Candidate expected to monitor progress of major conservation plan full time in return for £5 a day for lunch and a Travelcard

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

London zoo has been criticised for advertising a job for a master’s degree graduate to help run a global conservation project – for no salary.

The unpaid internship involves organising events to raise awareness of threatened species, updating the conservation website, identifying funding opportunities and providing general support to the Pangolin Specialist Group membership.

Hopeful applicants should have a graduate or postgraduate level degree in biology, conservation or a related subject and are expected to monitor the progress of a major conservation action plan, which involves helping collate data on pangolins –“scaly anteaters” that are being eaten to extinction – from camera trapping projects in Asia and Africa.

In return, the successful candidate will receive £5 a day for lunch and a Travelcard.

Tanya de Grunwald, the founder of the campaigning careers website Graduate Fog, which first highlighted the unpaid role, said there were concerns that charities are increasingly employing volunteers to carry out the same jobs as paid workers by taking advantage of a legal loophole in minimum wage law, which allows charities to claim their unpaid interns are “voluntary workers” and therefore not entitled to pay.

Grunwald told the Guardian: “The Zoological Society of London’s (ZSL) concern for animal welfare is admirable – but their attitude towards their interns’ welfare is disgraceful.

“With rent in London sky-high, it is outrageously arrogant to expect anyone to work for you for free, full-time – even if you are a charity,” Grunwald said. “By offering no wage, ZSL are ensuring that this opportunity is only open to applicants whose parents can afford to pick up the bill for six months living in the capital.

“Anyone else who tries will find themselves working evenings and weekends to have a hope of covering even their basic living costs.”

A science graduate student, who still hopes to work for ZSL in the future, told Graduate Fog it was impossible to live in London for six months: “[It is not possible] when your only income covers travel and £5 for lunch, unless you live as a homeless person outside Camden Town tube station.”



He said: “Having seen first hand the majesty of a pangolin in its natural environment, and having the greatest respect for ZSL, I was about to jump at the chance of helping to save them.”

The need to “preserve” himself through providing food and a roof over his head outweighed his “drive to help save this charismatic and endangered species”, the graduate added. “That is a sad state of affairs for ZSL.”

ZSL, a registered charity founded in 1826, has two UK zoos in London and Whipsnade, and runs conservation projects in more than 50 countries.

ZSL’s director of human resources, Fiona Evans, said: “The Zoological Society of London’s pangolin volunteer internship will support our project in partnership with the IUCN Species Survival Commission to save this critically endangered species.

“This role is flexible – it does not have fixed hours or working days, and we cover travel expenses within the Greater London area and provide a daily lunch allowance.

“The role is not exclusive to undergraduates or Masters students, and will provide fantastic experience in a global conservation organisation and unparalleled networking opportunities for those interested in pursuing a career in this field.

“We are reviewing our internship schemes at ZSL, to enable us to better offer our conservation placements to a wide audience.”