Internships

During an animal caretaker internship, you will have the possibility to gain deep insight into our work and the keeping of our wolves and dogs. The general tasks of interns at the Wolf Science Center are the following:

Assisting in animal caretaking: Change water, prepare food
Maintaining and cleaning the facilities: Cleaning the food kitchen, test rooms, enclosures, and the dog house
Public relations: Giving tours for visitors, opening our souvenir shop and selling souvenirs, attending walks with wolves, answering the phone etc.
If required: Assisting with scientific tests, observing animals, administrative tasks

Animal contact is generally restricted in alignment with our safety rules.

All internships are fulltime and unpaid, as well as free of charge.

Four months presence at the Wolf Science Center is required for an internship; however, six months stays will be preferred.

Application Conditions

You need to be at least 18 years old to apply for an internship at the WSC. At the time of the internship, you must either be enrolled at a University, have successfully applied for a mobility program (e.g. Erasmus+), or be a student at an Animal care school.

You can apply for an internship with us at any time. The following deadlines apply for temporary enrollment at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (this will be initiated by us):

Summer semester: internship begins March 1st. until September 30th --> enrollment period: February 1st until March 31st of the same year

Winter semester: internship begins October 1st. until February 28th --> enrollment period: August 1st until October 31st of the same or previous year

Please note that there may be several weeks between sending the application and completing the enrollment.

Please send your application (CV & letter of motivation) in English or German to internships@wolfscience.at. Do not forget to mention in which time period you are available.

After a screening, interns will start with a one-month trial period. If that works mutually well, the internship continues for the full time period.

Accommodation

For a monthly rent of € 253,00 (in 2023; is adjusted yearly) we offer accommodation in our intern apartment (3km away from the Wolf Science Center) where you will share your living space with up to 5 other interns.

As usual for a shared household, everyone has to contribute to keeping it tidy.

We ask for your understanding that it is not possible to bring pets.

Smoking is prohibited in all rooms and in the enclosures and research facilities in general.

Vaccinations

Due to the work outside and with the animals, a valid Tetanus and TBE (tick-borne encephalitis) vaccination received well BEFORE your arrival is mandatory for working at the WSC. Please bring your vaccination record.

Insurance

All interns have to have their own, in Austria valid health insurance for the entire duration of their stay. If you are an EU citizen, please check with your provider that your health insurance is active for Austria. If you do not have any, there are many possible insurance providers: search for “Visitor Health Insurance Austria” or “Travel Insurance longer stay Austria”. For example: EU/Schengen-Visum-Reiseversicherung