Whether you like to cook or have never tried it, you’ll be very capable in the kitchen by the end of the internship, which is a valuable life skill for your future. Interns will be trained to prepare and serve meals, and will occasionally share the cooking responsibility for some intern team meals when no camps are in, as well as cook breakfast or supper for some camps.
Kitchen Clean Up
After camp meals are prepared or served, a small teams of interns will be responsible to operate the dishwasher, wash pots and clean the kitchen.
Cleaning Cabins & Bathrooms
Interns are trained in general cleaning to a commercial standard, safe use of chemicals and safe handling of waste materials. Interns work in small teams to clean the cabins, bathrooms and common areas after each camp.
Pools & Spa
The pools and spa at Attunga are heated and need to be regularly vacuumed and cleaned and the pool areas swept to keep them in perfect condition all year round.
Life skills build relationships of trust and demonstrate God’s love for campers and guests through practical service
Life at Attunga
Living at Attunga is like living in a national park, surrounded by tens of thousands of acres of national park with lots of native animals and birds all around.
There are over 10kms of hiking trails on our property and much more in the adjacent Guula Ngurra National Park (Koala Country). It's a short 20 minute walk through the national park to the summit of Mt Penang, the highest point in our area with spectacular sunrise views. The camp also has lots of recreational facilities which our interns are welcome to use.
There are two swimming pools, a heated outdoor hot tub, cosy coffee shop with a great selection of books to read plus a Powerfan, flying fox (zipline), archery, sports courts for basketball, volleyball, tetherball and football, archery canoes and stand up paddle boards.
Our meeting room & fireside lounge is equipped with great music equipment, yamaha keyboard, roland electric drum kit and a selection of guitars that the interns are welcome to use.
Gym
We also have a well equipped new gym and workout facility with high quality commercial equipment and a large stretching area. It's a great opportunity to get fit and stay healthy during your internship, building those habits as well.
Most asked questions...
How many interns?
We typically only take 6 interns each semester and we carefully pray about each applicant before making a placement offer. Keeping the number of interns small allows us to mentor and disciple more thoroughly and to feed into the life of each intern more personally.
Where do we live?
Interns all live on site in comfortable staff housing, typically with two or more interns sharing each room. Separate accommodation is provided for male and female interns. We may have some limited facilities available for young married couples.
Is food included?
Food is a signature item at Attunga. Everything is prepared fresh from scratch with generous portions and lots of healthy choices. When camps are in, the Interns eat with the campers and staff in the main dining room. There are always lots of leftovers after camps too.
When no camps are in, breakfast and lunch are typically self serve. Dinner is cooked by our chef for interns and staff with the interns helping as needed. We eat dinner together every night around a big communal meal table with interns, staff and any guests that may be visiting.
" Internship cost is just $1,490 (Includes GST). Around $49 per day all-inclusive"
Australian's may be eligible for government funding which can potentially cover most or all the Internship cost
Prices are in Australian dollars and include all meals, accommodation, entry to national park, Aussie camping experience, transport including transfers from and to Sydney International airport, utilities, tuition and course materials.
Extra costs not included in the Intern Fee:
- $150 (or a little more if you are willing) contribution to the Intern Sponsorship Fund
- If you are offered a spot in our Mini-Internship we require a $300 deposit, to secure you place.
Plus you need to budget for:
- Airfare to/from Sydney International Airport (if you live elsewhere in Australia or overseas)
- some spending money for personal items, souvenirs, etc
International interns please see the section below for a few other items you should budget for
'Pay as you go' option
The internship fees above are assuming payment in full prior to the start of your semester.
There is an option to pay as you go (subject to approval of a mutually agreed payment plan) for $1,750 instead of an upfront cost of $1,490 Payment plans would typically break up the amount due into equal monthly payments throughout the semester. Anyone who has selected 'Pay Upfront' with unpaid fees once the semester has started will be automatically transferred over to the PAYG option.
Sponsorship
Some limited sponsorship funds may be available to assist those families with severe financial difficulties, after fundraising is done through their local church and family members.
Candidates who believe they really need to be here as an Intern may apply as a faith step, regardless of their financial situation or the affordability of fees. In that case, please indicate on the application form that you are yet to raise funds and may not be able to immediately accept a position if one is offered.
Heart Transformation
If you're considering applying for an Attunga internship please start by praying seriously and consistently about it (and invite your parents and a church leader to pray along with you).
" Pray, pray and pray some more" 
In may ways it will be one of the hardest things you'll do in your life but if you give it everything, it will be that time you look back on as the most formative and significant in shaping who you are (not just what you end up doing) in the years ahead. It's always easy to put on a mask and a smile but often not so easy to open up and deal with things that are needed. When you're ready our mentors will journey with you and the sensitive stuff will be handled with dignity and respect.
It's taking a step to say "God, everything for you....teach me...mould me...break me a little if you need to, but don't leave me the same as when I started"
For some of you that's mostly about your past, dealing once and for all with brokenness that's a result of your decisions or someone else's that have affected you, often in ways you may not fully understand but you know something's not right. For others it's about going deeper with God, getting past any lukewarmness and apathy and holding nothing back. For others it's about practical skills, training and an amazing adventure making deep, new friendships with others from all over the world who will stay in your life (and you in theirs) no matter what.
