Jobs and volunteer opportunities at the Santa Barbara Zoo will be highlighted at the annual Santa Barbara Zoo Job & Volunteer Expo, 3-5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, at the zoo, 500 Niños Drive, just off Cabrillo Boulevard at East Beach.
No reservations or appointments are necessary for the free event. Parking is free for participants, and check-in is at the zoo’s admissions area. Parents or guardians of teens are welcome to attend. Close-up Animal Encounters will also take place.
For more information or to download a job application, email hr@sbzoo.org, call Corinne Santini, 962-5339 ext. 108, or visit www.sbzoo.org/more/careers. Only Santa Barbara Zoo jobs and volunteer opportunities are featured at this event.
Full-time, part-time and seasonal positions are available, as are entry-level and more advanced positions. “Wild” summer employment for adults and teens includes hosts for special events, monitors for the Condor Climbing Wall, engineers who drive the Zoo Train, and actors for the zoo’s live shows California Tales and Dino Doc, among others.
Instructors and counselors are needed for the seasonal Zoo Camps, and educators for the zoo’s overnight, and homeschool programs.
Teens as young as 14 can apply for the zoo’s award-winning Guest Experience Specialist (GES) program.
Intended to be a first job, GES participants rotate between jobs in guest services, restaurants and retail stores. They are introduced to work ethics and basic skills, such as customer service, resume writing and job interviews. (Applicants must be 18 and older for most other paid positions.)
Information about volunteer opportunities is also available at the event. Adults are needed as docents, keeper aides and other positions. Volunteer positions for teens include Zoo Camp counselor in Training (CIT), junior docents and junior ambassadors.
A private 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, the Santa Barbara Zoo depends on community support, not tax dollars, for operations and improvements. Visit www.sbzoo.org.
— Julia McHugh for Santa Barbara Zoo.