Work Experience

Having work experience can be key in finding a green job for nature.

Gaining valuable and relevant experience is key to securing the job you want. Whether it is a work placement, internship, graduate scheme or volunteering, there are several possible options to explore.

If you are interested in an outdoor-based job and you live in the UK, try reaching out to local nature reserves or Wildlife Trusts. These organisations often have volunteering schemes you can join to gain experience and to learn more about the sector.

Other roles such as policy or data and mapping may require a more formal placement scheme to get experience. You will need to be proactive in finding these. For example, you can search for vacancies on environmental job boards and filter the results to find entry-level opportunities. Alternatively, consider researching organisations that you are interested in and ask about opportunities directly.

Work experience opportunities in the sector often involve unpaid voluntary work, so those who are already working or studying may choose to volunteer once a week or once a fortnight over a longer period of time, rather than doing a longer block of experience that would require taking holiday from work.

If you are in a position to consider job vacancies and formal placement opportunities, take a look at our job vacancies page which outlines the different kinds of vacancies available (including internships, traineeships and more) and where to look for them.

Take a look at the CIEEM Guidance on Undertaking Work Experience to find tips on planning your work experience and what to expect.

Try looking on these sites for voluntary roles that are available: