Early Career Opportunities
At NHSN, we recognise that people are central to restoring nature in the North East. Our early-career opportunities are designed to equip you with the skills, knowledge, and experience needed to take the next step in your career.
Nurturing Young Talent
We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to study, understand and protect the natural world. At NHSN, we offer a wide range of engaging, nature-based training, volunteering and early-career opportunities for young people. Our initiatives are designed to help you develop practical and transferable skills, build your CV, and gain valuable first-hand experience of identifying wildlife in the field.
Supporting young people to pursue their ambitions in nature conservation and research has been at the heart of NHSN for nearly two centuries. From the earliest days, when members opened the doors of the Hancock Museum to inspire curiosity about the natural world, to today, that commitment remains unchanged. We continue to build on this legacy by creating opportunities for the next generation to get involved.
Below, you can explore the different ways to take part.
Current Opportunities
From our annual Field Skills Programme, providing hands-on experience in natural history, to student placements that build real-world skills, we welcome early-career naturalists each year to gain valuable experience in the sector.
Other Ways to Get Involved
Thanks to the support of NHSN members, throughout the year, we’re able to offer more opportunities to build skills, network, and take your first steps towards an environmental career.
1829 Talks
Since 1854, NHSN has hosted public natural history talks, sharing research, news and exciting discoveries about the natural world.
Delivered by passionate students and practitioners, and named after the year NHSN was founded, our 1829 Talks provide early-career naturalists with the opportunity to share their work and research with NHSN members.
Talks take place weekly between October and March. If you would like to deliver a talk, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Mentoring Scheme
New for 2026, we are piloting a mentoring scheme to support early-career naturalists in developing field skills, building confidence in public engagement, strengthening communication skills, and connecting with like-minded people across the sector.
Supported by NHSN, the scheme offers hands-on experience delivering walks and talks, invitations to specialist training sessions on topics such as AI, storytelling and guided walks, and complimentary places on NHSN education courses.
If you would like to find out more, please get in touch with NHSN Urban Naturalist, Ellie, at UrbanNaturalist@newcastle.ac.uk.
Student Research & Dissertations
Home to a wide variety of wildlife and valuable habitats, Gosforth Nature Reserve is an ideal place to carry out research on birds, mammals, habitats, soils and much more.
NHSN welcomes students from local universities to undertake research projects at the reserve, supported by staff and volunteers.
Previous projects have included audio studies of birdsong, camera trapping, soil analysis, habitat mapping and otter surveys.
If you are interested in carrying out your own project, please get in touch below.