©2017 New England Aquarium, an affiliate of the HandsOn Connect, 1 Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110 | 617 - 973 - 5200
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Due to Covid-19, we are placing a hiring hold on all Classic Corps Volunteer positions. All applicants will be placed on our wait-list through September 2020. Please email vols@neaq.org if you have any questions.
Is there a time commitment for volunteering?
Are there volunteering opportunities that are shorter than six months?
I only want to volunteer for the summer, what positions are available?
Do volunteer positions have age restrictions?
Are there volunteer opportunities for teens and high school students?
Can I do my senior project at the New England Aquarium?
Do you have volunteer opportunities on the weekends?
Do you have opportunities for group volunteering?
When is the best time to apply?
What is your selection process for volunteers and how competitive is it?
What is the difference between volunteering and interning?
I am currently job searching and have a lot of free time – can I volunteer?
Is there a waitlist that I can join?
Will you notify me if there’s an opening?
Do you keep my application on file?
Can I dive in the Giant Ocean Tank as a volunteer?
Can volunteering lead to job opportunities?
I want to volunteer in your Animal Care Center in Quincy, MA. Do I need to have access to a car?
I am a former volunteer; how do I get involved again?
I'm a Classic Corp volunteer, but I really want to attend a live blue Service Project. Is this allowed?
Is there a minumum time commitment for volunteering?
We ask our Classic Corps volunteers to commit to one full day a week for a minimum of six months. For most positions, a “full day” is roughly 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. For our liveblue Service Corps, it is a more flexible commitment.
Are there volunteer opportunities that are shorter than six months?
The live blue™ Service Corps will be your best option if you cannot meet the six month commitment, or if you require a more flexible schedule. Most of the Service Corps volunteer opportunities involve field projects, but we do occasionally have short-term skills positions in the main building. These opportunities usually involve customer service or administrative duties and are not often directly animal related. To learn more and to sign up for an orientation, visit the live blue™ Service Corps page.
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I only want to volunteer for the summer, what positions are available?
Unfortunately, the minimum commitment for the Classic Corp volunteers is six months. However, the summer is a great time to get involved in the live blue™ Service Corps. If you are a teen, you may be eligible for some of the opportunities listed here. If you are a college-level student, you may want to consider applying to one of our internships.
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Do volunteer positions have age restrictions?
For most positions, you must be 18 years old or older due to liabilities involved. If you are 16 years old or older, you may apply for our Visitor Education volunteer position. If you are younger than 16 years old, we currently do not have any volunteer opportunities, but we do have a wide variety of educational programs. You can find out more information about those programs here. There are also a number of opportunities available to teens and high school students through the Teens Office. E-mail teens@neaq.org to learn more.
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Are there volunteer opportunities for teens and high school students?
Yes! There are different opportunities depending on your age, the time of year and where you live. Those opportunities are listed here. You can also find out more by emailing our Teen Office at teens@neaq.org.
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Can I do my senior project at the New England Aquarium?
Generally, we are unable to accommodate senior projects because many schools require more hours than we can provide. If a regular volunteer commitment (one day a week for six months) would fulfill the requirements of your senior project, then please fill out our volunteer application form and tell us in as much detail as possible about your project request and needs. Please be aware that we would have to consider you among the pool of applicants we have at that time.
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Do you have volunteer opportunities on the weekends?
Yes, we have volunteer opportunities every day of the week, however, weekend positions are the most sought-after positions. To check the availability of a position, please look at the review the position openings in the menu.
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Do you have opportunities for group volunteering?
Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity for group volunteering in the main building due to limited staff time and physical space. Unlike zoos or other cultural institutions, we lack wide open spaces to accommodate groups.
Small groups could consider volunteering for a service project through the live blue™ Service Corps. Many projects, such as beach cleanups, often need as much help as they can get, and your group can help make a big impact. If you are interested in getting your group involved, send a note to volunteer@neaq.org to get more information on upcoming opportunities.
