Overview

Start your career in conservation by completing an apprenticeship in biodiversity hotspot, Costa Rica PLUS get career training from Conservation Careers!

Gain valuable field-based experience and critical technical skills to kick-start your career in conservation by joining our conservation apprenticeship in the pristine lowland rainforests of Costa Rica. Learn from an international team of conservationists while contributing to projects focusing on wildlife such as tropical birds and wild cats.

Overview

The first twelve weeks of your apprenticeship are spent in the Kekoldi Indigenous Reserve on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, where intensive training prepares you for research projects. Partnering with local conservation organisations like Kekoldi Hawkwatch, you’ll master technical skills, from species identification to setting up camera traps. Gain insight into conservation study setups, data collection and analysis processes. Tasks include biodiversity, bird and herp surveys  (amphibians and snakes), alongside citizen science initiatives. Participants also contribute to big cat research and assist in studying migrating raptors during specific seasons. Throughout the migratory raptor season (mid-February to mid-May and mid-August to end Nov), you’ll contribute to ongoing research and data collection, focusing on species and migration frequency.

On successful completion of your initial training phase, you will proceed on to your work placement within the team to help run our conservation research program in the Kekoldi Indigenous Reserve, or on to one of our partner organisations within Costa Rica like the Cloudbridge Nature Reserve and Aso Macao, to assist these organisations with local conservation efforts and research.

By the end of the apprenticeship program, participants will have the skills to monitor a wide range of mini-ecosystems in a very diverse location, apply a holistic approach to conservation, and return home with a range of certifications alongside valuable field-based experience.

Highlights

  • Wild cat research. Contribute to wild cat research and learn how to use camera traps.
  • Feel the rush of the jungle. Live in a protected indigenous reserve, surrounded by abundant wildlife species like jungle cats, monkeys, tropical birds, birds of prey and reptiles.
  • Kick-start your career. Participate in three months of intensive fieldwork training to ensure you’re ready to launch directly into your conservation career.
  • Get a job placement. Work for a conservation partner for three months to get real practical experience and build a network of industry contacts.
  • Fast-track experience. Join a targeted career-readiness program that’s based on two decades of experience to grow your leadership and career skills.
  • Career guarantee. Our comprehensive apprenticeships guarantee a job offer within 18 months upon completion of all program components and meeting eligibility criteria.
  • Advance your career. Gain international experience, receive four recognised qualifications and get a LinkedIn reference to boost your CV.
  • Get the edge. We know what it takes to work in conservation – that’s why our apprenticeships qualify for preferential recruitment when applying for our partner’s vacancies.

Our Award-winning Partner

Conservation Careers has teamed up with an award-winning, mission-driven organisation with a team of passionate experts across the globe who will make your experience a truly unforgettable one.

Founded in 1998, they run programs in 26 locations, in 22 countries around the world, each aligned to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as well as the objectives of local partners. They welcome participants from all around the world and help facilitate their development into global citizens. This is how they achieve their mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.

Their commitment to running high-quality sustainable development and experiential education programs has earned them recognition from numerous organizations such as Panthera, the Seychelles Parks & Gardens Authority, as well as Stanford, NYU, Duke, and Ohio State.

If you register your interest below, you’ll put you in touch with our partner to take the booking and to plan your trip!

Explore all our Conservation Careers Internship opportunities.

Life on base

Unplug and get in touch with nature in Kekoldi Indigenous Reserve. Situated in the heart of the jungle, our base is the ideal location for those with a passion for wildlife conservation and adventure. During field work, you’ll hike the forest looking for signs of jungle cat species, migratory birds, jungle birds and a wide variety of mammals, reptiles and amphibians. You might even encounter more elusive animals like sloths and tamanduas. Morning patrols feature spectacular sunrises over the indigenous forest, and night walks reveal a star-filled sky. We also assist with turtle hatching sites on local beaches.

