Work placements
Every year we offer a limited number of exciting work opportunities throughout the zoo.
Voluntary Work Placements
We offer 12-month voluntary work placements within our animal and plant sections. These placements provide work experience and practical training covering a wide range of topics.
All those doing work placement with the animal teams must be at least 18 years old so our placements are best suited to those taking a gap-year between A-Levels / National Diploma and further studies, sandwich placements or those who have already graduated from university or college, preferably having studied in a related subject.
These work placements are also open to a limited number of industrial placement students, as well as to those who will have completed their undergraduate studies.
Industrial placements
We also offer industrial placements for undergraduate students studying for a degree with a year in industry (sandwich degree courses). These are placed within our Science or Field Programmes teams and involve undertaking a main research project during the 12-month placement.
Please note: no direct animal contact takes place during the Science and Field Programme teams’ Industrial Placements. We cannot accommodate any further placements or work experience. And all placements are voluntary and unpaid.
Under 16s work experience
We’re happy to welcome a limited number of year 10 students from local schools to complete their work experience placement with us at Chester Zoo.
The placement provides a taster of our commercial operations teams as students rotate around our Food & Beverage, Visitor Operations, Retail, Admissions and Membership & Adoptions teams.
Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer placements within other teams including animal teams.
Demand is high and places are very limited and are confirmed on a first come first served basis.
Please email guest.services@chesterzoo.org ensuring you include the school name along with the placement dates in your enquiry.
Please note that placements for the 2024/25 academic year are now full.