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When is the best time to apply?
All of our other volunteer positions have a rolling deadline. We receive a steady stream of applications no matter what time of the year. If you are interested in volunteering with us, there’s no time like the present!
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What is your selection process for volunteers and how competitive is it?
After we receive an application, we will review it and invite the candidate for an interview if he or she meets our current needs. If the candidate is thought to be a good fit for a vacancy in their desired department, we will pass on their application for a second interview with a volunteer supervisor.
The process is extremely competitive due to high demand for positions and a low turnover rate. We receive about 80 to 100 applications per month and can only accept roughly 15 percent.
For the 85 percent that cannot meet the requirements of a volunteer position, we encourage joining the live blue™ Service Corps. Getting involved in this program allows you to contribute to the mission of the Aquarium, and can only strengthen your resume!
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What is the difference between volunteering and interning?
Our interns have a more complex application process, and we expect that they come to us with a background relating to the positions for which they have applied. Interns generally work two to four days a week for a minimum of 12 weeks, and usually have more in-depth or demanding responsibilities because of their more relevant background.
Our volunteer applicants do not need to have a relevant background to volunteer, and we are mostly looking for interest, passion and curiosity! Volunteers commit one day a week for a minimum of six months. Although their duties may sometimes be less complex than an intern’s responsibilities, we rely heavily on our volunteers. Without them, the Aquarium would not run!
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I am currently job searching and have a lot of free time – can I volunteer?
We would prefer to consider applicants once their schedule is set. The best way to get involved as a job-seeker is to be on our contact list for the live blue™ Service Corps, which offers a more flexible schedule.
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Is there a waitlist that I can join?
Yes! We do keep a waitlist for the different areas of the Aquarium. If you have applied for areas in which we do not have openings, we may ask if you would like to be on the waitlist. However, we cannot guarantee placement for all the volunteers on our waitlist. It is also very difficult to estimate wait times, as we can only fill vacancies as they occur.
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Will you notify me if there’s an opening?
Yes, we try our best to utilize our waitlist whenever we have an opening. If you have been placed on a waitlist and your availability changes from what you had originally listed, please get in touch and let us know.
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Do you keep my application on file?
Yes, we keep your application on file for three months. After that time, you are welcome to reapply.
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Can I dive in the Giant Ocean Tank as a volunteer?
It takes roughly two years to become a Giant Ocean Tank Diver volunteer. The first step is to become an Assistant Dive Volunteer, which is a dry (no diving) position. After six months, Assistant Dive volunteers are eligible to become Diver volunteers. The decision comes from the supervisors of the Giant Ocean Tank and is dependent upon volunteer performance, Dive Team vacancies, number of open water dives logged and results of written and practical tests from our Diving Safety Officer.
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Can volunteering lead to job opportunities?
Many of our current employees started as volunteers, but because staff really enjoy their jobs, there aren’t always positions available. We consider volunteering to be an excellent professional development opportunity; however, volunteering or interning with us does not lead directly to paid work.
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I want to volunteer in your Animal Care Center in Quincy, MA. Do I need to have access to a car?
This position is not located in Boston and is at our Animal Care Center located along the Fore River in Quincy. Transportation to this facility is easiest by car but one can also reach the facility by public transportation. Public transportation requires taking the Redline to Quincy Center, transferring to bus, and walking about 5 minutes.
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I am a former volunteer; how do I get involved again?
Email us at volunteer@neaq.org! We would love to hear from you and talk about ways to get involved. Depending on how long it has been since you were a volunteer, it is possible that we will ask you to fill out another application to update us on what you have been doing since you were last with us.
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I'm a Classic Corp volunteer, but I really want to attend a live blue Service Project. Is this allowed?
By attending a Classic Corp orientation, you are automatically eligible to participate in live blue Service Projects. To see upcoming projects and sign up, log onto your serve.neaq profile and click on the live blue service corps calendar.
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