Job and Volunteer Vacancies 2015

Paid positions at FIBO in 2015
The following paid positions are available for the 2015 season:

Deadline for all applications is: FRIDAY 20th FEBRUARY 2015.
Please download an application form and return as an email attachment to: fibo@btconnect.com. We will acknowledge receipt of all application forms as soon as possible, but please note that during the winter, the Obs office is not staffed on a daily basis.
 

ASSISTANT WARDEN

Start Date: 24^th March 2015 (arriving on Fair Isle on 23^rd March)
End Date: 9^th November 2015 (departing Fair Isle on 10^th November)

Hours: Hours are flexible depending upon the time of year, weather etc. Sunday afternoons are generally the Wardening Team’s time off, with other time off fitted in where possible during the week.

Holiday entitlement: 18 days (if not taken, this would be paid at the end of the contract)
Wages: £152 per week, board and lodgings provided along with facilities including internet access, use of washing machine etc

Main duties: carrying out the daily census and ringing activities throughout the spring and autumn migration periods. Seabird monitoring and ringing during the summer months, along with a wide variety of other survey work. Dealing with visitors on a day-to-day basis is a crucial aspect of the job. An AW will be expected to turn their hand to just about anything that comes up, with practical and maintenance work, data entry, bar-shifts and a whole variety of other aspects likely to become part of the working week.

JOB DESCRIPTION
application form

CHILDCARER

Start Date: 8^th April 2015 (arriving on Fair Isle on 7^th April)
End Date: 2^nd November 2015 (departing Fair Isle on 3^rd November)
NOTE: this contract could also be available as shorter contracts for suitable candidates.

Hours: 40 hours per week. A working day of 9am – 6pm with an hour’s unpaid lunch (1pm-2pm). Currently the childcarer’s days off are: all day Sunday and half days on Tuesday and Thursday, but there is some flexibility in when days off are taken.  

Holiday entitlement: 16 days (if not taken, this would be paid at the end of the contract)
Wages: £152 per week, board and lodgings provided along with facilities including internet access, use of washing machine etc

Main duties: sole care of Grace (six in May) and Freyja (three in May) during the hours stated above. This would include collecting Grace from school (lifts would be arranged during particularly poor weather) and Freyja from nursery from August. The actual day to day plan is very flexible and can be decided by the Childcarer; it would be good for the kids to get out (visit people on the island, play on the beach etc) and also encourage their creative side (drawing, music etc). The Warden’s flat would be available throughout, whilst some mingling with guests and other staff would also be fine.

JOB DESCRIPTION
application form

COOK

Start Date: 15^th April 2015 (arriving on Fair Isle on 14^th April)
End Date: 2^nd November 2015 (departing Fair Isle on 3^rd November)
NOTE: this contract could also be available as two shorter contracts (15^th April – 3^rd August and 1st August to 2^nd November) for suitable candidates.

Hours: Six days on and two days off in a strict rota. Eight and a half hours a day: 7.30am – 2pm (including breaks) and 5.00pm – 7pm approximately.

Holiday entitlement: 16 days (if not taken, this would be paid at the end of the contract)
Wages: £250 per week, board and lodgings provided along with facilities including internet access, use of washing machine etc

Main duties: FIBO prides itself on the quality of its food, serving three set meals a day to up to 48 guests and staff. The successful applicant will be professional, hard-working, adaptable, a team-player, with previous experience of catering at this level and comfortable with producing dishes suitable for guests with a range of dietary requirements. In addition to preparing meals, the cook is responsible for maintaining high food hygiene standards and cleanliness in the kitchen. Whilst the role can be challenging, with food deliveries and guest arrivals and departures dependent on the weather, and a changeable daily schedule requiring some flexibility in food service, the unique location and friendly community will provide ample reward to the right candidate. 

JOB DESCRIPTION
application form

ASSISTANT COOK

Start Date: 15^th April 2015 (arriving on Fair Isle on 14^th April)
End Date: 2^nd November 2015 (departing Fair Isle on 3^rd November)
NOTE: this contract could also be available as two shorter contracts (15^th April – 3^rd August and 1^st August to 2^nd November) for suitable candidates.

Hours: Six days on and two days off in a strict rota. Eight hours a day: 7.30am – 2pm (including breaks) and 5.30pm – 7pm approximately.

Holiday entitlement: 16 days (if not taken, this would be paid at the end of the contract)
Wages: £180 per week, board and lodgings provided along with facilities including internet access, use of washing machine etc

Main duties: The assistant cook helps both the cook in preparing and serving food, and the domestic assistant in washing up and tidying away after meals and is also required to run the kitchen on the cook’s days off. The precise role depends very much on the different strengths of the domestic team. Flexibility, a willingness to work with others as part of a team and some catering experience are therefore essential.

