Hosted by GVI

GVI: Internships in Greece

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5.00 Rating

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Location

Greece

Industry

Conservation and Preservation Ecology Education Sustainable Development

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Program Details

Timeframe

Spring Summer

Pricing

What's Included

Airport Transfers Some Meals

What's Included (Extra)

24-hour emergency phone, 24-hour in-country support

What's Not Included

Some Activities Airfare Travel Insurance Visa

Last Updated: Jul 13, 2020

Last Reviewed: Jul 21, 2022

Wish List

23 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Pursue a career in marine conservation with an Internship in Greece, Giannitsochori. This is an opportunity to gain your Biological Survey Techniques Certification, and ILM Endorsed Leadership Certification. With hands-on experience, you can improve your CV and learn technical and soft skills from experts in the field.

Partner with a local organisation to safeguard loggerhead turtles and their breeding sites. You will monitor nests and turtles, build protective structures, and collect data. With your assistance, the growing awareness of these turtles will lead to better protection for them, ensuring more hatchlings join the population each year.

GVI has short, mid, and long-term objectives in place that measure against the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). This is an opportunity to make a sustainable impact alongside participants from all around the world.

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Program Highlights

Work alongside local partner organizations to raise awareness on the endangered loggerhead sea turtle.
Enhance your CV and future career opportunities to get ahead in a competitive industry.
Hike nearby mountains with panoramic views over the Ionian Sea, taste traditional dishes, learn about the art and culture of Greece, and explore archaeological sites and fortresses.
Connect with local community members and people from around the world.
Develop practical conservation techniques and contribute towards the UN SDGs.

Popular Programs

Sea Turtle Conservation in Greece

Stay in a small coastal village walking distance from the Ionian sea. Alongside international conservationists, assist to protect endangered loggerhead sea turtles and their hatchlings. In this short term internship, you will gain technical marine conservation skills and qualifications to kickstart your career. You will use survey techniques to collect data, and construct shelters to safeguard hatchlings from predators and environmental threats, while also guiding them successfully to the sea.

Program Reviews

5.00 Rating

based on 2 reviews

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Growth 5
Support 5
Fun 5
Housing 5
Safety 5

Showing 1 - 2 of 2 reviews

I was an intern for the month of June 2022 at the GVI Greece base. It was an amazing experience working alongside ARCHELON (the sea turtle protection society of Greece) and the wonderful staff members and volunteers for GVI. Being a part of loggerhead sea turtle conservation efforts in the Mediterranean Sea was incredible and helped prepare me for my future career in environmental conservation. I had the time of my life and hope to go back in the future.

I could not recommend this base and experience more!

Pros

Amazing People
Career Building
Educational

Response from GVI

Hey Hannah,

Thanks for your great review!

It is so lovely to hear that you enjoyed your time with us on base. Your hard work and efforts have certainly impacted this project in a meaningful way. Wishing you all the best on your future career journey. Please do keep on spreading your love for GVI! And obviously, we would love to see you back on base soon!

By GVI on August 23, 2022

I’m a second-year student at Bournemouth university, during my time here I have to do a placement for 10 weeks over first and second year. I decided to take my time abroad and look into conservation and the ways that different conservation issues are affecting the lives of different endangered animals.
I decided to take my travels to Greece in hope of working with the endangered loggerhead sea turtle. On the day I arrived I was welcomed by three of the GVI staff. It was a warm and friendly welcome making me feel part of the GVI family as soon as I landed. I went to find the rest of the volunteers and interns and met a few of the people I would be spending the next six weeks with.
Once we arrived in camp we told where our tents were and our routine for the next day, although I was nervous, I was extremely excited and everyone showed me exactly what we had to do. We were told about the different surveys we would be helping on such as:
• Morning survey
o Nest
o Relocation
o Predation
o Wash
o Inundation
• Night survey
• Hatchlings on morning survey
• Data base
• Shading
• Nest check
• Excavation
Every survey I was on was a completely different experience and you never knew what you were going to find, one of my favourite memories was walking down the beach when one of the other volunteers shouted “ HATCHLINGS”, 12 tiny hatchlings, the size of matchboxes, were moving towards the sea! We had to shade them and make sure they got to sea! Watching them swim off and knowing that they had made it was fantastic!!!
The range of different people that I shared my Greek experience with means I now know people from all over the world who are as passionate about conservation as I am, and I have made friends for life. It was an amazing experience which I never wanted to end and would recommend to anyone interested in this area. Thank you my GVI family. I had a truly amazing 6 weeks living in a tent on a beach in Greece, learning so much about myself and the wonderful world around me.

What would you improve about this program?

The only way i would improve this programme would be to make it more well known! everyone should have an experience as wonderful as this.

Response from GVI

Hey Imogen, thanks for your review! I'm thrilled to hear you had such a positive experience with us and enjoyed your time on base as much as you did. We'd love to have you back on base sometime soon!

By GVI on July 28, 2021

Questions & Answers

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

What is your favorite travel memory?

My favourite travel memory is my trip to Koh Samui, an island in Thailand. It's my favourite because it was there that I discovered my love for wildlife conservation. The island is known for its amazing beaches and hotels, but there are so many unique and stunning animals that I found along the way.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

I have definitely changed and grown since working for GVI. Working here has opened my eyes to all the different ways to make a change and to do it in an ethical manner. I am so inspired by all the people around me. I continue to learn so much about how to make changes and an impact. I have been here for almost a year and learned so much.

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What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

Recently, a teacher from the UK decided to take a trip to one of our hubs in Madagascar. She had an amazing time and this was really special to me as she said she wanted to go with GVI to make a difference and have a meaningful trip instead of a regular holiday. In that time she got to see 3 species of lemur plus much more. She also took full advantage of her time off and explored the islands nearby. Swimming with turtles, seeing a humpback whale and calf, whilst also taking time in the local markets. What an exciting story!

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

I would love to go on one of the marine conservation programs in the Seychelles! I have always been so intrigued by learning about marine conservation and I would like to know all that it entails. I have also never been diving and I love new experiences. It would be so exciting to see the beaches as well as tortoises and marine life.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

I am proud of my company and team for being so dedicated to diversity and inclusion. As a woman of colour, this is very important to me as previous companies and most places in South Africa treat people of colour so poorly. I am proud of my company for trying to make a difference in all aspects and focusing on changing the status quo.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

I think a successful company is when your employees are happy and taken care of, therefore, customers and clients are taken care of. Mental health and wellbeing is super important and the key to a company being successful. It also involves management who care about their employees and the company. With good communication and honesty.

Location

Location:

Greece

Currency:

Euro

Weather:

Jan-Mar

61 F / 27 F

Apr-Jun

88 F / 41 F

Jul-Sep

91 F / 54 F

Oct-Dec

75 F / 30 F

Airports:

Athens

( ATH )

Heraklion

( HER )

Thessaloniki

( SKG )

If pastitsio and gyros aren't enough of a reason for you to go to Greece; then the stunningly blue waters, the medieval cities, and picturesque white houses with blue roofs should do the trick. Every island has a different vibe and will be well suited for a variety of travelers.

About GVI

GVI is an award-winning organisation that tackles critical local and global issues through our travel-based volunteer, internship, fellowship and apprenticeship programs as well as online courses, and virtual programs. At GVI, we believe that long-lasting impact is locally-led, which is why our programs are run in partnership with local...

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