UK based cetacean research charity, Sea Watch Foundation, is looking to
recruit seven Research Interns (RI), an Education and Outreach Assistant
(EA), a National Whale and Dolphin Watch Assistant (NWDWA) and a
Research Assistant (RA) for the 2020 summer season.
Positions are unpaid but accommodation is provided free of charge for
the RESEARCH ASSISTANT.
APPLICATIONS CLOSE 14TH JANUARY FOR THE RESEARCH ASSISTANT POSITION AND
30TH JANUARY FOR RESEARCH INTERN POSITION.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND HOW TO APPLY VIST:
https://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/internships/
Interns are invited to assist the Sea Watch Foundation (SWF) with the
running of the “Cardigan Bay Monitoring Project”. The project is based
in New Quay, West Wales, and supports the conservation management of the
bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise and grey seal populations of
Cardigan Bay, monitoring their abundance, distribution, reproductive
success and population structure using a combination of vessel-based and
land-based surveys. SWF has been monitoring these populations on behalf
of the Welsh government (through funding provided by Natural Resources
Wales) for over a decade. Cardigan Bay contains Britain’s largest
coastal population of bottlenose dolphins, for which two Special Areas
of Conservation have been established under the EU Habitats Directive.
Interns will help the Cardigan Bay Monitoring Officer and the Sightings
Officer by taking part in the following tasks:
Land-based surveys
Boat-based surveys
Photo-identification matching
Data entry
Raising public awareness
Education initiatives and events
Assisting with and participation in training courses and other needs of
the charity.
In addition to these tasks, we have some specialist equipment, two
hydrophones and a drone, to opportunistically collect acoustic and
aerial data during boat-based surveys. Sea Watch have also been
contributing to a project to collect dolphin blow samples for population
genetics and microbiome analyses. Interns interested in these subjects
may also have the opportunity to assist in data collection for these
projects.
Interns are required from early April until the end of October 2020. The
research season is split into four separate periods, each lasting 7
weeks. The research periods for the 2020 season are:
Period 1: April 13 – May 31
Period 2: June 1- July 19
Period 3: July 20 – September 6
Period 4: September 7 – October 25
Interns are expected to arrive on the first day of their chosen period
and depart on the first day of the next period. Start and end dates are
not flexible.
Preference will be given to those applying for more than one period.
Interns will be based in New Quay, Ceredigion, West Wales. Accommodation
is provided by a private landlord through rental of a house that interns
share at a rate of around £74 per person per week. Rooms are shared
between two or three people, with a total of nine people in the house at
any given time. Please be aware that while all effort is made to
accommodate interns in single gender rooms, in some cases it might not
be possible. If you have a strong preference, please indicate so in the
application form and we will try our best to accommodate this. Interns
are responsible for their own travel, accommodation and living expenses,
but it is generally quite easy to obtain part-time paid work in the area
if required.
Important skills/qualifications
Essential:
an ability to work independently in a meticulous and reliable manner
strong commitment to volunteering work
willingness to work long hours outdoors in often changeable Welsh
weather
good IT skills (Office package)
an ability to get on well with others in a small team and in shared
accommodation
Desirable:
a strong interest and knowledge of British cetaceans
a background in marine biology/environmental science or similar
prior experience in boat-based survey work
good verbal and written communication skills and in public speaking
experience in interacting with the public
All interns will be trained in cetacean observation and identification,
in boat survey protocols, and photo-identification of bottlenose
dolphins.
Normal office hours are from 10:00 to 17:00 hrs but field work regularly
falls outside these hours, particularly land-based watches which take
place throughout the day in two hour shifts from 07:00 to 21:00. Interns
will sometimes be scheduled onto ‘early’ and ‘late’ shifts to
accommodate these. Line transect surveys are all day surveys and will
typically start in the early morning hours and run for at least 8 hours.
Prospective interns should be aware that they will be contributing to
ongoing, established research projects that routinely inform government
agencies on the status of cetaceans in the UK, and accordingly are
expected to take the internship seriously and prioritise it over
extra-curricular activities. Working in a small NGO environment in a
tight knit team can be a challenging experience and requires a high
degree of flexibility, tolerance and a positive attitude. After initial
training, interns will often be expected to work in the absence of
direct supervision so the ability to work independently and maintain a
positive, proactive outlook is essential.
Internships with Sea Watch have frequently led to established posts in
national and international research and conservation bodies, as well as
providing a stepping stone for students to undertake doctoral studies in
marine mammal science.
International applications are welcome but it is the applicant’s
responsibility to ensure visa requirements are met and we ask applicants
to highlight their chosen visa option in their application. Please note
that Sea Watch Foundation is unable to sponsor visa applications for
Research Interns.
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