Aviculturalist Intern

Title: Aviculturalist Intern

Department: Aviary Department

Reporting to: Ian Edmans (Curator of Birds)

Period Covered: 2 July 2018 to 2 January 2019, three days a week

Waddesdon Manor

Waddesdon Manor is a historic house open to the public. Created by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild from 1874, it is home to the Rothschild Collection and was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1957. Today it is managed independently by a Rothschild charitable trust, The Rothschild Foundation, under the chairmanship of Lord Rothschild. It currently welcomes in the region of 450,000 visitors per year to the property.

Waddesdon is a dynamic place shaped by three generations of Rothschild’s, bringing together a world class collection of art and decorative arts of the 18^th century, displayed in original historic interiors including English 18^th-century portraits, French 18^th-century furniture and porcelain, books, drawings and works on paper, textiles and sculpture.

It has a growing collection of contemporary art, a temporary exhibitions gallery and a flourishing exhibitions, education and public events programme. It is also home to one of the finest Victorian gardens in Britain, a working Aviary and is at the heart of the working Waddesdon Estate.

Waddesdon also encompasses a range of commercial activities including retail, catering, a hotel and a conference and wedding business.

Overall Purpose of a Waddesdon Internship

An internship at Waddesdon will allow participation in some of the most exciting experience in a nationally and internationally renowned institution. This will in turn give interns a number of formal and informal learning opportunities that will assist the recipients with their future careers.

Our aim is to ensure we open the doors of Waddesdon as wide as possible to the future curators, conservators, visitor managers, archivists, gardeners, facilities managers, chefs, waiting staff, stewards, cleaners, events managers, administrators and leaders we may need in the future.

As well as developing talent in our own staff we would also like to give recent graduates, or those interested in working in a similar environment, an opportunity to gain experience first-hand.

The Aviary Department

Within the grounds of Waddesdon is a rare example of a working Victorian Aviary. Now managed as a modern zoo and member of EAZA. The Aviary is home to a specialist collection of foreign bird species with an emphasis on breeding those of conservation concern. Primarily known as a Passeriformes collection the Aviary is also home to Galliformes, Columbiformes and Piciformes species.

The Aviculturalist intern will join a small team and will be given a variety of opportunities to learn new Skills in bird husbandry, breeding, Record keeping (ZIMS) and artificial incubation and rearing.

Main Responsibilities of the intern

• Provide general husbandry including diet preparation, feeding and cleaning of enclosures.

• Provide an environment to encourage species breeding.

• Assist in artificial rearing of species.

• Detailed record keeping.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• An Interest in Ornithology, Conservation, or previous experience in a bird collection.

• A qualification in an animal management course or equivalent.

• Ability to work as part of a team.

• Good computing skills.

Terms & Conditions

• 22.5 hours per week, over three day.

• Shared accommodation provided on the Waddesdon Estate.

• An allowance of £10 towards food or petrol costs for each day of activity. There may be opportunities for paid employment in our other business areas that can run alongside the internship.

• A National Trust Volunteer Card.

Application

To apply, please send a current a CV and a letter, maximum 2 pages of A4, outlining your interest in working at Waddesdon and a career in this sector, and suitability for the role in a letter. Your letter should be no more than 2 sides of A4 and sent to Ian.Edmans@waddesdon.org.uk no later than 11pm on 28 May 2018.