Residential on Reserve - Rathlin Island (Less than four weeks) April 2025 to September 2025

Available from 14/4/2025 to 1/9/2025

When: April-Sept 2025

Commitment: Minimum 2 weeks Monday to Monday

Please note you will be sharing a bunkhouse bedroom with other people of the same gender, this will include cis and trans-gender men and women. You will need to tick 'willing to share' for your application to be processed.

Why We Want You:

This is a truly unique volunteering experience.

Rathlin Island has the largest seabird breeding colony in Northern Ireland. The West Lighthouse Seabird Centre welcomes in excess of 19,000 visitors during the summer, all eager to see the puffins and other seabirds at this internationally important Seabird Colony.

We want you to be the welcoming and knowledgable face of the RSPB to inspire, engage and motivate our visitors to support the work of the RSPB through donations and membership.

What’s In It For You

As an RSPB volunteer you’ll be part of something big – a team of amazing and dedicated people who donate their time, energy, talent and skills to help birds and other wildlife.

You will play a vital role in the delivery of the visitor experience at the Seabird Centre. You will also learn about other conservation work being undertaken on the island, for corncrake and chough and help to raise awareness of this important work. Please note this is a purely Visitor Engagement Role and does not include practical conservation or habitat management work

Away from the Centre you will have the opportunity in your spare time to enjoy the wild and untamed landscape of this beautiful island, and get to understand the unique ways of island life.

• "When you’re standing on Rathlin Island, looking at puffins or looking at razorbills, or listening to your first ever corncrake, like I was last summer, it’s incredible. It’s a lot of fun." Dakota Reid, former residential volunteer.

Accommodation is provided in a cottage bunkhouse 3.5 miles from the harbour and 1 mile from the Seabird Centre. There are two rooms - upstairs is dormitory- style for up to six people and the other, downstairs, for three. You will be sharing a room with members of the same gender.

Requirements

Minimum age 18. Enthusiasm, ability to work both on your own initiative and as part of a team, interested in conservation and wildlife but, above all, good with people and quick to learn. Please note that there are 160+ steep steps to the Viewing Platform.

You need to be friendly, relaxed and able to engage with visitors and have the confidence to address and marshal large groups of people. The role includes cleaning and maintaining the premises and facilitating catering and retail sales. Retail, hospitality and catering experience would be invaluable.

Please note, specialist bird knowledge, whilst helpful, is not essential .

Notes

There is no charge to take part in the scheme.

It is your responsibility to cover the cost of your transport to and from the reserve, and to provide and cover the cost of your food during your stay.

The RSPB will provide accommodation, together with basic services, free of charge for the period you are volunteering.