Education Internship

Working under the leadership of the Education Director, this position is responsible for delivering educational programming to all ages, a function that is essential to the mission of the Quad City Botanical Center. Responsibilities, expectations, and skills needed as follows for this internship:

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead tours to educate K-12 students and adults at the QC Botanical Center and at schools

• Willingness to learn new material and programs. 

• Setting up and tearing down for educational tours. 

• Will manage groups as large as 40 students at a time, teaching various lessons related to plants, science and nature. 

• Working collaboratively with the Education Director to organize various off-site and on-site tours. 

• Research new program ideas and write lessons on environmental education.

• Summer interns will assist in the care of the educational garden beds.

• Create an internship project to be completed.

Expectations and Preferable Skills:

• Applicant must be patient with students and enthusiastic about the material. 

• Works independently with minimum of supervision.

• Must be familiar teaching children and adults 

• At least some college is preferred, but not required.

• Ability to coordinating activities with other organizations. 

• Be able to fulfill internship hours (according to institution’s internship requirement policy)

• An overall willingness to perform work that will aid in meeting the mission of the Quad City Botanical Center.

Although the primary function of the Education Internship is to deliver programming to students at our facility, or on school campuses, this intern must also be willing to perform other duties outside of the particulars listed above, as assigned.  

Mission: To bring people and plants together in fun and meaningful ways.

To provide collections and exhibits that promote the beauty and enjoyment of plants; to increase botanical and horticultural knowledge through education, to encourage ecological concern for the plants that sustain us, and to inspire citizens to improve their environment.

Beneficial Skills & Temperament:

Ideal candidate must have a knowledge of and passion for education and a willingness to teach students about plants, insects and the environment. This person is comfortable in the public eye and able to deliver programming to a wide demographic range. Additionally, this person must have a positive attitude, work well individually and as part of a team, be mature, flexible, friendly, and goal-oriented.

Availability: 

The Education Internship must be willing to maintain a flexible schedule, including working weekends, evening, and holiday hours as necessary.  

Physical Demands:

The Education Internship position requires the ability to stand, walk, sit, do work requiring hand, finger, and arm movement, reach, climb, stoop, talk, and listen. The ideal candidate will also be able to lift, carry, or cart a minimum of 50 pounds for a distance of 300 feet or more. The candidate should be tolerant of hot, humid, and uncontrolled climates, able to work in and out of doors, and able to operate motorized vehicles, hand-carts, and chair and table dollies, as well as other tools as required.

Please send inquiries and resumes to the Guest and Volunteer Engagement Manager’s email guestexp@qcgardens.com.

The Quad City Botanical Center acknowledges that equal opportunity for all persons is a fundamental human value. Each employee will be considered on the basis of individual ability and merit, without regard to race, color, age, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, sex, or marital status.