Zoo Keeper Career
- WORKING EXPERIENCE -

Management and care of hummingbirds
At the Italian Institution:
  • Headquarters: Città Fiera, Via Bardelli 4, Torreano di Martignacco (UD), Italy
    Telephone 2pm-8pm: 00390432544665;
    Email: info@centrocolibri.com


    No knowledge of the Italian language is required,
    the tutors speak Spanish and English.


    Deadline for submitting an online application:
    before 23:59 of 10 March 2018

    Start of the working experience in Italy:
    23 of March 2018

    Arrival in Udine - Italy
    (nearby airports Venice, Treviso, Trieste and Bologna):
    before 23 March



    The Centro Colibrí Scientific Institution - founded by the famous professor, Margherita Hack - based in Udine, is offering a scholarship for a "working experience" of 13 months that includes an apartment in Udine, with paid expenses and financial assistance worth 250 euros per the month (300 euro for students in the second year).
    The offer of the "working experience" consists, after a training, in the autonomous management of hummingbirds (care, maintenance, feeding, etc) and the environments that house them.

    At the end of 13 months you will receive the certificate of:

    1st year DIPLOMA in
    Assistant Hummingbird Keeper,
    for the first year students;

    2nd year GRADUATE DIPLOMA in
    Hummingbird Keeper,
    for the second year students

    The career of Animal Keeper, Bird Keeper or ZOO Keeper in Istituzione scientifica Centro colibri is divided into:

    1st year Diploma in Assistant Animal Keeper or Assistant Hummingbird Keeper;

    2nd year Graduate Animal Diploma Keeper or Hummingbird Keeper

    5th year Master's Decree (for the career of Curator or Director)

    Minimum time required:
    13 months
    Required for immediate availability
    Commitment: 6 days a week for 9 hours a day

    Location:
    Istituzione scientifica Centro colibri
    Torreano di Martignacco, Udine
    Friuli Venezia Giulia
    Italy


    Mission of the scientific institution Centro colibri (hummingbird centre):

    The hummingbird Scientific Institution is recognized by the Italian Republic and the Governments of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, and has been associated with several Universities and Research Centers.

    It was born more than 15 years ago in the Miramare Castle park in Trieste, and after several years it moved to an underground bunker (underground level in the "Città Fiera" Business Center of Martignacco, near the city of Udine - Italy), completely isolated from the external environment, it replicates the microclimate and the South American photoperiod.

    The purpose of this institution is to safeguard the hummingbirds by determining the first protocol related to the physiology, breeding and reproduction of the hummingbirds.

    On the Facebook page and on the website of the hummingbird centre you can see the projects carried out in Italy and around the world.

    To the participants who register and who are really interested to start this working experience, we will be able to give you the contacts of the English students who worked in the Scientific institution.


    Conditions and facilities offered to the winner of the Scholarship for this work experience:

    1) Registration fees paid by the institution

    2) The Centro colibri, in addition to paying Registration fees, offers a scholarship of € 250 per month (€ 300 per month for students of the second year).

    The € 250 per month are thus distributed:

    € 130 per month in cash (€ 180 for students in the second year) at the end of every 30 days after arriving in Italy (via bank transfer on the 15th day of the following month, therefore the first 130€ will be transfered by bank the 15 of May, then other 130€ the 15 of June, other 130€ the 15 of July, etc).

    More other € 120 per month with a voucher of € 4 per day for food (from the second day of arrival in Udine). These € 120 per month (that is € 4 per day) can be used exclusively for food.

    The institution does not pay medicines, medical exams, medical insurance, etc.

    3) A house in Udine - Italy. Room shared with other students of the same gender.
    The accommodation and all the consumption of the house is paid by the institution (water, electricity, heating and rent). The distance between the house and the scientific institution is 4 km, students use a bicycle.

    4) The bicycle provided by Centro colibri.

    5) A deposit of 300 euro is required and will be returned at the end of 13 months.

    6) At the end of the 13-month period, to help the student to enter the labor or research world or to be able to travel through Europe to specialize in the sector, the student will receive a prize of 500.00 euro; distributed in 100 euro per month for the following 5 months.

    7) If the student decides to leave the working experience before the 13-month period, the student will not receive this compensation and will not be able to claim part of it and no part of the deposit and the monthly contribution and bail

    8) At the end of 13 months the student will recive a certificate of:
    1st year DIPLOMA in
    Assistant Hummingbird Keeper
    for the first year students;
    or 2nd year GRADUATE DIPLOMA in
    Hummingbird Keeper for the second year students;
    The issuance of the Diploma may be subject to a final examination

    9) You have the right to 20 days of "paid holiday" to be able to apply after the end of the second month.
    Each month, starting from the second month, about 2 days of monthly holidays are accumulated that can be used for longer periods, thus allowing the student to return to their country in the holiday seasons.
    The dates will be arranged with the Director.
    You can not ask for holidays in seasons like Christmas, Easter, etc.

    10) A part of the 20 days of vacation, you have the possibility of having another 10 days of special permission (for serious family problems, doctors, etc) with the authorization of the Director.
    In case you will need more than 10 days of special permission for documented problems, the end of your 13 months work experience will be delay of the same number of days.

    11) Your day has a duration of 9 hours between handling, observation and care of animals and environments. The schedules vary depending on the scheduled exercises, the assigned appointment or the need of the Direction.
    As an example: start at 08:30 and finish at 20:30 with lunch from 12:30 to 14:00 and another break from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
    Or, in the case of manual handfeeding or special observation of hummingbirds with problems, the hours can be: beginning at 13, dinner time from 20 to 21:30 and ending at 23:30;
    In any case, for a total of 9 daily hours exercised.
    Meeting with colleagues or with the direction, and also lunch/dinner of work are not included in these 9 hours. All lunch/dinner of work organized by the Direction will be paid by Centro colibri.

    12) In case of need established by the Direction, the schedule can be extended beyond 9 hours, but in that case, the overtime will be recovered in the following weeks, on dates established with the Direction.

    13) The required commitment is 6 days a week.
    Your day of rest will be announced periodically.

    14) The duration of this working experience is 13 months, however, if for serious family, personal or health reasons the person must resign before the 13 months, it must be with a notice, by email to info@centrocolibri.com of at least 60 working days (although not consecutive if the reasons for resignation are related to serious health problems or death of a family member), to organize their replacement and training of the person who will take their place without harming animal welfare and without creating inconvenience to the organization.
    From the moment of the resignation you cannot ask for vacation days.
    If in these 60 days there are some vacation or recuperation days already planned, these are maintained but the vacation days cannot be counted within 60 days.
    At the end of these 60 days the deposit will be returned. In case of abandonment before these 60 days, the deposit will not be returned. In case of expulsion for failure to comply with these conditions or for any aggressive/unpolite behavior towads people or animals, the deposti will not be returned.

    15) The career of ZOO Keeper and more specifically of a hummingbird keeper, is equated to a military career.
    Love for animals must be accompanied by seriousness, education, punctuality and discipline.
    Our scientific institution, with this work experience want not only to transfer the skills about how to keep hummingbirds, but also prepare, train and to form the character of responsable keepers and future Curators, and to prepare them to deal with cultures of different countries.


    To apply, please complete the following registration form:

  • / /
    DD = day
    MM = month
    YYYY = year
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    Spanish
    Italian
    German
    French
  • By pressing the "Send" button
    your application form will be sent to the
    Direction of the scientific institution Centro colibrì
    and a copy will be sent to your email