Erasmus+ Volunteering vacancies
Application Details
Dates: 1st January 2020 – 30th September 2020
Costs: Voluntary positions, but all living costs will be covered and accommodation provided
Number of volunteering opportunities (4):
- 3 Nature Reserves Visitor Assistants
- 1 Seabird Conservation Assistant
BirdLife Malta is looking for new full-time volunteers to join their international team protecting birds and their habitats and inspiring and educating people about birds and nature in the Maltese Islands. Volunteers will be based in our offices and at our nature reserves in Malta. Those who have previously participated in a long-term Erasmus+ European Voluntary Service (EVS) scheme or long-term Erasmus+ Volunteering scheme are not eligible to apply for these positions.
Are you:
- Aged 18-30
- A citizen of one of these programme countries: Italy, Spain, UK, Poland and Turkey
- Outgoing, friendly, keen to meet new people, socialise, and experience a different culture
- Interested in bird conservation and/or environmental protection
- Interested in improving bird, flora and other taxa identification skills
- Interested in inspiring and educating people about birds and the natural world
- Willing to do hands-on conservation work ranging from fieldwork aimed at protection of wild birds from illegal killing to raising public awareness in events
- Willing to develop administration, time management, numeracy, and interpersonal skills
- Willing to learn and having an adaptable approach in line with the needs of a charitable organisation’s structure including working flexible and occasional long hours
The Erasmus+ Volunteering programme will provide you:
- Accommodation in a shared room close to our offices in Ta’ Xbiex/in the northern part of the island close to our nature reserves, or with host families
- Coverage of all living costs such as electricity, water, gas, and internet
- Reimbursement of the flight and other transport costs (bus, train, metro, visa) up to a certain limit
- €300 monthly allowance
- Private CIGNA insurance
Description of duties:
There is the opportunity for each volunteer to gain a wide range of experience and skills across the organisation. Duties for each position are as follows:
NATURE RESERVES VISITOR ASSISTANT (3 positions)
To assist in the opening of the reserves to the general public, working and ensuring visitors enjoy a pleasant experience. The chosen applicants will work at our nature reserves (Ghadira, Simar, Foresta 2000 and Salina) reporting to the Site Warden and Reserves Manager. Training on the history of the sites together and the flora and fauna of the reserves will be provided.
Duties:
- Assisting in opening BirdLife Malta’s nature reserves to the public in the afternoon/evening, including on weekends if necessary
- Setting up the display within the reception centre at the reserves
- Preparing the nature shop at the reserves
- Setting up binoculars before the reserve opening hours
- Greeting visitors at the reserves and giving a basic explanation about the nature reserve, its history, flora and fauna
- Managing a small shop and promoting sales whilst encouraging membership to BirdLife Malta
- Compiling visitor statistics and gathering feedback from visitors
- Participating in regular events held at the nature reserve with the aim of educating visitors towards more environmental appreciation
- Taking visitors around the reserve, which could entail walking on uneven terrain even during summer
SEABIRD CONSERVATION ASSISTANT (1 position)
To assist BirdLife Malta’s work in seabird conservation including fieldwork at various Natura 2000 sites, on land and at sea. The ideal candidate would have a keen interest in biology, zoology, ecology, or a similar discipline.
Duties:
To assist our seabird conservation team in research, conservation, and public awareness work at various seabird colony sites and work based at the BirdLife Malta office:
- Seabird colony monitoring: ringing, taking morphological measurements, nest monitoring, mist netting, call registrations at night, GPS mapping, and colony and nest searching
- Sea surveys of seabird colonies by boat and kayak, including at night
- Public awareness activities about seabird conservation: events, talks, public outreach in colony sites to increase awareness among site users, boat users and fishermen
- Predator management (rat control)
- Inputting, processing and analysing collected data (Excel, ArcGIS, R)
- Liaise with the communications team in updating content for the website, blog, and Facebook etc.
- Assist in the preparation of reports
TO APPLY
Please download and fill in the application form, making it clear which department or position you are most interested in. Completed applications should be returned to info@birdlifemalta.org with subject: Application for Erasmus+ Volunteering (Position) e.g. Application for Erasmus+ Volunteering (Nature Reserves Visitor Assistant) together with an updated CV. Please note that CVs without the application form filled in will not be considered.
We highly recommend that you visit our website on www.birdlifemalta.org for further information before applying. The positions are funded by Erasmus+.
Applications close on Friday 8th November 2019 at 12pm. Telephone/Skype interviews will take place shortly afterwards.
Please note that incomplete and/or late applications will not be taken into consideration.
