Internships in Africa

Gain skills and use your knowledge with our internship Programmes

ALERT Internships

The ALERT Internship Program has been created to provide current students, graduates and skilled individuals with unrivalled opportunities to experience the complexities and challenges involved in working for a non-governmental organisation in Africa.

The Program has been designed to incorporate individuals from all walks of life.  Whether you are a graduate looking to gain behind-the-scenes experience in conservation fieldwork; a teacher seeking an opportunity to use your skills to help under-privileged children or a vet nurse who wants a chance to work with some of Africa’s iconic wildlife, then ALERT can give you the chance to fulfil your dreams of working in Africa.

Kelsey James-Kavanaugh

I felt like I was part of the team and consider the ALERT crew to be my extended African family.  My ideas were always considered and I always felt like I belonged.  The Lions Manager is constantly working and trying new things to help improve the lives of the lions.  Everything she does is for their benefit.  Being so hands-on with the lions was an amazing experience that I don’t think I would have been able to get anywhere else.  By the end, I was very bonded with them and it was really hard to leave them behind.

Heleen Wilkes

I feel a lot more confident within myself, to make decisions and work alone.  I am confident to go off and do things that need doing, rather than wait to be asked or told.  And due to all the trust that was placed in me, I now know that I am a responsible and trustworthy person, with the skills to care for animals.  I am confident that should a lion cub ever need to be hand-reared at my work in the UK, I would have all the knowledge and skills to do it.

Andrea Joyner

 I gained my first experience and knowledge of lions interning at ALERT.  I am happy I was able to work with them in their natural habitat rather than a zoo in the US where it snows.  Seeing them in their element was such an unforgettable feeling and I will take all that I learned about lions and use it in my future positions as an animal professional.  I felt very much a part of the team.  I also gained friends I could never forget nor replace.  I miss them every day!  I absolutely loved the staff too.  Everyone was so friendly.  This has been the best out of all my internships.  I really felt like family living at ALERT and I left a part of me there which I shall return to.

Krista Cope

By caring for the cubs and ensuring their health and safety, as well as the older lions, I was able to take knowledge from my biology background and observational skills learned from a previous big cat internship.  As an intern, I felt included in situations with handlers and other staff, as I was accountable for observing their conditions on a daily basis.  My ideas were always welcomed and considered.  Because of ALERT, I gained a better sense of everything involved in conservation and how big an effect the community has on the project.

ALERT offers several unforgettable programs:

You can download our Internship Program brochure here.

Animal Management

Focus on the day-to-day welfare, care and management of lions in the African Lion Rehabilitation & Release into the Wild Programme

Wildlife Conservation Research

Work closely with our research team on the collection and analysis of data for our varying wildlife and environmental research studies

Research in the communities

Work closely alongside our community and research staff to implement and assess our community projects and to develop new initiatives 

Teaching in Africa

Support staff at schools and orphanages – both urban and rural – to provide learning assistance for those children who need it most

Conservation Education

Gain hands-on teaching experience, while contributing to the protection and preservation of Africa’s wildlife through conservation education

If you have a particular skill or specific experience that is not covered by any of these options, but which you feel can assist ALERT to meet our objectives, we will be happy to consider your application.

We also offer short-term internships for STUDENT GROUPS who are looking for conservation experience that will contribute to their studies, while enhancing their employability and network within this competitive field.

NOTE: If you are looking to use data collected during your stay at the program for a university course or thesis, please refer to our FACILITATED RESEARCH PROGRAM instead.

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