Last chance to apply for rent-free conservation role on Welsh island

Volunteers are being sought to live rent free on a Welsh island while working as puffin counters.

Off the coast of Pembrokeshire, Skomer Island is renowned for its puffin population but is also home to an impressive array of birds including razorbills, guillemots, Manx shearwaters, kestrels, pipits, and peregrines.

Skomer will also welcome several volunteers throughout Spring, Summer and Autumn this year, as the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) put out its annual call for applicants wanting to assist conservation efforts on the island.

Though work on the island is unpaid, volunteers will be provided with accommodation, and travel expenses for the 20-minute boat trip and parking while on the island.

Volunteers receive training and a bursary of approximately £300 following publication of a report in the Friends of Skokholm and Skomer newsletter.

Successful applicants will get to live among bluebell and heather fields, visit the country’s largest undisturbed Iron Age settlement, and see grey seals, dolphins and porpoises off the island’s coast.

The positions include three long-term stays (28 March – 4 July, 25 April – 1 August, 4 July – 30 September) during which volunteers will support the WTSWW team on the island, assisting with wildlife monitoring and engaging with some of the island’s 25,000 annual visitors.

Stays will focus on different areas depending on the season, with Spring volunteers monitoring breeding seabirds, Summer volunteers checking in on chicks, and Autumn volunteers monitoring seals, voles, reptiles, and moths.

Long-term volunteers will also help with everyday tasks such as maintenance and repairs, cleaning visitor accommodation, and helping short-term volunteers settle in.

A separate seabird monitor role is available during seabird season from 23 May – 23 June. The seabird count is an important part of WTSWW’s calendar, determining how many birds have returned to the island to nest.

Despite puffins being listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, over 40,000 chose Skomer’s 1.13 sq miles as their home in Spring, 2025.

Puffin counts are made by splitting the island into sections, with volunteers pressing a clicker for each bird they spot on land, at sea or in the air. Counts are also made from boats, so the puffin counter position might not be the best for anyone prone to sea sickness.

WTSWW have said they are looking for applicants with knowledge of nature conservation, excellent communication skills, and experience working in small, close-knit teams.

Applications for the long-term volunteer positions close at 11.59 pm on January 31, so today is the last chance to send in your application.

The application deadline for the seabird monitor role is 11.59 pm on 28 February.

For more information on how to apply, visit the WTSWW site here.

If you missed the chance to apply for the 2026 volunteer positions, you can still take a trip to Skomer and witness its wildlife firsthand.

Boats to the island depart every 30 minutes between 10 am and 12 pm from April to August from the Old Lifeboat Station in St Justinians, Pembrokeshire. Return trips leave from 3 pm onwards.