Traineeships

Queen's Award for Voluntary Service
Volunteers in Surrey

© Jon Hawkins, Surrey Hills Photography

Traineeships & Placements

Nature Restoration Trainees

Develop knowledge and hands-on experience in land management

Surrey Wildlife Trust provides a diverse range of practical training from calcareous grassland management, heathland management to conservation grazing, along with many more transferable skills. You will be offered the opportunity to develop your own interests and work with a range of different teams, including Education, Research & Monitoring, and Nature Based Solutions.

The next set of trainees will start their placements in September 2024.

Find out more about the placement below:

About the placement

As a trainee you will contribute to the work of the Trust through promoting conservation, education and biodiversity. You will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a variety of habitats, providing you with an ideal start to a career in conservation. 

The role is for 12 months and will see you working with Surrey Wildlife Trust 4 days a week.

Key tasks

As a trainee, you'll be based within our Reserves Management team, gaining valuable hands-on experience in conservation and land management. You'll carry out a range of practical habitat management tasks on heathland, chalk grassland, and wetland. You'll also get the chance to co-organise and lead practical conservation volunteer days and inspire volunteers to take action for nature. 

As part of the trainee scheme, you'll also get the opportunity to: 

  • Plan guided walks including the opportunity to develop and lead your own walk for colleagues and/or public.
  • Work with the Education Team at Nower Wood assisting with school visits to the education centre and undertake outreach visits to schools. Support the nature discovery day programme working with volunteers.
  • Lead a research project. Conduct surveys, collect and analyse data and create results in a variety of topic areas using the expertise of staff from across the Trust.
  • Support the work of the Youth Action Committee and be involved in organising events.
  • Work with all members of staff within Trust, whether directly or through collaboration. Be invited to staff-wide events, meetings and training.
  • Undertake career development such as CV and LinkedIn workshops.
  • Freedom for independent learning and study. Opportunity to further develop interests suited to career ambitions.
  • Marketing and communication skills development through blog and newsletter article writing, social media posts, and public engagement.

What we are looking for

We are looking for someone who is passionate about wildlife and nature with a high level of commitment and enthusiasm. Previous experience in practical nature conservation is desirable and you must be able to demonstrate your desire to work in the conservation sector.

You must have a full driving license for this role and be prepared to work outside in all weathers.

What you will get in return

You will be provided with a range of practical training on a variety of habitats, along with many more transferable skills. You will also get the chance to lead groups of practical conservation volunteers and be part of a team that truly cares about the environment. 

You would get the opportunity to undertake a selection of funded external and internal training, including First Aid, Brushcutter and NPTC Chainsaw courses (or suitable equivalents if you already have these qualifications).

You will be supported and mentored throughout your training, including advice on job applications and your CV and we’ll help to prepare you for interviews. We can also act as a referee for future job applications.

This is the ideal opportunity for you if you are looking gain experience in the conservation sector and can really make your CV stand out to future potential employers.

Trainee stories

Read what some of our previous trainees have to say about their experience

Lucie Poole

The traineeship provided by Surrey Wildlife Trust is an excellent opportunity to gain skills and knowledge needed to become employed in the practical conservation sector. From day one you are part of the team and this mentality really helps you learn and develop your abilities as a conservationist. You are in a setting where everyone there is enthused and interested by nature and that creates an excellent learning environment.

You are paired with a mentor who you spend a lot of your time with, meaning you can learn and improve your skills with their support. Whether that is through learning to run a practical volunteer task or gaining confidence in leading guided walks, your mentor helps you along the way. This, along with regular meetings to discuss progress and what you would like to gain from the traineeship, means you are fully supported and can tailor the trainee experience to what suits you and what you would like to gain from it.

In addition to this, Surrey Wildlife Trust helped me gain qualifications such as First Aid, Brushcutter and Chainsaw Cross Cutting and Felling. These were all essential qualifications when applying for jobs. I was a bit worried about using a chainsaw initially, however the staff at Surrey Wildlife Trust helped me see it wasn’t quite so scary. I now use a chainsaw at least twice a week during the winter and I love it!

The traineeship opened my eyes to the practical side of conservation. I started my traineeship in 2021 and 9 months later I was working as a full time Countryside Ranger for a local authority. Without the traineeship it would have been a lot harder to kickstart my career in conservation. I would encourage anyone who is interested in working for nature to give the traineeship a go. It is an excellent way to gain the practical skills, knowledge and experience needed to obtain a job in this sector.

Ben Habgood

I felt like I was incredibly well supported, not only by the team I worked with but with every member of staff that I met - very inclusive!

The Countryside team was particularly excellent and made sure I was involved in most day-to-day activities and that I was happy with what I was doing at the time.   

The training placement was very useful and a great way to show to future potential employers that you are willing and striving to continue training and learning. I would highly recommend any of the training courses that both the trainee and the mentor think is appropriate for their development.

Volunteers in Surrey

© Jon Hawkins, Surrey Hills Photography

Being a Trainee has given me a behind the scenes insight into the important work that goes on at SWT. There’s always something different to do
Ben Habgood
Trainee

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