Internship - zoo keeper department
Linton Zoo
Conservation Park
We have a
voluntary internship available to begin in February/March 2021 for a period of
6 months (including a one-month probationary period) working within our animal
keeping department, with learning opportunities that are dedicated to the care
and husbandry of animals.
Applicants
must be able to demonstrate a prior knowledge of various species and have the
interest to learn more about the animals in their care. The successful
candidate will also receive training in animal husbandry for a range of other species
including other birds, reptiles and invertebrates.
The intern
will be supporting the animal keeping staff throughout the 6 month period, and
in return will gain valuable hands on experience in a busy zoo environment,
alongside the opportunity to learn skills that will form the foundations of
your Zoo keeping career. The successful applicant will be full-time, five days
a week, including weekends and Bank Holidays.
Benefits
of an internship
If you are
keen to get the practical experience many zoos require when applying for a
keeper position then this is the ideal opportunity for you. You will get to
learn hands on skills with a range of animals that will form the basis of your
zoo keeping career. Increase your experience and understanding of the work of a
zoo animal keeping department and the wider role zoos play in wildlife
conservation across the globe.
Expected
duties / training provided
- Assisting with daily animal
husbandry e.g. food prep, feeding, cleaning etc
- General site and enclosure
maintenance
- Undertake and record animal
observations
- Visitor interaction e.g.
answering visitor questions in a polite and sensitive manner
- Visitor interaction and delivery
of keeper talks, animal shows, encounters and tours
Requirements
/ what you will need
Applicants
must 18 years old or over, be hard working, conscientious and uphold high
standards of animal husbandry and welfare. Applicants must be willing to assist
with other areas of the park, including general maintenance and upkeep of
public areas.
- Reliability and punctuality are
essential requirements for anyone working in animal care,
- The ability to work as part of a
team is essential as are excellent communication skills,
- Proficiency in public speaking
or confidence to learn is necessary in this role,
- Ability to adapt to different
working environments,
- The ability to work both in a
team and independently,
- You must be physically fit for
the demands of the post,
- You must be able to adapt to a
flexible rota
- Ability to show evidence of a
long-term interest in animal care e.g. animal related volunteer work,
This
position is voluntary and therefore unpaid. We are unable to
provide any financial support, expenses or accommodation to those wishing to
apply, so we recommend applicants to be within suitable travel distance for the
duration of this placement. We recognise that this position takes a level of
commitment from individuals and therefore we aim for interns to come away with
experience that will help them in their future careers. To ensure that interns
are provided with valuable experience; regular reviews will take place ensuring
that the training agreement will be successfully accomplished with a training
record that will be provided upon completion of the placement.
If you would
like the chance to join our great team, please download the application form on
the vacancies tab on our website www.lintonzoo.com
Please send
this with a covering letter to the Kim Simmons, Linton Zoo, Hadstock Road,
Linton, Cambridgeshire, CB21 4NT or email to lintonzoo@hotmail.co.uk
Closing date
for applications is: 17th Jan 2021
FYI
This vacancy has been posted out to the many thousands who read the popular Zoo Jobs Blog Page and then on to the 129,400 plus followers of the ZooNews Digest Facebook Page. It is then immediately forwarded on to Twitter and then to Pinterest and Linkedin (8,000+ connections). Many vacancies are shared to individuals and groups. In short your vacancy will have the potential of reaching something in the region of some 80,000 plus people within 24 hours. Most of these people are working in a zoo environment, Keepers, Curators, Vets, Zoo Directors, Trainers, Aquarists and more.
ZooNews Digest has subscribers in over 1200 Zoos in 150+ countries. Zoo professionals are International.
The number of people who will actually read the posted vacancy will actually be considerably less. Usually this will be between two hundred and three thousand. This will depend on the type of post, the time of the year and where it is located…of course not all will apply. I wish you the very best of luck in finding the right candidate for your post.
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