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Work Experience

Work experience is one of the best ways to explore a career helping nature, wildlife and the environment.

Whether you’re volunteering with a local conservation group, completing a placement year, shadowing a ranger, joining a youth network, or contributing to a remote project, work experience can help you develop skills, build confidence and gain a better understanding of the sector.

Many nature employers value experience because it shows your interest in the sector and helps you develop practical skills that can be difficult to gain through study alone.

The good news? There isn’t just one route in.

Bradleigh Bascombe adjacent to river

Work Experience Can Help You:

  • Explore different career paths and discover what interests you most.
  • Build practical skills alongside your studies or training.
  • Develop confidence and professional networks.
  • Strengthen your CV and job applications
  • Gain examples you can use in interviews
  • Learn what employers are looking for.
  • Understand how organisations work in practice

You don’t need to know exactly what career you want before getting involved. Work experience often helps people refine their interests and uncover opportunities they hadn’t previously considered.

Different Types of Work Experience

Volunteering

Volunteering is one of the most common ways to gain experience in the nature sector.
Roles can include:

  • Habitat management
  • Species monitoring and recording.
  • Community engagement
  • Environmental education
  • Event support.
  • Communications and social media
  • Campaigning and advocacy
  • Administrative and project support

Whether you volunteer for a day, a few months or several years, every experience can help you develop valuable skills and learn more about the sector.

Placement Years

Many university courses offer the option of taking a placement year between academic studies. Placement years allow you to gain experience in a professional setting, apply your knowledge to real projects and build skills that can help when applying for graduate jobs.

Shadowing Opportunities

Work shadowing allows you to spend time with someone already working in a role you’re interested in. It can provide insights into day-to-day responsibilities, workplace culture and the range of skills needed for different careers.

Youth Networks and Panels

Not all work experience takes place outdoors. Youth panels, advisory groups and campaign networks can help you gain experience in areas such as:

  • Communications.
  • Policy and advocacy.
  • Public engagement.
  • Research.
  • Events.
  • Leadership.

These opportunities can be a great way to build skills while connecting with people who share your passion for nature.

Real Stories From People Building Their Experience

“Placement Year: Worth It? 100%”

As part of their Geography degree, Bradleigh completed a placement with environmental consultancy RSK, gaining experience in environmental assessments, site visits and biodiversity projects. The placement developed their technical skills and confidence for future careers.

Read Bradleigh’s story
Bradleigh Bascombe with Sustainable Development Goals display
Volunteering With UK Youth 4 Nature

A volunteer with UK Youth 4 Nature gained experience in campaign planning, interviews, policy discussions and engagement activities while building connections with other young people passionate about nature. The organisation offers flexible opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds.

Read Fransesca’s story

Finding Opportunities That Work For You

Everyone’s circumstances are different. Some people can commit to regular volunteering, placement years or field-based activities. Others may be balancing study, work, caring responsibilities or other commitments. Travel and location can also affect which opportunities are realistic and accessible.
If one type of opportunity isn’t suitable for you right now, consider alternatives such as:

  • Short-term volunteering opportunities.
  • Remote or online volunteering.
  • Youth panels and advisory groups.
  • Citizen science projects.
  • Community organisations.
  • Campaigning and advocacy projects.
  • Student societies and environmental groups.

Remember that valuable skills can be developed in many different settings. Employers often look for qualities such as teamwork, communication, organisation, leadership and problem-solving, regardless of where those skills were gained.

The most important thing is to keep learning, building experience and finding opportunities that work for your circumstances.

Ready to Get Started?

You don’t need to have everything figured out before gaining experience. Taking part in a volunteering event, joining a youth network, applying for a placement year or shadowing someone in a role you’re interested in can all help you build skills, confidence and connections.

The key is to get started and keep exploring opportunities that work for you.

Looking for Volunteering Opportunities?

The Countryside Jobs Service (CJS) maintains one of the UK’s largest listings of conservation and countryside volunteering opportunities, with roles available across a wide range of organisations and locations.

Find volunteering opportunities through CJS:


You can also explore opportunities through local Wildlife Trusts, the National Trust, RSPB, Woodland Trust, TCV and many other organisations working to restore nature across the UK. You could even try your local authority/council as they will often have teams working to maintain greenspaces.

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