Wildlife Trainee Conservation

What are the main objectives of the role?

Our aim is to give you hands-on experience and training that will place you in a stronger position to gain paid employment in the practical conservation sector. As your experience grows, you will also become an important part of our team, promoting our work and helping us to achieve our vision of an environment rich in wildlife, valued by all.

What sorts of tasks and activities will I be doing?

Our Wildlife Trainees assist the Reserves team to carry out habitat management across our nature reserves. You will gain experience of a variety of habitats including wildflower meadow, wetland and woodland; carrying out practical habitat maintenance/restoration including scrub clearance, tree felling, brushcutter operation, and maintenance of site infrastructure such as fencing, gate repairs and sign installation. You will also gain experience leading volunteer groups and there will be opportunities to assist with the management of BBOWT livestock and to experience public engagement such as helping at events or guided walks. Training and guidance will be provided for all tasks.

How will my role fit in with BBOWT’s work?

Our mission is to create a Living Landscape across our towns, cities and countryside, and inspire our communities to act for nature.

We look after more than 80 nature reserves spanning more than 2,500 hectares. You will be part of our work to secure a better future for wildlife on our nature reserves.

Who will I be volunteering with?

You’ll be part of a team of employees, volunteers and other trainees. You will report to a dedicated mentor, who will guide you, monitor your progress and help with your development throughout your placement.

How much time will I be expected to give?

You will have to be available for 3 days a week for 12 months. The days for your traineeship will be Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

On a normal day, you will start at 8.30am and finish at 4.30pm, although this may vary sometimes.

What’s in it for me?

If you are keen, and determined to get into a paid role in conservation, this could be a perfect first step for you. We are proud that many of our Trainees have gone on to develop their careers in the conservation sector.

You will benefit from a substantial amount of training and get plenty of experience, learning from our employees and volunteers how and why we do things.

Our training programme is specifically geared to giving you a wide range of employer-valued skills, subject to availability and what is best suited to your career plans. The training programme includes externally certified courses in outdoor first aid at work and NPTC chainsaw, as well as day to day guidance on all aspects of nature reserve management and in-house training on a variety of applicable skills and techniques, including brushcutter use.

There’s also an email newsletter for volunteers, Grapevine – you will be able to sign up for this, keeping you informed about volunteering activities across BBOWT.

On top of that, you’ll benefit from being in a large organisation, meeting other trainees, employees and volunteers. You’ll get to see how a conservation organisation works, giving you the chance to build a network of contacts and develop communication and team-working skills that are so important to your future career.

Will I be able to claim for expenses?

We will pay limited expenses for you to get to your normal base, or elsewhere if agreed with your mentor. Normally, BBOWT vehicles will be available for you to drive out to other locations so you won’t need to travel in your own vehicle.

What skills, experience and attributes do I need?

What’s most important is that you should have a desire to get involved and learn all you can.

You’ll need to have a keen interest in UK wildlife conservation, a good level of physical fitness, and be willing to supervise volunteers.

The list below gives some details about the skills you will need

• Desire to work in UK wildlife conservation

• A good level of physical fitness & strength

• Willingness to be trained on and use power tools including brushcutters / chainsaws

• Willingness to supervise and lead others

• Ability to engage with a range of people of all ages and backgrounds

• Ability to communicate clearly and follow complex instructions

• Desire to develop skills and standards of workmanship required in habitat management

• A proactive ‘can do’ approach to learning and completing tasks.

• Full manual driving licence and a willingness to drive BBOWT vehicles.

• Availability to cover occasional weekend days.