Position:
Environmental Education and Outreach Internship
Type: volunteer position with room and board, more (see below)
Organization: Monteverde Butterfly Gardens
Location: Costa Rica, Central / Latin America
Organization Description:
The Monteverde Butterfly Gardens has been teaching people about
insects and arachnids for 20 years! Our volunteers are trained to
guide people through 4 butterfly habitats, a leaf cutter ant colony,
and a collection of live insects and arachnids from Costa Rica. Our
mission is to develop understanding and tolerance towards the many
different arthropods we have living on the planet.
Job Description:
The Job Description:
You will be trained on-site to deliver 1-hour English language tours
through our gardens. Once you are trained, you will guide 1-4 tours
per day. It is important for us that you understand that 50% of the
job each day involves general maintenance and keeping the facility
clean. We need flexible and industrious volunteers who can both roll
up their sleeves and get their hands dirty while cleaning a bathroom
or tending to a vegetable garden and then also be able to turn around
and answer phones at the front desk if necessary. The hours are 7:45am
to 5pm six days per week.
What You Will Receive for your Contribution:
Modest room and board at The Gardens for the duration of your stay. A
Monteverde Butterfly Garden Volunteer certificate verifying that you
have received 200-300 practicum hours of environmental education
experience, an enhanced knowledge of neotropical insects and
arachnids, Spanish language immersion to the extent you desire, and
most importantly, the opportunity to experience one of the most
spectacular ecosystems and nicest cultures in the world! Your evenings
and day off can be invested in a wide variety of activities by walking
10 minutes to the nearby quaint tourist town of Santa Elena to sign-up
for cloud forest tours, zip line adventure courses, horseback riding
excursions, or to simply surf the web at one our local coffee shops,
enjoy the local restaurant faire, or enjoy a cool beverage at a
cantina.
Available Slots:
• August 1 – October 15
• August 15 – October 30
• October 10 – Decmber 15
• November 1 – Jan 15
• December 15 – March 30
Qualifications:
Your Characteristics and Interests:
• A passion for nature and teaching is a must!
• We teach science, and therefore you must be comfortable talking to
people about evolution.
• Candidates that are people friendly, flexible, communicative,
industrious, and thorough do very well in the program.
• Experience in a full time job.
• Spanish is not necessary, though it is helpful. We offer an on-site
weekly Spanish tutoring group lesson for those volunteers motivated to
grow their Spanish-speaking abilities and there are plenty of
opportunities during your time off to practice Spanish immersion if
you desire.
• The gardens are located in the mountains so a certain level of
physical ability is needed for the job and for just getting around!
Additional Assets:
• A second language: Spanish, French, German, Hebrew or Dutch
• Background in education and outreach
• Science background – biology or entomology
Apply To:
To Apply: Please send Bryna and David (owners) an email an about your
personal goals for coming, and share with us how your time at
Monteverde Butterfly Gardens would be beneficial for all. We have
openings all year round so be specific about when you are hoping to
join us! Please send any questions you have regarding our program, or
your application letter to:
monteverdebutterflygardens@gmail.com
