Volunteering/Work Experience

Schools and colleges around the country send students to the Wildlife Aid Foundation every year, and students find the hands on experience of working with our patients very useful as an accompaniment to their studies. Placements are available between between April and September, sorry, but we are unable to assist with Duke of Edinburgh placements or accommodation for students.

Please note, we require all arrangements and communications regarding placements to be completed by the attending student as we consider this to be a key part of the experience.

Students must be 16 years or over when they start their placement. You will become involved in the day to day running of the hospital, with the cleaning and feeding that accompanies the ongoing animal care and welfare that we offer.

This is quite a physical role, especially when the hospital is busy and students must be able to clearly communicate with our volunteers, as well as follow instructions.

Placements consist of 5 days work experience over a 7 day period, with students working at the weekend as the hospital is open 7 days a week. The weekend days will be advised to you in plenty of time and will be at the end of your placement week, i.e. all weeks start on a Monday, and will finish on a Sunday, with two days off during that period. We are unable to change rotas once they have been confirmed. Your usual hours will be from 9am – 5pm, with an hour for lunch.

Clinical placements are only available to fifth year veterinary students for a minimum of 2 weeks and will include a weekend day.

We ask for a payment of £30 for the placement to cover our admin and insurance costs.

Booking for animal husbandry placements in 2025 opens in November, please check back then, when the application form will be available.

For FINAL YEAR VETERINARY CLINICAL PLACEMENTS ONLY, please email alice@wildlifeaid.org.uk, we are only taking bookings for 2025!

Please click here to apply for animal husbandry work placements.

Please note: Volunteers must be 18 years or over and able to work independently. We are looking for volunteers that can attend on a regular basis, and commit to the same shift every week, or fortnightly at the weekends.

Based on the busy hospital reception desk, this public-facing role will involve:

• Taking incoming telephone calls and giving advice to the general public; we are a wildlife 999!
• Booking in patients at the busy reception desk.
• Organising rescues for injured wildlife that need to be attended to at the scene.
• Entering all admissions onto our database (full training given).
• Encouraging donations and memberships from the public bringing in animals to us.
• General running of a very busy reception desk and administrative support to the main admin. office.
• Able to commit to a minimum volunteering period of 6 months.

Full training will be given; however applicants should have a good standard of literacy & numeracy, and must be able to demonstrate good customer service skills. Attention to detail is very important, and any previous customer service or reception experience would be ideal but not essential.

Choose ‘Receptionist’ from the drop down list on the application form and we’ll invite you in for an introductory session.

APPLICATIONS CLOSED UNTIL MARCH 2025

Please note: Volunteers must be 18 years or over and able to work independently.

Unfortunately, we are unable to cover travel expenses. Minimum commitment: 1 shift a week or fortnightly at weekends

We are looking for volunteers that can attend on a regular basis, and commit to the same shift every week, or fortnightly at the weekends.

• Animal husbandry: cleaning out and feeding of animals at the hospital. This will involve aspects such as chopping up maggots/mealworms and dead chicks.
• You will be expected to be able to handle all patients (with training) from pigeons to snakes.
• Setting up pens and cages.
• Restocking supplies for all areas of the hospital and advising of any shortages.
• Helping to move animals from one area to another as they progress with their rehabilitation.
• General maintenance of the hospital – tidying, cleaning, painting, weeding etc.
• Being available to help veterinary staff with jobs as requested.
• Able to commit to a minimum volunteering period of 6 months.

APPLICATIONS CLOSED UNTIL MARCH 2025

Are you a qualified Veterinary Nurse or Veterinary Surgeon who would like the opportunity of working on the wild side of the veterinary world?

We are offering a unique learning experience for those keen to get to grips with the treatment of wildlife, from its initial assessment to rehabilitation.

The Wildlife Aid Foundation, home of TV’s ‘Wildlife SOS’, is very pleased to be able to offer voluntary work placements to vets and vet nurses. This can be a regular commitment – hopefully, at least once a week, long term, or just one or two week’s work experience in our busy hospital for you to gain experience working alongside our current veterinary team. This is a very rewarding position and a great opportunity to gain experience with British wildlife. You will receive full training from our vet team with a wide variety of wild species, giving you hands-on experience in how to triage, treat and rehab wild animals.

If you are interested, then please do send a letter with a copy of your CV to vets@wildlifeaid.org.uk and we will provide you with more information.

Please note: Volunteers must be 18 years or over.

A morning/afternoon or full day shift, available 7 days a week, this role is less hands-on with the animals and focuses more on keeping the centre running. From re-filling and ordering food supplies to cleaning out cages or fixing a broken perch, this role is for a practical, physically fit person. You will still have the opportunity to get involved with the animals if you like; there are always times when we are short-staffed and you can help out! We often need animals released back to the wild, so if you have a clean driving license you can assist with one of the best bits – releases!

Choose ‘Centre Maintenance’ from the drop down list on the application form.

APPLICATIONS CLOSED UNTIL MARCH 2025

Please note: Volunteers must be 18 years or over.

This role is less hands-on with the animals and focuses more on maintaining the site. From hedge trimming and cutting the grass, to planting and weeding, this role is for a practical, physically fit person. You will still have the opportunity to get involved with the animals if you like; we often need animals released back to the wild, so if you have a clean driving license you can assist with one of the best bits – releases!

Choose ‘Gardener’ from the drop down list on the application form.

APPLICATIONS CLOSED UNTIL MARCH 2025

Please note: Volunteers must be 18 years or over.

This role focuses on electrical support for the site and is not for a specific shift. We are looking for a qualified electrician we can call for anything from changing a plug socket to helping us set up for our Open Weekend.

Choose ‘Electrical Support’ from the drop down list on the application form.

Please click here to apply

University students needing professional placements: we offer an all-round placement for the academic year, encompassing all areas of animal care with the opportunity to spend some time with the vet team. There is also the option to gain experience in reception, marketing and fundraising, and all aspects of running a wildlife charity. Hours to suit; generally 5 days a week, including some weekends, although more available if needed! Please note this is an unpaid role.

To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter, explaining why a placement at WAF would benefit your studies to alice@wildlifeaid.org.uk for more details.