Activities

Some of the example typical activities you could participate in on this program include:

  • Fieldwork training. Learn how to identify species, collect data and monitor animals. Receive health and safety training, and training on the ethics of conversation work.
  • Wild cat conservation. Help monitor four vital feline species (puma, ocelot, jaguarundi and marga) by setting up and checking camera traps in the rainforest.
  • Contribute to project work. Project work includes biodiversity, bird, herp surveys, citizen science. Contribute to big cat research & assist in migratory raptor data collection.
  • Fast-track training. Take part in courses: Ethics, project management, communication, team leadership, safety, participant management, self leadership, policies.
  • Leadership responsibilities. Take on additional responsibilities such as entering data, writing reports and summaries, and updating species lists and fieldwork checklists.
  • Personal project. Work on an individual project that aligns with your personal interests.
  • Mentorship. Meet weekly in a small group with other interns and an experienced mentor to receive project guidance and feedback on your leadership style.
  • Work placement. Experience a role with the team or at a partner organisation to assist with conservation projects and data collection.

Skills

  • Data collection
  • Data entry
  • Population ecology
  • Species identification
  • Survey research
  • Wildlife conservation
  • Report writing
  • Presentations
  • Health and safety
  • Impact evaluation
  • Fundraising
  • Advocacy/Social media
  • Leadership
  • Project management
  • Critical thinking
  • Creativity
  • Resiliency
  • Time management
  • Volunteering
  • Cultural awareness
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Communication
  • Teamwork
  • Easily adaptable

BONUS! Conservation Career Kick-Starter online training programme (worth $495 / £375 / €450)

Do you want to spend your career helping wildlife to flourish, but are feeling a little lost, confused or disillusioned?

Start your career in wildlife conservation with a unique programme of training, support community & jobs from Conservation Careers!

The Conservation Career Kick-Starter is a proven step-by-step system to get you hired quicker as a professional conservationist.

The Kick-Starter is trusted by over 2,500 people, and 40 universities, with 99% ratings. Whether you’re at university and planning your next steps, a graduate in the job hunt or working in an unrelated job but interested to switch into conservation, this course is designed to help you.

After going through the course, you’ll have created a personal career plan which will give you confidence in your job hunt and will make everything quicker, simpler and more fun!

All you need to do is register your interest in the project below, and if you choose to make a booking we’ll save a place for you on the Kick-Starter when you get back from your placement.

Included with the Kick-Starter is a year’s full-access to the world’s biggest conservation job board with over 15,000 jobs, plus access to our private online support community, CC Pro.

Dates and Cost

The program lasts 24 weeks.

Register your interest below to learn about upcoming start dates and costs.

What’s Included

General

  • Food
  • Safe and basic accommodation (usually shared)
  • Airport pick up (unless stated)
  • All project equipment
  • 24-hour in-country support from local staff
  • 24-hour emergency desk
  • Experiences

Activities

  • Sustainable project work
  • Data collection and research
  • Leadership responsibilities
  • Personal project

What’s included continued

Placement

  • 12-week placement

Mentorship

  • Weekly group sessions
  • Internship supervisor guidance

Pre-program training

  • Pre-departure webinar
  • Pre-departure training (online)
  • University of Richmond endorsed specialisation course
  • University of Richmond endorsed leadership course

Welcome training

  • Welcome presentation
  • Health & safety
  • Local culture & environment
  • UN SDGs
  • Impact & ethics
  • Child protection

Register your interest below to learn about additional training included in this program.

What’s excluded

  • Flights
  • International and domestic airport taxes
  • Medical and travel insurance
  • Visa costs
  • Police or background check
  • Personal items and toiletries
  • Additional drinks and gratuities

Reserve your place or ask a question

About Conservation Careers

Conservation Careers has teamed up a family-run organisation with an amazing culture and an awesome team of people across the world who are passionate experts in their chosen field and will make your experience a truly unforgettable one (in a good way).

Their award-winning projects receive over 2000 participants every year, and we’re proud to say that the vast majority of them describe their experience with them as ‘life changing’. Their approval rate from over 20,000 participants since 1997 is over 95%.

A key component of the success of their community development and conservation projects is the participants who join their programs.