Keen to learn more about a career in marine science? Interested in seeing what we do and how we work at Sea Watch Foundation? Apply to join us for work experience during our fieldwork season!
The Cardigan Bay Monitoring Project is based in New Quay, West Wales, and supports the conservation management of the bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise and grey seal populations of Cardigan Bay, monitoring their abundance, distribution, reproductive success and population structure using a combination of vessel-based, land-based and acoustic surveys.
In recent years, we have taken on a number of aspiring marine biologists from all around the country to allow them to gain an insight into the work of a conservation charity. Sea Watch’s work experience programme is open to students from GCSE level upwards and placements may last between 3 days and 2 weeks. Work is highly weather dependent and, depending on the time spent with Sea Watch, experiences will vary, but most work experience students will learn about and take part in:
- Data entry
- Land-based cetacean surveys
- Opportunistic surveys from wildlife boat trips
- Public awareness events
- Blog writing
Our field season runs from April to October and, unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate work experience outside this period. Please contact our Monitoring Officer, Katrin, for details on availability: katrin.lohrengel@seawatchfoundation.org.uk
We cannot provide accommodation for work experience students during their time with us. Any students under 18 are required to provide a signed consent form from a parent or guardian to allow them to take part in fieldwork such as land and boat-based surveys.
APPLY
Applications are now open for 2026. Please note that we do NOT accept applications outside of the designated application window or for time periods not listed in the advertisement. The Cardigan Bay Monitoring Project is based in New Quay, West Wales, and supports the conservation management of the bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise and grey seal populations of Cardigan Bay, monitoring their abundance, distribution, reproductive success and population structure using a combination of vessel-based, land-based and acoustic surveys. In recent years, Sea Watch has taken on a number of aspiring marine biologists from all around the country to allow them to gain an insight into the work of a conservation charity. Sea Watch’s work experience program is open to students from GCSE level upwards and placements may last between 3 days and 2 weeks. Work is highly weather dependent and depending on the time spent with Sea Watch, experiences will vary but most work experience students will learn about and take part in:
- Data entry
- Land based cetacean surveys
- Opportunistic surveys from wildlife boat trips
- Public awareness events
- Blog writing
The Sea Watch field season runs from April to November. Unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate work experience outside this period.
The 2026 field season is divided into 4 research periods:
Period 1: 6th April – 31st May
Period 2: 1st June – 19th July
Period 3: 20th July – 6th September
Period 4: 7th September – 1st November
We can accommodate 2 students for each period, please note in your application the period you are applying for, as well as the proposed dates and duration of your work experience within your chosen period. Please be aware that we cannot provide accommodation or financial support for work experience students and are unable to supervise students outside of office hours or during lunch hour. Students under the age of 18 will require a signed consent form from a parent or guardian to allow them to take part in field work such as land based and boat based surveys.
To apply, please download the application form and return it to katrin.lohrengel@seawatchfoundation.org.uk by the 31st January 2026 with decisions being made by the end of February. Due to the large amount of applications we receive we are unfortunately unable to give individual feedback for unsuccessful applications.