An Environmental Education Officer works within conservation or welfare organisations or in zoos. They promote conservation, sustainability and understanding of the natural world through education programmes.

In day to day work you may; produce education materials, gives talks and presentations, deliver lessons to schools/ colleges/ universities, promote, develop and deliver outreach programmes, assist in conservation activities, work alongside marketing departments, build relationships between organisations and institutions.

Key Skills Required:

• Excellent communication skills
• IT skills
• Commitment to environmental conservation and education
• Ability to work effectively in a team and independently
• Organisational and time management skills
• Confidence to talk in front of audiences
• A rounded understanding of conservation and environmental issues

Key Points to Know:

• A full driving license is beneficial.
• Working hours will mainly be regular office hours but may include occasional evening and weekend work.
• Most of your time will be spent out of the office delivering presentations or programmes to various audiences.
  

To be an Environmental Education Officer you will need to:

Have a degree in an environmental or biological science e.g. ecology, conservation biology, zoology, environmental management, biology, agriculture or botany.

You may be able to find a job within this field with a higher national diploma or foundation degree, but you would need a decent amount of relevant work experience behind you too in order to stand out from competition.

You may find a teaching certificate and experience within a teaching environment is advantageous.

There are often voluntary positions offered by organisations such as the National Trust that will help you to gain experience and help you to stand out when looking for paid work.

Estimated average salary: £17,000 – £25,000 annually.

As an Environmental Education Officer, you can anticipate employment in a variety of roles including:

• Zoos
• Wildlife parks
• Conservation groups
• National Trust
• Campaign groups e.g. Greenpeace UK

Being an Environmental Education Officer is a great job for someone who is passionate about animals and conservation and wants to interact with people of all ages regarding various topics. You will be teaching others about the natural world and enhance people’s enjoyment of the environment. You may be able to progress into managerial roles in larger organisations, in smaller organisations it is common for there to be only one educational officer in an organisation.

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Megan Richards