Residential Volunteer & Guide

Passionate about the environment? Get the experience and get ahead in conservation with a volunteer programme that works!

We are looking for dedicated residential volunteers to join our team at WDC’s Scottish Dolphin Centre (Moray, Northeast Scotland).
We’re committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment and would like to hear from you, whatever your background, culture, identity, or experiences. Whether you're just starting out or have years of experience, we believe that diversity enriches our team and helps us better serve our visitors.

The Visitor Centre and volunteer accommodation is based in a beautiful location adjacent to a reserve at the mouth of the river Spey where it meets the North Sea.

Are you...

• looking to gain valuable experience within a global marine conservation charity?
• an excellent communicator keen to inspire all ages?

At Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) our vision is of a world where every whale and dolphin is safe and free.
The largest bottlenose dolphins in the world can be seen feeding regularly along with ospreys, seals, the occasional otter and a huge variety of other wildlife.

• Delivering a fun and high-quality visitor experience through interpretation, tours and events at WDC’s Scottish Dolphin Centre to help raise awareness of the work of Whale and Dolphin Conservation.
• Supporting WDC’s Education coordinator to deliver the WDC Education Programme through talks, outdoor learning and workshops.
• Supporting WDC’s Shorewatch coordinator in data collection for the land based Shorewatch programme, and to assist in the support of Shorewatch volunteers at sites in the Moray Firth.

WDC Shorewatch is the charity’s citizen science programme and involves a network of trained volunteers monitoring the presence and absence of whales and dolphins at selected sites around the Scottish coastline.

The primary focus of this role is community outreach and engaging with visitors through:

Delivering environmental interpretation:

• Inspiring people to take an interest and care for the environment

Visitor engagement:

• Raising the profile of WDC - amaze and inspire our visitors about the world of whales and dolphins and the work that we do to protect them
• Land-based dolphin watching
• Tours and activities
• Guided wildlife walks

Working in the visitor Centre:

• Welcoming visitors and engaging with them in the Dolphin Centre’s shop and exhibition
• Shop responsibilities including serving customers at the till, re-stocking the shop, cashing up at the beginning and end of each shift (3 days per week)

Outreach and community work:

• Assisting the Education coordinator with the WDC schools programme including delivering talks, running workshops and assisting with group visits to the Scottish Dolphin Centre for groups of all ages from nursery and primary school through to university
• Assisting the Shorewatch Citizen Science programme; through conducting regular 10-minute land-based cetacean watches and assisting the Shorewatch coordinator in supporting volunteer citizen scientists via online and in-person resources and events.
• Attending local events to engage with the community and raise the profile of the Scottish Dolphin Centre

Project work, which may include:

• Creating content for and delivering the Centre’s kids’ activities in the Scottish school holidays
• Developing interpretative and educational resources to support the Education Programme and the Scottish Dolphin Centre
• Digital Marketing – creating physical and digital marketing resources i.e. flyers, posters, social media posts on Facebook & Instagram
• Assisting with training for the WDC Shorewatch programme and supporting volunteer citizen scientists with carrying out land based cetacean surveys
• Creating content for the WDC Shorewatch newsletter

The role includes:

• Free on-site accommodation in an area of outstanding natural beauty
• £35 weekly food budget per person
• Extensive training which includes:
• WDC Shorewatch training: whale & dolphin ID, data collection and entry
• Interpretive Guiding Techniques and delivering tours
• WDC Education training: delivering engaging activities to children
• Health & Safety and Child Protection
• Regular progress meetings and feed-back sessions
• Offer advice & guidance on writing application forms and interview techniques
• Mileage expenses for work related travel

The residential role provides the following:

Accommodation:

You will have a bedroom to yourself in a shared house with up to 3 other Volunteers.

Essential skills, experience and qualities:

• Excellent understanding of the English language (both written and spoken)
• Excellent communication & organisation skills
• Must enjoy working with children and people of all ages
• Able to work as part of a team
• Enthusiasm for the marine environment and terrestrial wildlife
• Self-motivated with the ability to work unsupervised
• Flexibility in the workplace
• Willing and eager to learn

You will gain skills & experience in:

• Effective communication & public speaking
• Time management
• Developing interpretive resources
• Leading activities for the public and school groups
• Interpretive guiding – delivering a variety of activities to a wide-ranging audience
• Land based cetacean monitoring
• An increased knowledge of cetaceans & Scottish wildlife
• Awareness of Health and Safety

Opportunity:

• 1st September to the 1st November 2026
• Volunteering 5 days a week, including weekends.
• Must be committed for the whole time to gain the full range of experience and to make a worthwhile contribution to our work.

Contact Cath Bain or Alison Rose for more details: 01343 820 339

Further details about the Centre can be found at dolphincentre.whales.org

Please note that we are unable to accept CVs as an application.

Closing date: 10am on Monday 13th July 2026
Interviews will be held virtually in the W/C 20th July 2026