GVI, Ethical Impact: Virtual Internships

I have just completed a virtual Wildlife Conservation with GVI and had an amazing experience. I chose the part time eight week programme, as I was also working full time. Everyone who I met during the process were extremely helpful and passionate. The courses that I studied were in Wildlife Conservation and Careers in Sustainable Development. They were well organised and engaging, and could be completed at my own pace. I was assigned a research project in the Seychelles on Aldabra Tortoises, and I really loved the work. Even remotely, I gained a vast amount of kowledge on the ecology and behaviour of the species, and contributed to ongoing studies currently being carried out in the field. I would highly recommend a GVI programme to anyone aiming to begin a career in Conservation.

Going into GVI, I was uncertain about what career path I wanted to follow. I have always been somewhat drawn to working with the environment, but didn't have much experience. Their online Climate Crisis and Sustainability internships allowed me to partner with two unique South African organizations where I got to learn more about the South African school system and about how waste is processed or reused. I work a full time job, so it was nice to be able to space out my research for each internship over the course of several months and then have a little extra time to complete the courses. This program helped confirm that I wanted to continue working with the environment and sustainability, and I plan to go back to school for master in public health (MPH) in global environmental health in the fall of 2021.

I absolutely loved doing the GVI online internship. I did the marine conservation one and learnt a lot about not only marine conservation but how to get a job in the sector, skills that will help me get there and one of a kind opportunities with NGOs. I really enjoyed all the zoom calls where I took part in discussions, networking sessions, career workshops and masterclasses. The best part was the ability to work on a real life project with an NGO where I created 3 videos raising awareness for shark conservation with children, something that was really fun and such a good opportunity, especially when we are unable to travel.

My GVI virtual internship experience was second to none! As someone who is right at start of her career journey I had a lot of anxieties about where I fit in my chosen career field as the options just seemed endless. GVI made this experience that much less stressful by giving me the opportunity to dive into the working world of Wildlife Conservation (my chosen career programme, although there are many others available for one to explore!). I got an insider's perspective on the everyday ins and outs of some of the amazing partnered organisations making a huge impact in the wildlife conservation space. Even better than that, was being able to actually get stuck in and help them through various assigned projects. The projects are tailored to you and your specific interests. I requested a varying range of tasks and that's exactly what I got. This enabled me to really challenge myself and clearly point out where my strengths and weaknesses lie, as well as identify what type of work I really like and gravitate towards. The staff at GVI are incredibly supportive and really are the backbone of this whole programme, through regular check-ins with your supervisor, group meetings and project reviews to help you reflect on the work you're doing, you really are getting a bang for your buck. They help to answer any queries, doubts, or worries you may have along the way. Due to the amazing support from my supervisor, I felt dramatically less anxious about my work and had a very enjoyable working and learning experience. Another highlight of this virtual programme is that you get to meet so many likeminded impact-driven individuals from all corners of the world and discuss endless global topics as well as have a great laugh with some of them, GVI really made all the interns feel comfortable and did a great job in creating a very open and friendly environment. The sense of fulfilment I got upon completion of some of these projects were unmatched! I would highly recommend GVIs virtual internship to anyone looking to start a career which at its core is about making meaningful long-term positive impacts and that leaves you feeling like you are truly part of a global family. I believe the best way of learning is through doing, and GVI gives you the opportunity to do just that!

My time with GVI in Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica was phenomenal. I did the short-term internship in between my second and my final year of my university degree as part of my placement year and choose this program due to their very good reputation and to build my skills in conservation.
My role as an intern was to assist with the research projects which were being carried out at the biological research camp I was living at. Whilst there, there were jaguar and biodiversity projects running so I helped with the tracking and camera trapping of jaguars and biodiversity surveys of the surrounding habitat. Also, whilst on this internship I completed GVI’s biological survey technique program where I learnt how to apply conservation practise to a range of ecosystems and I also did an emergency first aid program to prepare for the realities of practising conservation in the wild. In addition, I completed the ILM endorsed leadership certificate where I had to do several presentations, assignments and attend weekly one to one sessions with my mentor.
The staff were paramount to the incredible experience as they offer a wealth of knowledge and make you feel welcome from day one in camp. Due to the remote and basic living conditions you quickly form very close friendships, unforgettable memories and meet amazing, likeminded people along the way which makes the experience so wonderful.
My high expectations of this program were massively exceeded, and I wish I choose to stay for more than 8 weeks. The program helped give me direction to my future career plans and guided me in picking final year modules at university that compliment these plans. Do not just consider doing a GVI internship, DO IT, you will not regret it at all.
I can hands down say this was one of the best experiences of my life and shaped me massively as an individual.

I did a wildlife internship with GVI in my gap year, I learnt so much that has helped me on my university course (BSc Wildlife Ecology and Conservation) and will continue to do so in my future career. My mentor was really helpful and informative, and the assignments were super fun and interesting, yet challenging enough to push my learning and improve my skills. For anyone looking for a career with wildlife, or even just to learn some super interesting new things, I would defiantly recommend learning with GVI!

My internship with GVIwas a great experience. Having a mixture of theory and practical allowed me to really understand what I was working on and I felt like I was contributing to the projects a lot. The theory and presentations that I worked on also have given me a lot more confidence with everyday things and presenting with jobs I have at home. My staff mentor was really encouraging and always around to answer any questions or doubts I had about anything and generally just very encouraging towards all of my work. I am now thinking more and more about Community Development being something I would like to work on further and my internship helped me to realise that. I'd definately reccomend interning with GVI to anyone.