JOB DESCRIPTION
application form

DOMESTIC ASSISTANT

Start Date: 15^th April 2015 (arriving Fair Isle on 14^th April)
End Date: 2^nd November 2015 (departing Fair Isle on 3^rd November)
NOTE: these contracts could also be available as two shorter contracts (15^th April – 3^rd August and 1^st August to 2^nd November) for suitable candidates.

Hours: Six days on and two days off in a strict rota. Eight hours a day: 7.30am – 2pm (including a breakfast break) and 5.30pm – 7pm approximately.

Holiday entitlement: 16 days (if not taken, this would be paid at the end of the contract)
Wages: £152 per week, board and lodgings provided along with facilities including internet access, use of washing machine etc

Main duties: Setting up breakfast and lunch, washing and sterilising dishes after all meals, room cleaning and laundry, kitchen cleaning tasks, some basic food preparation. The role varies slightly depending on the particular skills of the kitchen team in any one year. Hours actually worked depend very much on the number of guests, with extended morning coffee breaks if the Observatory is not busy, but slightly extended work hours during peak times.

JOB DESCRIPTION
application form


Voluntary positions at FIBO in 2015
The following voluntary positions are available at FIBO in 2015:

All volunteering roles have food and accommodation (usually in a single-sex shared room) provided at the Obs. Transport arrangements and costs are the responsibility of the volunteer. Wardening Team volunteers pay £12 a night to cover costs (but see the note below about the JHMF scheme), there are no charges for Domestic and Bar volunteers.

Please download an application form  and return it by 20th FEBRUARY 2015 to be considered for any of these positions. We will acknowledge receipt of application forms as soon as possible, but please note that the FIBO office is not staffed daily during the winter months.


Wardening Team Volunteers

The following date ranges are provided as a rough guide to the different roles required during the year. Volunteers may apply for any range of dates from those listed, which may overlap the categories given below (note that we are unlikely to be able to take volunteers outside of those dates given). A minimum stay of two weeks is expected, there is no maximum length of stay that can be applied for. We usually take a maximum of two Wardening Team volunteers at any given time.

Volunteers are encouraged whether your aim is to build upon experience and knowledge you already have, or to pick up new skills, but it is advised that you choose the time of year to fit in with your expectations. It is important that volunteers fill in the application form below in order that we can prepare work plans in advance to suit the skills of the team available.

A range of tasks (including domestic tasks, helping with guests, practical jobs around the Obs and data inputting) are common to all the volunteering roles.

20^th April – 14^th May
The main activities during this time are likely to be practical: trap repairs, stile repairs, weeding and planting, work around the Obs, etc. There will also be monitoring work (eg waders, landbirds), the possibility to help with census and some ringing.

1^st – 31^st July
Seabird work comes to the fore during this time, with visits to colonies, ringing (including Storm Petrels) and monitoring all likely to be major parts of the role. It is a busy time for visitors, so helping the Ranger with walks and events will also feature. Trap repairs are often also carried out during the summer.

1^st August – 15^th September
During this time there is an increasing emphasis on census and ringing as autumn migration starts to pick up. We usually require volunteers to help cover staff leave and carry out census by themselves, so a good knowledge of birding is important for that role. Previous experience of ringing can be helpful at this time of year, but is not essential. Assisting the Ranger with practical tasks such as stile repairs is often a part of the workload at this time of year.

There is also the opportunity for cover for the Ranger's annual leave during this period, this would suit someone who can drive, as picking up and dropping of guests from the airstrip is part of the role, along with leading guided walks, talks, kids events etc.

Volunteers applying for Wardening team roles who are under the age of 25 may be able to get a small grant to help cover transport costs through the Observatory's JHMF scheme, see here for details.


Domestic Volunteer

14^th April – 3^rd November (minimum stay three weeks)
A crucial part of the Domestic team, with duties including cleaning in the downstairs areas of the Obs and clearing and setting up of tables before and after meals, although you may have to turn your hand to a wide variety of other tasks as well! It is a busy role (working seven mornings a week, plus a few extra bits), but there is also plenty of time to enjoy the island and learn new skills or join in with other aspects of Obs work. An enjoyable way to really become part of the Obs team whilst experiencing Fair Isle life.


Bar Volunteer

19^th May – 8^th September (minimum stay three weeks) (from 28^th July onwards, this role would particularly suit anyone wishing to help out at the Obs or on the island in other ways, as there is likely to be a little more spare time than during the spring months).

This involves helping to run the Obs gift shop and small, friendly bar during the spring and summer. Most of the work is in the evening (with approximate hours of 5pm-11pm), but at times there will be other tasks during the day (cleaning, unloading stock etc). The bar vol may be able to help out with Wardening Team as well during the day if there are suitable opportunities.