Intern (Reserves Intern - Pulborough Brooks)

This is a great opportunity for a dedicated volunteer intern to help our Wardening team at Pulborough Brooks, Amberley Wildbrooks, and Lewes Brooks Nature Reserves and gain conservation experience and practical skills

The successful candidate will work alongside the Warden team, focusing on habitat management, reserve maintenance, surveys, and public engagement events.

Regular duties will include:

• Making repairs to our site infrastructure such as gates, fences, and benches
• Assisting and leading our Tuesday and Friday volunteer work parties with practical conservation work
• Carrying out machinery and vehicle maintenance including maintenance logs
• Managing invasive species
• Livestock lookering and moving
• Water level management
• Wet grassland management
• Heathland restoration and management
• Woodland management
• Monitoring mink/water vole rafts
• Taking part in monthly WeBS counts
• Maintaining wildlife records

Inductions/relevant training for each task will be given beforehand and ongoing support provided by the wardens.

What’s in it for you?

This scheme is designed to give you the training and experience needed for a career in conservation. We will assist your personal development and progression toward a conservation career, but it is also important that you take advantage of the opportunities that will arise during the placement to learn new skills, gain new experiences and increase your conservation knowledge.

Specifically, this role will provide you with:

• Excellent practical experience working on a nature reserve and managing different habitats for wildlife
• Training and experience in using machinery and power tools
• Brushcutter, ATV, and 4x4 training and assessment
• Potential training: Tractor, Pesticides, Chainsaw
• Training and experience in specialist computer applications such as Merlin.
• First aid training
• Experience working in a team and supervising others
• A working knowledge of the RSPB and conservation issues
• Some experience with other aspects of a reserve such as visitor services and events
• The opportunity to receive; training on CV writing & interview techniques; career coaching; access to our internal vacancies during your volunteering internship; a reference on successful completion of your placement
• A dedicated mentor who will monitor your progress and help with your personal development throughout the internship
• A formal appraisal at the end of your internship

Essential skills/requirements:

• 18 years old or over
• Available for the full 6 months
• Have achieved A-levels or equivalent or have relevant practical experience
• IT literate
• The ability to work in a team and a strong work ethic
• Enthusiasm and flexibility
• Confident, friendly, and polite phone manner and face to face
• Ability to actively listen to others
• Ability to use your initiative
• Ability to think and work creatively
• An interest in wildlife and conservation
• A full driving license is also required for this role as some sites are remote
• A willingness to undertake strenuous manual labour outside in all weathers

Desirable:

• Previous experience of practical work and volunteering experience is an advantage but not essential
• A good people person

Your time:

• Required commitment: 3 days a week (7.5 hours per day)
• Duration of internship: 6 months with scope to continue as a reserve volunteer

Deadline for application is 25th November 2022

Interviews will be held during the week commencing 28th November

For further information, or to discuss the role, please contact Ruth Gillies (Warden) - ruth.gillies@rspb.org.uk, 07751 400077

Notes: There is no accommodation offered with this role as it is a non-residential placement. There will be an initial 4-week trial period, followed by regular meetings with your mentor. We will reimburse you for all pre-agreed out-of-pocket expenses (e.g. travel expenses to and from the reserve), invite you to volunteer thank you events, send you copies of our monthly volunteer newsletter, and give you ongoing support in your role.

Undertaking an internship will not guarantee you a job with the RSPB. Our internships are designed to offer work experience. However, interns can apply for our paid vacancies, including those only advertised internally.