When applying for a job in wildlife conservation, experience is key. Arguably, the best way to get your hands on relevant experience is to volunteer with wildlife organizations. The biggest problem that most people have with this is that they believe volunteer work is expensive and without already having the job, they cannot afford to do it. While this can be true, for example volunteering with sea turtles in Central America can set you back thousands of dollars for just four weeks with a project, it does not have to be the case at all.
There are two easy ways to get around this misconception. First and foremost, you can get the same, if not better, experience from volunteering with a local project rather than choosing to go abroad. There are huge advantages of choosing to get your experience locally over going abroad. Primarily, sustainability is greatly increased as you can work other jobs at the same time to pay the bills and give one day a week over to volunteering. By volunteering in a developed western country you will also likely benefit from a more innate knowledge of your surroundings, being able to speak the language of the team, a reliable transport network, considerable legal protection, complete training, better health and safety precautions and probably more flexibility in the hours you work. By volunteering locally you will be helping out with as worthy a cause as any other and have more chance of doing so over a prolonged period of time. Two years of volunteering locally on your CV will be much more of a selling point than having once gone to Africa for a month.
If you are intent on going abroad for some experience, and there are many good reasons to do this too, the second way to get around the costs of improving your CV requires you to change your expectations and do some research. By re-evaluating what it is that you want to get out of a volunteer position you can find suitable projects abroad without the price tag. Although many wildlife conservation projects the world over rely on volunteers to supply both the funds and the man hours to make the project work, the more glamorous the project, the more people will pay for the experience. The simple economics behind this encourage a system where, for the most part, the more expensive it is to volunteer with a project, the closer it is to a package holiday. So, while there are tonnes of expensive volunteer positions out there, they are likely not to be the right kind of experience you need anyway. Prices tend to come down as more effort is required from the volunteer and as luxury is reduced. So if you are absolutely set on volunteering aboard it is key to research projects before hand. If you are still unsure, as websites can often be lacking in information or misleading, email their volunteer coordinator to ensure the project is right for you. Here are a few things to consider when making your choice:
- Projects that boast luxuries, such as an on-site swimming pool or “included” sightseeing trips, should be avoided to reduce costs.
- Anything advertising photo shoot opportunities with the animals clearly do not have the best interests of the animals in mind and should be avoided at all costs.
- On the contrary, anything making it clear that you will not be holding the animals or that they take a hands off approach where possible should be considered as more genuine places to work.
- If the website makes it look like an 18-30s holiday site, then that’s probably what it is like.
- What we see as basic comforts such as wifi and cable television come with a price tag too. Fully catered experiences will also be more more expensive than a self catered placement.
- Places that expect you to make your own way there and seem to be catering for you less are probably more intent on doing good work than providing GAP year party opportunities.
- If there are notes or disclaimers about working hard and/or long hours, see these as a bonus as they are designed to deter holiday makers, meaning they are serious about their work.
- Some places offer reduced costs or even completely free placement to long term volunteers, so be sure to ask about this.
- Places that only offer short term placements might do so to have a high turnover. This might be reflective of whether their priories lie in getting people through the door rather than ensuring the animals are cared for by well trained staff.
- With the previous two points in mind, try to get on to a long term internship or apprentice scheme. These can give you heaps of experience, look great on your CV and often be cheaper to do because of the long term nature of them. However be aware that these themselves can be very sought after positions and competition will be tough. Securing a place here will be down to your likability and interpersonal communication. So get emailing and ask to set up a skype discussion to find out more about a role as soon as you see one you like.
However you choose to volunteer, remember that the aim is to get as much experience as possible on your way to becoming employed, so think long-term. Likely you will need several years of experience before you will be considered as a serious job candidate. More importantly though, because volunteer experience has essentially become necessary in building your career, it should really be seen as the first step of your career rather than as an expensive annoyance. After all, isn’t it exactly this that you want to be doing for the rest of your life, regardless of the costs? It should be noted here that if you are financially driven then this job is not for you at all, most conservationists that you ask will tell you how they worked for five years or more before they made a penny. To even get a position that requires no payment on your part and covers your living costs is seen as having made it in this field. You should bear this in mind if you see volunteering as anything other than a fantastic opportunity to get your hands dirty doing work you love.
It is also worth pointing out that the vocational nature of this field means that many people will happily pay for experiences in tropical countries with exotic animals that you are expecting to get paid for. In wildlife conservation, where money is tight and every penny matters, you need to make your value clear to your employer by proving that you are completely dedicated to the cause no matter what the cost. As harsh as it may sound, if you think volunteering is too expensive for you, then maybe you are not dedicated enough to make it as a wildlife conservationist.
A few volunteer projects that I can vouch for:
Central America
http://thearaproject.org/volunteer/current-opportunities/
http://arcasguatemala.org/volunteering/
https://www.turtle-trax.com/beach-projects/corozalito/
United Kingdom
https://www.bristolarc.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering/
The Field Biologist 