Trainee Ranger Review

I really enjoyed my placement as a ranger at Hengistbury Reserve. We got to do new things everyday which kept it interesting, from learning how to use different machinery to working with the animals on site. Everyone that works here are very friendly and make you feel very welcome, the teas and biscuits also helped.

I did feel valued working here during my placement. The extra pair of hands during the day were helpful to the rangers in helping them get jobs done and we were always thanked for our hard work.

The rangers here give lots of guidance and support with every task they ask you to complete here. With machinery work they give you a presentation and run through of the machines as many times as you need and are always there to help if you need it. Even if they are busy will take a minute to answer any questions you have when you are out doing something.

The skills I have learnt whilst being here will help me a lot in my future, from writing my dissertation to my career. We not only did hands on work like using brush cutters and saws but activities like territory monitoring and data entry. These different skills I have learnt here will help me in lots of different areas of my life in the future.

The placement here was structured here but if something came up that needed to be done fast then there is room to move things around. There are tasks that need to be done on a daily and weekly basis so you always know a majority of your day. In the mornings you are told about what your doing that day.

The atmosphere was very positive. Everyone is easy to get on with and fun to be around. There are also volunteers in and around the centre who are also lovely and you get to meet a lot of people here. Even on rainy days you still have a great time.

We were given a good level of training for everything we did here. With machinery we were given power points that go though everything you need to know and then a demonstration with the machines. Before everything you do here they will run through and health and safety you need to know.

This placement has given me a big insight into what it would be like to be a full time ranger here. We are working with the rangers here a majority of the time on what they would be doing and even if we weren't working with them we would know what they were doing. I would now know what kind of jobs I would do if I ever became a ranger.

This placement helped me understand the culture around how a reserve is run. The importance of having knowledge of the site and being able to relay that to the public in an effective way so they know how valuable this site is. I also got to see the importance of volunteering and how much it helps keep the site functioning.

This placement has helped me realise that in my future career I could not work inside all the time. Being outside and active has been really enjoyable for me. Working with the animals was a bonus. I'm not set on a specific job yet but this job has helped me understand what conservation jobs are like and I have really enjoyed being here for 10 weeks.

Although I did not get paid or given reimbursements, we were repaid well with tea, coffee, biscuits, cake and ice-lolly's! Personally this was a highlight for me.

We got to work with other employees here such as working in the education areas teaching school trips and classes open to the public. We also got to work with a couple of experts in Hengistbury and the surrounding areas teaching us about the dragonfly and insects in the area.

There was a few times I got to network with staff at the placement and the experts who came in to teach us about their specialities this was really interesting and being able to go out and look for species with them made it more fun then just talking about it.

There were activities staff could get into outside of work. As many of the staff here are from/live in and around Bournemouth they can give you recommendations if you asked. The staff here could also give you advice about any training, courses or conferences that you could attend outside of working here if you wanted to further your knowledge or training.

I would recommend this placement to a friend. Everyone here is fun to be around, the jobs are varied and interesting and it gives you a clear insight into what its like to be a ranger and work on a site that has cattle, tourists and rare/endangered species.