Volunteering and Internships

Volunteering

Fill out our form to start your volunteering journey. You can get involved as little or as much as you want, and make a real difference to our Ocean. We need your help everywhere! You could help us grow the seagrass in our lab and polytunnel, take part in monitoring of meadows near you, help plant seagrass seeds or even deliver outreach talks to communities or schools. Whether you’ve heard of seagrass or not – we would love to hear from you!

“Blue Meadows is not just a great volunteering opportunity to expand marine science knowledge, but also a great chance to interact with others who share in my passion for Ocean conservation. I have enjoyed meeting new people and getting to know fellow volunteers – it really does feel like a community!” – Eloise

Internships

We offer a limited number of internship opportunities each year, which are advertised on our OCT website and through our partner universities. If you’re interested or have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out – we’d love to hear from you!

 

Internship – Blue Meadows Seagrass Cultivation – 6 months (voluntary) 

The Ocean Conservation Trust is a marine conservation charity centred around people and positive action. We are focusing on inspiring Ocean advocacy through connections with nature, combined with the Blue Meadows approach, protecting & restoring vital Ocean habitats.  

We are offering a 6-month voluntary (unpaid) internship, starting in September 2026, working within our seagrass cultivation team. The seagrass cultivation team primarily work at the National Marine Aquarium and the National Seagrass Nursery located in Torbay, Devon. The chosen candidate will support the work of the Blue Meadows cultivation team in maintaining and developing the seagrass aquaculture system and assisting with the cultivation of seagrass (Zostera marina). They will also support the work of the wider Blue Meadows team and OCT where applicable.   

The successful candidate will have the following essential skills:

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Enthusiasm for the internship and a passion for marine conservation
• Good organisational skills
• Ability to acquire new skills quickly
• Flexible
• Enjoys practical/ hands on tasks and being outside
• Enjoys engaging with the public

We are looking for someone who would like an internship for between 22.5 and 37.5 hours per week, taking part in activities normally Monday to Friday (unpaid). On occasion there will be activities outside of the core hours to support events and activities. The successful person will need to be available to start in September 2026 until March 2027 and activity will be based across two sites in Plymouth and Torbay:

• National Marine Aquarium: Rope Walk, Coxside, Plymouth PL4 0LF  

• National Seagrass Nursery: Galmpton Creek, Brixham TQ5 0EH   

Please refer to the Role Description and Person Specification for more information on the role. 

What will the successful candidate gain from the internship  

The Blue Meadows Cultivation team is small and unique so the successful candidate will have a significant role making a valuable contribution to seagrass conservation. The successful candidate will gain an in-depth knowledge about seagrass biology/ecology, supplemented by invaluable practical experience of working for a conservation charity and aquaculture facility. There will also be opportunity to get involved with the Blue Meadows outreach and engagement events as well as the activities in other departments within the Ocean Conservation Trust. Where applicable, successful applicants can also explore the prospect of collecting data to contribute to final year projects and getting involved in fieldwork. 

The Ocean Conservation Trust will provide you with:  

• Training supported by the expertise of the Blue Meadows cultivation team. 

• Paid expenses for travel to relevant events and training. (This does not include costs involved with day-to-day travel to the internship, which will need to be covered by the intern).  

• Free lunch at the NMA café.   

• All required equipment 

To apply: Please send a CV and covering letter to Jasmine Gardiner at [email protected] with the subject line: SAT_INTERN_2026.  

Closing Date for applications: 31/03/26 

Only candidates invited for interview will be contacted. 

In line with current legislation all applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK. As part of the recruitment process you will be asked to provide documented evidence of eligibility.  

The OCT operates an Equality and Diversity Policy and is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community – a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit. All applications will be judged solely on merit however we particularly welcome applications from groups currently under-represented in the workforce.