Interns are invited to assist the Sea Watch Foundation (SWF) with the running of the “Cardigan Bay Monitoring Project”. The project is based in New Quay, West Wales, and supports the conservation management of the bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise and grey seal populations of Cardigan Bay, monitoring their abundance, distribution, reproductive success and population structure using a combination of vessel-based and land-based surveys. SWF has been monitoring these populations on behalf of the Welsh government (through funding provided by Natural Resources Wales) for two decades. Cardigan Bay contains Britain’s largest coastal population of bottlenose dolphins, for which two Special Areas of Conservation have been established under the EU Habitats Directive. Internships with Sea Watch have frequently led to established posts in national and international research and conservation bodies, as well as providing a stepping stone for students to undertake doctoral studies in marine mammal science.
Interns will assist New Quay staff by taking part in the following tasks:
- Land-based surveys
- Boat-based surveys
- Photo-identification matching
- Data entry
- Raising public awareness
- Education initiatives and events
- Assisting with and participation in training courses and other needs of the charity.
Typical office hours are from 10:00 AM to 17:00 PM, with field work falling outside of this. Interns are scheduled on a different weekly office task every week, working on tasks such as sightings entry, photo-identification or public awareness. Fieldwork is weather dependent but interns are scheduled on a daily land based watch as well as a full day of wildlife boat trips once a week. In addition to this, full day line transect surveys for bottlenose dolphins are conducted regularly within the Cardigan Bay and Pen Llyn a’r Sarnau Special Areas of Conservation.
Interns are required from early April until the start of November 2025. The research season is split into four separate periods lasting between 7 and 8 weeks. The research periods for the 2025 season are:
Period 1: 7th April – 1st June (8 weeks)
Period 2: 2nd June – 20th July (7 weeks)
Period 3: 21st July – 7th September (7 weeks)
Period 4: 8th September – 2nd November (8 weeks)
Interns are expected to arrive on the first day of their chosen period and depart on the first day of the next period. Unfortunately we are not able to change the start and end dates.
We encourage applicants to apply for more than one period. Please state in your application which research periods you would like to be considered for and whether you would like to undertake more than one.
Interns will be based in New Quay, Ceredigion, West Wales. Accommodation is provided by a private landlord through rental of a house that interns share at a rate of around £82 per person per week.
Rooms are shared between two or three people, with a total of nine people in the house at any given time. Please be aware that while every effort is made to accommodate interns in single sex rooms, in some cases it might not be possible. If you have a strong preference, please indicate so in the application form and we will try our best to accommodate this. Interns are responsible for their own travel, accommodation and living expenses, but it is generally quite easy to obtain part-time paid work in the area if required.
Important skills/qualifications
Essential:
- Strong team player, able to work and live comfortably with colleagues in a small rural town
- an ability to work independently in a meticulous and reliable manner
- strong commitment to volunteering work
- willingness to work long hours outdoors in often changeable Welsh weather
- good IT skills (Office package)
Desirable:
- a strong interest and some knowledge of British cetaceans
- a background in marine biology/environmental science or similar
- prior experience in boat-based survey work
- good verbal and written communication skills and in public speaking
- experience in interacting with the public
All interns will be trained in cetacean observation and identification, in boat survey protocols, and photo-identification of bottlenose dolphins.
International applications are welcome but it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure visa requirements are met and we ask applicants to highlight their chosen visa option in their application. Please note that Sea Watch Foundation is unable to sponsor visa applications for Research Interns.
If you are interested in this position, please contact Katrin on katrin.lohrengel@seawatchfoundation.org.uk with a completed Research Intern application form and CV by 9th February. Decisions will be made by the end of February 2025.
PLEASE NOTE THAT INTERNSHIPS WILL BE SUBJECT TO WHATEVER COVID RESTRICTIONS ARE IN PLACE AT THE TIME
Potential funding sources to support your internship with Sea Watch
SWF is aware that undertaking unpaid work can be challenging, however, as a small charity we are currently not able to offer compensation for internships. There are some outside funding bodies that may be able to help you fund your internship. If you are accepted for an internship, we are happy to provide letters to support your funding application.
If you are a current student or recent graduate it is worth checking whether your university offers financial support for students undertaking field work related to their degree subject.
This site offers a comprehensive list of potential grants to apply for here.
