Work in a Panda Reserve (various roles available)

The plight of the Giant Panda has become an internationally recognized symbol of the importance of conservation. The Chinese government has set up a number of research projects, reserves and parks dedicated to preserving the numbers of these very shy creatures. Our Panda projects are based in one such reserve in Sichuan Province.

The reserve is dedicated to preserving the Giant Panda and has a very successful breeding programme. Global Volunteer Projects has been asked to provide volunteers to work as assistant Panda keepers, help design the reserve's website and use your English skills to help display information about the reserve's work to visitors and similar breeding programmes around the world.

After a period of basic training in safety and how to care for the animals you will put under the supervision of the head keeper. Your daily responsibilities will include helping to clean out the Panda's bedding as well as doing general maintenance on the Pandas living area. Perhaps your most important role will be to work with the other keepers to help prepare the Panda's daily meals. Contrary to popular belief the panda doesn't just eat Bamboo (although it does eat a lot of it), its diet is supplemented with fruit, vegetable and even specially formulated 'panda bread.

From time to time, you may also be required to help the resident scientists collect data on behavioural patterns as well as assist the reserve's vet provide any veterinary care that the Pandas might need.

This is a great project for those who have always been interested in working with Pandas and who are interested in how wildlife experts are preserving their numbers through captive breeding programmes.

The reserve is also particularly keen to have people help design its website. If you are interested in web design or have any useful design skills, the reserve is particularly interested in having people who can help translate the parks literature and help to design a new English language website.

Although this may sound like you need to be able to understand Chinese, the role of the interpreter is to produce information for visitors to the park.

Your job will be to introduce the research work of the reserve including the breeding, hand rearing, husbandry, etc of the Giant Panda as well producing information on the habitats, behaviour and the personal story of each of the pandas for the visitors. You will also tell the visitors about each of the buildings in the reserve and talk about their function. Much of this work has already been done, but has been translated directly from Chinese to English and is often difficult to understand. Much of the role of the interpreter will be to convert this information into a form of English which is easier for the visitors to understand.

Part of your role will also be to help the research scientists in the reserve share their results and increase cooperation with other breeding programmes around the world. You will help translate their work so that it is easier to understand, helping to disseminate the great work and achievements at the reserve.

You can choose which activities you'd rather be involved with. Of course most people will want to just work with the Pandas - which is fine - but it really would be appreciated if you have the time and the skills, to spend part of your time helping to building a website or translating information for the visitors.

• Accommodation
• UK support (including predeparture information on your placement and accommodation)
• Airport pick-up
• Local induction
• Culture and language course (where applicable)
• Local overseas support
• Food (in project accommodation)

During your time with us in China, you will be staying in hostel type accommodation in Beijing. Whether you are teaching, on the journalism placement or working in hospitals, all the volunteers stay together in the same accommodation which means that you are never far away from someone to socialise with in the evenings or travel with at weekends.

The hostel also hosts other international students and students from China, so even if there are not that many other volunteers in China at the same time as you, there will always be someone to meet! Four people usually share a comfortable bedroom. The standard of the accommodation will basic and not be what you are used to at home so please don’t expect all mod cons, but it will be clean and tidy.

The accommodation is centrally located for all our placements and for site seeing in Beijing. Tiananmen Square, The Beijing Theatre House, The Forbidden City and many of Beijing’s attractions are within easy commuting distance. In fact you may pass some of them on your way to your placement or project!

You will be able to travel around easily and cheaply on Beijing’s very efficient underground metro. All the stops are listed in Chinese script but you’ll soon get the hang of it and our staff will give you an introduction on how to use the system and what to look out for. The Great Wall of China is only a short bus ride away too!

The cost of our programmes includes 10 basic Chinese lessons and these will be conducted during free time in the evenings. Not only is learning some Chinese incredibly useful, we also feel that it is important in understanding a bit more about Chinese culture.

Weekends are free and, depending on how many volunteers are overseas with you, you are based in the same accommodation which means that you can easily go travelling at weekends. However, you are ideally placed to visit some of China’s most important monuments. Historic Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City and many other interesting sites are only a short commute away.