Internships

Marine Animal Training Internship Program

If you are considering a career in the field of marine animal care and training, our internship program is an excellent way to start! You will receive valuable experience that will assist you in achieving your future goals. Our volunteer-based internship program is designed for college students and recent graduates who are interested in pursuing a career working with marine mammals. The Gulfarium houses a variety of marine animals and provides a unique and diverse internship experience. (All Gulfarium internships are unpaid, voluntary positions)

If you are considering a career in the field of marine animal care and training, our internship program is an excellent way to start! You will receive valuable experience that will assist you in achieving your future goals. Our volunteer-based internship program is designed for college students and recent graduates who are interested in pursuing a career working with marine mammals.

Our facility provides daily dolphin and sea lion presentations, as well as educational chats for a variety of other species. These presentations aim to inspire conservation not only for the animals under our care, but also their ocean counterparts. In addition, we hold up-close and interactive guest programs with multiple species in our department.

Interns will be responsible for diet preparation, habitat cleaning, observations of animal behavior, providing daily educational presentations on microphone, assisting with veterinary procedures, recording husbandry data, habitat maintenance, practicing effective communication among staff members, implementing excellent customer service, and other duties as assigned alongside our full-time animal training staff. Interns will also learn operant conditioning techniques with an emphasis on positive reinforcement training through a trainer lecture series.

Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park cares for a variety of marine animals and provides two internships with our marine mammals.

Marine Mammal Training Intern – Dolphin Oasis:

  • This internship position will work alongside the Dolphin Oasis team to help care for our pod of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins.
Session Dates Application Deadline
Summer (May – August) March 15th
Fall (August – November) July 1st
Spring (February – May) January 1st

Marine Mammal Training Intern – Parkside:

  • This internship position will work alongside the Parkside team caring for California sea lions, Harbor seals, Florida Manatees, African Penguins, and Asian Small-clawed Otters.
Session Dates Application Deadline
Summer (May – August) March 15th
Fall (August – November) July 1st
Spring (February – May) January 1st

Requirements:

  • Must have completed at least 1 year of undergraduate schooling
  • Commitment of 5 days a week (40 hrs) for a 3-month period
  • Ability to work varied shifts – weekends/holidays/overnights
  • Ability to work in all weather conditions in outside environment
  • Ability to lift and carry 50 pounds
  • Strong communication skills
  • Ability to work well in a team environment
  • Good public speaking skills
  • Good swimming ability
  • Open Water SCUBA certification preferred, not required

Application Procedure

If you are interested in applying, you must submit the following:

  • Current resume
  • Completed internship application (available for download on our website)
  • College transcripts (official or un-official)
  • Provide a one-page essay answering one of the following questions:
    • There are varying views on housing animals in human care. Please discuss the pros and cons and explain your stand on the issue.
    • Working with marine animals can be very rewarding yet also demanding and competitive. Please discuss what you believe to be the rewards and challenges of working in this field as well as the strengths you possess to help you succeed.

Applications can be scanned and emailed to: intern@gulfarium.com. Please indicate in your email which internship you are applying to, Parkside and/or Dolphin Oasis, in the subject line of your emailed application.

Our website: http://gulfarium.com/traininginternship

Please note that we are not accepting international applications currently.

For questions regarding our internship please contact us at intern@gulfarium.com.

Aquarium Internship Program

The Aquarium Internship will provide valuable experience in several areas of biology while working hands-on with a variety of aquatic species and reptiles. Interns will learn the workings of small and large marine systems and the animal ecology behind each species. The Aquarium Internship is broken down into three different areas: Bony Fish and Invertebrates, Elasmobranchs, and Reptiles. Interns will spend time in each separate area and will be involved in different aspects of these areas, including guest programs, animal diet preparation, cleaning of animal habitats, narrating chats, and feeding and training animals. (All Gulfarium internships are unpaid, voluntary positions)

The Aquarium Internship will provide valuable experience in several areas of biology while working hands-on with a variety of aquatic species and reptiles. Interns will learn the workings of small and large marine systems and the animal ecology behind each species. The Aquarium Internship is broken down into three different areas: Bony Fish and Invertebrates, Elasmobranchs, and Reptiles. Interns will spend time in each separate area and will be involved in different aspects of these areas, including guest programs, animal diet preparation, cleaning of animal habitats, narrating chats, and feeding and training animals.  (All Gulfarium internships are unpaid, voluntary positions)

