INTERNSHIPS
LAUNCH YOUR CAREER
Interns can expect to be challenged, mentored, and inspired, working with a dynamic team that is dedicated to helping them find their focus.
CORAL CONSERVATION AND REEF RESTORATION INTERNSHIP
Our Coral Conservation and Reef Restoration Internship introduces individuals to the nonprofit sector of marine conservation, focusing on the restoration of coral reef ecosystems.
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Internships last 4 months and are full-time volunteer positions.
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Interns gain a vast amount of experience through participation in our community engagement programs, daily operations, and fieldwork.
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During their first semester, each intern will be mentored while they undertake a personal intern project.
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Interns who wish to progress further have the chance to be considered for positions as Lead Interns during a second semester, and then Program Interns during a third semester.
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Interns will be provided with a small educational stipend to offset living costs.
Upcoming INTERNSHIPS
Fall 2022
Application Period:
May 23rd, 2021 - July 1st, 2022
Notification of Acceptance:
July 25th, 2022
START DATE:
September 5th, 2022
END DATE:
December 18th, 2022
Spring 2023
Application Period:
Sept 19th, 2022 - Oct 28th, 2022
Notification of Acceptance:
November 21st, 2022
START DATE:
January 2nd, 2023
END DATE:
April 30th, 2023
Summer 2022
Application Period:
Jan 17th, 2021 - Feb 25th, 2022
Notification of Acceptance:
March 21st, 2022
START DATE:
May 9th, 2022
END DATE:
August 28th, 2022
SUMMER 2023
Application Period:
Jan 16th, 2023-Feb 24th 2023
Notification of Acceptance:
March 2oth, 2023
START DATE:
May 8th, 2023
END DATE:
August 25th, 2023
QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS
Age & Academic Status
Applicant must be 21+ years of age or older.
Applicant should be enrolled in an undergraduate program having completed at least two years of study at an accredited college or university, be in enrolled in a graduate program, or be a recent graduate from a college or university.
Preference will be given to students who have studied or are studying marine science, specifically coral reefs.
Diving
Applicant should have at least 30 dives; 15 of which must be ocean dives and 5 from a boat. Applicant must have at least one logged dive within a year of the start date of the internship.
Preference will be given to those with Advanced Open Water dive certification and higher, those with boat diving experience, and those with ocean diving experience.
All dive gear (excluding tanks) must be provided by the intern. This means: BCD, regulator, mask, fins, snorkel, dive computer, wetsuit, weights, and gloves.
Upon selection, candidates will be required to provide a dive physical, dive certifications, and log-books as well as proof of active dive insurance, active CPR/First Aid certification, active Oxygen Administration certification, and proof of regulator purchase/servicing.
All selected candidates' dive status is pending the approval of their dive physical by our DSO and Dive Safety Board and proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
Other requirements
Housing and reliable vehicular transportation must be provided by the intern. Applicants should keep in mind the cost of living in the Florida Keys can be between $800 and $1,200 monthly. Rent will be less expensive if intern teams share living spaces.
Applicant must be physically fit and able to work on the water and in the sun for long periods of time (eight hours a day several days in a row).
Coral Restoration Foundation reserves the right to accept or deny any applications regardless of minimum requirements met.
CURRENT INTERNS
Our current interns join us from around the country, each with unique academic backgrounds and ambitions.
MAX ALPERSTEIN
SCIENCE PROGRAM INTERN
Max has been an avid scuba diver and enthusiast for all creatures and ecosystems since he was a child. From an early age, and growing up next to the ocean, Max fell in love with sea creatures and ocean life. After his first experience diving in a coral reef he knew he never wanted to leave and vowed to enter a career helping protect and research them in the hopes of lessening the effects of coral bleaching. When Max attended college at the University of Santa Cruz, he quickly got into the marine biology scene, finding the one Ph.D. candidate grad student working on coral bleaching and participating with his work. Here Max learned a lot about the biology, physiology, and chemistry that surrounds a coral animal. From the correct parameters of the environment that is necessary for a coral to thrive to the ins and outs of the symbiosis coral have with zooxanthellae. Now Max is taking his next step and working at the Coral Restoration Foundation to further develop his skills in the work needed to go into restoration and everything behind the scenes needed to make an organization like this run smoothly.
CRF ALUMNI
Our interns have gone on to do some amazing things! Where are they now?
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THE CORAL CHRONICLES
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Coral Restoration Foundation™!