Job opportunities

Volunteer keeper

Zoo volunteer opportunities in North London 

Golders Hill Park Zoo is a small exotic animal collection in North London managed by the City of London Corporation. The Zoo, a member collection of BIAZA, is free to visitors and its aim is to offer a recreational opportunity as well as educate and inspire the local and wider community about the natural world. 

As part of our commitment to education we offer volunteer opportunities to people who wish to gain invaluable practical experience of animal management in a zoological setting. These positions are based on attendance one day a week on a continuous basis. 

Our Zoo volunteers assist the full-time staff with the husbandry requirements of the animal collection as directed by the head keeper in charge. 

The programme is aimed at students undertaking a further or higher education course or graduates who are seeking a career in the animal care/conservation sector or similar. 

All placements are on a volunteer basis and as such it is with regret that City of London cannot provide any financial support or expenditures to those wishing to apply for these positions and there will be no promise of future work within the collection at the end of the placement.  

 

Objectives of the placement: 

To gain experience and understanding of the work of a zoo animal keeping department. 

To apply own personal skills and take ownership of a series of tasks and/or a research project. 

To reflect on training and experience throughout the placement. 

Assisting with daily animal husbandry e.g. feeding, cleaning, enrichment provision, enclosure modification etc. 

Observations of animals and recording of relevant information. 

Visitor interaction e.g. answering visitor questions in a polite and sensitive manner. 

Training in all aspects of the company’s code of practice. 

Comprehensive portfolio building 

 

Skills Required: 

Good communication skills. 

Adaptable to different working environments. 

Able to work in a team and independently. 

Physically fit for the demands of the post.