Requirements:

  • Must have completed at least two years of undergraduate schooling
  • Commitment of 3 days a week for a 12 week period
  • Ability to work varied shifts/weekends/holidays
  • Ability to work in all weather conditions
  • Ability to lift 50 pounds
  • Excellent teamwork skills
  • Good public speaking skills
  • Strong swimming ability
  • Open Water SCUBA certification preferred, not required
Session Dates Application Deadline
Winter/ Spring (January – April) November 15th
Summer (May – August) March 15th
Fall (September – December) July 15th

Application Procedure

All interested parties must submit the following:

  • Completed job application
  • Cover letter, resume, and 3 references
  • Official college transcripts

Applications can be mailed to:

Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park
Attention: Aquarium Intern Coordinator
1010 Miracle Strip Parkway SE
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548

Documents can be scanned and emailed to:

kyle.heffner@gulfarium.com

C.A.R.E. Center Internship

If you are considering a career in Marine biology, specifically Sea Turtle Rehabilitation, our internship program is an excellent way to start. You will receive valuable experience that will assist you in achieving your future goals. Our volunteer-based internship program is designed for college students and recent graduates who are serious about pursuing a career working with sea turtles and/or animal management, as well as pre-vet students. The Gulfarium C.A.R.E. Center rehabilitates sea turtles from the Gulf, which include, Kemp’s Ridley, Green, and Loggerhead Sea turtles. Interns will, prepare diets, maintain cleanliness of all areas, receive hands-on experience administering treatments, record animal behavior, and learn to complete Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network (STSSN) and accompanying forms and deliver formal educational presentations. Please note that all Gulfarium internships are non-compensatory, and housing is not provided. Because stranding work is unpredictable, internship experiences may vary by season.

Duties

  • Learn and execute proper food preparation procedures
  • Complete daily habitat cleaning and maintenance
  • Practice effective communication between all staff and fellow interns
  • Monitor animal areas and provide exemplary guest service
  • Assist with veterinary procedures to include administering oral and injectable medications,
    wound care, blood draws, surgical procedures, and necropsies
  • Assist with new patient arrivals, to include, collecting vital signs (heart rate, respiration rate,
    temperature), morphometrics, and wound care.
  • Maintaining laboratory inventory of medical supplies
  • Assist with daily and weekly reporting, including updating animal records
  • Educate guests about sea turtle rehabilitation, patient care, and daily operations at the Gulfarium CARE Center
  • Assist the Stranding Team with pier-based sea turtle rescues and response efforts
  • Complete other tasks as assigned by the Gulfarium C.A.R.E staff
  • For sessions #3 and #4 only:
    • Conduct a research project using data collected through the Gulfarium CARE Center, supplemented by relevant academic and scientific resources
    • Develop and deliver a final presentation of research findings to CARE Center and veterinary staff

Requirements:

  • Must have completed at least one year of undergraduate schooling
  • Commitment of 3 – 4 days a week for a three-month period. Weekend and
    holiday coverage is expected.
  • Ability to work in all weather conditions
  • Ability to lift 50 pounds
  • Excellent teamwork skills
  • Good public speaking skills
  • Must be comfortable working in a veterinary hospital environment and in situations involving deceased animals
  • Background in biology and familiarity with stranding response (preferred)

Internship Learning Objectives:

  • Develop hand-on stranding response and rehabilitation skills:
  • Assist with post-mortem examinations on sea turtles
  • Perform basic health assessments of rehabilitation patients (i.e., vital collections, administering
    medications, blood processing, and wound treatment)
  • Complete Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network (STSSN) as well as supplementary forms
Session Dates  Application Deadline
Session 1 (April-June) January 15th
Session 2 (June-August) March 15th
Session 3 (August-October) May 15th
Session 4 (December-February) September 15th

Application Procedure

All interested parties must submit the following:

  • Completed job application
  • Resume with 3 references
  • Cover letter
  • College transcripts (official and unofficial are both acceptable)
  • Documents can be scanned and emailed to care@gulfarium.com