Sea Turtle Conservation and Fish Diversity Internship 2018

Lang Tengah Turtle Watch is looking for someone willing to gain experience from an unpaid internship position in practical conservation work, at their island-based project, off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

You will be living on the job site - eating, sleeping and working in our jungle camp with our team of volunteers and project staff.  Your main role will be to assist the camp manager with whatever aspects they require, which may include any of the following:

• Patrolling Beaches at night for nesting turtles

• Taking biometric data from nesting turtle mothers

• Placing Inconel tags and taking photographs of turtle facial scales

• Monitoring turtle nests and recording egg/hatchling data

• Training volunteers

• Taking volunteers on leisure excursions (jungle trekking, snorkelling, kayaking)

• Ensuring the smooth running of the camp, assisting volunteers and making sure all camp chores are carried out daily

• Liaising with the resort staff and management on the island

• Giving informative talks to resort guests about Sea Turtles, conservation and the organisation

• Helping with our recycling programme and coordinating school visits

• Updating our Social Media pages

In addition to our main turtle project, in 2018 we will be running other side projects focused on improving our scientific understanding of the ecosystem around Lang Tengah. The middle period (May - August) of the season will be focused on Fish surveys. The roles involved with these additional surveys include:

-Assist in reef fish and invertebrate diversity and abundance surveys (roving survey, timed swim survey, underwater video survey, belt transect survey and stationary point count survey)

-Assist in Blacktip reef shark surveys (Baited Remote Underwater Video survey (BRUVs) and Non-BRUVs)

-Assist in data recording and updating fish and invertebrate database

-Care for and provide basic maintenance to project equipment.

Data gathered by the project over the research period will be available for use to the successful candidate for any data analysis they wish to conduct.

Please note that you will not be solely responsible for these tasks, we have a permanent member of staff on Lang Tengah.  You will be there as a fully-integrated team member and on hand to assist the staff, the nature of which may vary with any combination of the above and potentially more.  This is a great opportunity to get involved with a small organisation that is growing rapidly.  This means that your work has a real impact of the success of the project and you will also be able to contribute in shaping the future of the project.

Ideally, you should be fit enough to undertake daily leisure activities and must be:

• Holding - or be in the process of acquiring - a related Bachelor’s degree, or higher.

• Outgoing: this is one of the most important elements, as you will representing the organisation to volunteers, resort staff and tourists on a daily basis

• Organised

• Culturally sensitive

• A confident swimmer

• Able to duck dive to 10 meters and hold your breath for 45 seconds

• Advanced Open Water Diver with at least 40 logged dives (preferable)

• Certified Reef Check EcoDiver (preferable)

• Certified in Emergency First Aid Response or equivalent (preferable)

• Have experience in Tropical Reef Fish and Invertebrate Identification in Indo-Pacific region (highly advantageous)

• Physically fit, able to carry 20kg weight and work long hours

• Well acquainted with the rigours of outdoor living

• Flexible:  our daily routine can alter depending on multiple factors and being able to adapt to this is essential

• Fluent in English

Conditions on camp are basic, so you need to be comfortable with living in this environment for the duration of your stay - we aim to give you a night off once a week and a few days off the island every month.

We are offering a 10-week internship for the following date:

27th May - 5th August

This is an unpaid internship position.  However, Lang Tengah Turtle Watch will cover your in-country travel costs, food and accommodation whilst on the project.  Travel to and from Malaysia is at the expense of the intern.  

If you feel you’re the right person to be part of our young, passionate and dynamic team of conservationists, please do send through a copy of your C.V. and a Covering Letter to their Project coordinator, Bill: bill@langtengahturtlewatch.org

To find out more about the project, please look at our website, Facebook page, or contact us:

WEB: www.langtengahturtlewatch.org

FACEBOOK: Lang Tengah Turtle Watch

EMAIL: bill@langtengahturtlewatch.org