Volunteer at Chester Zoo
As a charity, volunteers provide vital support to the life of the zoo. Find out more about how you can get involved and the different opportunities available.
We offer a range of volunteer opportunities, including visitor engagement, practical conservation work on our estate and nature reserve, and youth volunteering programmes. We also have resources and opportunities to support individuals and groups to be conservation volunteers in their own spaces and communities.
Each year, we work with up to 250 volunteers through a variety of roles and programmes. Our main volunteer role in the Zoo is Visitor Engagement, and we usually recruit for this role twice a year in April and October, depending on availability within the volunteer programme. We also engage volunteers across several tailored programmes throughout the year, including opportunities via our Networks for Nature project.
Volunteers are part of the Conservation Education and Engagement team and make an important contribution to the success of the zoo, supporting both our visitors and our wider conservation impact. Our volunteers contribute their time, skills and enthusiasm to support the zoo’s education, scientific and conservation mission, helping us to achieve the goals set out in our Conservation Masterplan.
Volunteering opportunities
Discover more below about the different kinds of volunteering opportunities available at Chester Zoo. To find out more about volunteering at Chester Zoo, please get in touch with our volunteers team.
Visitor Engagement Volunteers
Our Visitor Engagement Volunteers help give visitors a world class day out by providing orientation support, excellent customer service and engaging interactions with visitors of all ages. Volunteers are positioned around the zoo to help visitors learn more about the animals they see and the conservation work we do to protect them.
Volunteers also talk to visitors about our key conservation campaigns and share simple ways people can make a positive difference, such as choosing more sustainable products in their everyday lives.
Youth Volunteers
Our Youth Volunteering programme is for young people aged 14–16 and can be used to complete the volunteering section of the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award. We deliver two youth volunteer programmes a year between February-May and October-January.
Youth Volunteers take part in visitor engagement volunteering alongside our wider volunteer team, and design and deliver their own Changemaker project within the zoo. These projects are developed using our Conservation Changemakers Toolkit, empowering young people to develop ideas, build skills, and raise awareness about a conservation topic they care about.
Youth Champion Volunteers
Youth Champion Volunteers support and encourage Youth Volunteers who are participating in our youth volunteering scheme. They help supervise sessions, support young people to engage confidently with zoo visitors and ensure they get the most out of their volunteering experience.
Youth Champion Volunteers play a key role in empowering young people and supporting their contribution to conservation.
Support Volunteers
Support Volunteers help empower people to meet their full potential by offering encouragement, mentoring, and practical support.
They help volunteers feel confident and connected within our community of staff, volunteers and visitors, enabling everyone to contribute meaningfully to the zoo’s work.
Education Volunteers
Education Volunteers guide school groups from the zoo entrance to our classrooms or tour location and help learners understand the workshops, artefacts and education resources.
Networks for Nature - volunteering to support nature
This project aims to drive nature recovery on a landscape scale. You can read more about it on our Networks for Nature page. You can support nature and people by:
Conservation Action Days
We offer monthly Conservation Action Days across the wider zoo estate and our Nature Reserve. These are one-off volunteering opportunities like habitat management and wildlife recording.
Supporting in the community
We recruit volunteers to support projects engaging communities across Chester and Ellesmere Port. This may include volunteering with our staff at community groups, schools or events.
In your own space
You can support nature wherever you are. You can get involved in big campaigns including City Nature Challenge and Spotted on Site. Take action to improve your garden for wildlife with loads of ideas here.
FAQs
Most of our volunteers support the zoo through Visitor Engagement, with around 200 volunteers contributing their time to this role each year. We usually recruit twice a year for this role, depending on availability within the programme. Recruitment is typically advertised through local volunteer and education centres, and we will advise on here when positions are available. You can also contact us on volunteers@chesterzoo.org to find out more about our latest opportunities.
Recruitment for our other volunteer roles, such as Youth Champion, Support Volunteers, and Education Volunteers, are not run to a set timetable. These opportunities are offered depending on the needs of the programme at the time, . Aand generally, as development opportunities for current volunteers.