I'm sure like many here my dream job would definitely involve day to day interaction with wildlife. I love all (well, nearly all) animals so it would be wonderful to work with them. Everyday would be different.
Unfortunately, at least for the moment, it is not possible for me to get a job with them as I don't really have the required skills. It would be interesting to make a list of all the jobs that involve interaction with wildlife though, to give me and others ideas.
I'll start us off....
- Vet
- Ranger (I would love this job)
Squirreler
One really good way to get the necessary skills and experience is to volunteer with a wildlife/conservation organisation. I am an RSPB volunteer and although I don't do conservation work on nature reserves, I have learned a lot about wildlife in general and birds in particular through getting involved in what is called people engagement work. I spend a big chunk of time in the summer showing people the peregrine falcons that live on the chimney of the Tate Modern art gallery in London. It's great fun and I know I am making a real contribution to the work of the RSPB by giving my time and enthusiasm.
You can also do residential volunteering with the RSPB and can get involved in conservation or surveying work. All this experinece is then really helpful when it comes to getting a job. Other organisations are also looking for volunteers so why not check out a few websites and see what's on offer. if you have half as much fun as I do then you'll really enjoy yourself.
The National trust is good for volunteer work, but be aware they tend to take you for manual management work - so if you are happy to spend 99.9% of your time painting fences/repairing paths then you'll be fine. But you can pick the brains of the rangers and site managers.
If I have a couple of hours free I enjoy going to a place on the Isle of Man called The Sound with my telescope. I can then show tourists Basking Sharks (quite common here in the Summer), Grey Seals and Chough. It's incredibly fun and rewarding (although not financially!). As a bonus I often learn a few things from chatting to people passing through. I guess anyone with a telescope/binoculars and a good wildlife location can do this.
How about a gardener on a big private estate? You could build a wildlife friendly garden at someone else's expense
plus spend your day outside. Learning on the job as offsider to the head gardener and study part time - not that many opportunities but they do still exist.
Be prepared for disappointment! I had the necessary quals and experience and still found it hard to get a job in wildlife. The ones i got chance of were poorly paid and usually short term contracts, all okay if you are young, single and happy to live in a caravan for 3 years. I decided on other careers which afford me to enjoy Birding purely as a hobby for now.
There are lots of great jobs to do with wildlife, but they aren't easy to get as there are a lot of people competing. Don't give up though!