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Current Volunteer Opportunities

To apply for open volunteer opportunities,
please email application to volunteer@shellmuseum.org
or call 239-395-2233 with questions.

AQUARIUM DOCENT

  • Purpose: To interpret the Beyond Shells: Living Gallery for guests, answer questions, and facilitate learning. Help create a fantastic guest experience.

  • Location: Ground floor, Museum 

  • Responsibilities:

- Answer guest questions

- Enhance guest experience with positive interactions and enthusiasm

  • Available shifts:  Usually 10 AM – 1 PM or 1 – 4 PM. Every day.

  • Minimum Time Commitment: 2 shifts per month for 3 months

  • Qualifications:

- Must be friendly, accommodating, respectful, understanding, and helpful when dealing with the public

- Must enjoy working with the public

- Must enjoy working with both children and adults

- Must have excellent communication skills and a passion for learning

AQUARIUM HUSBANDRY

  • Purpose: Displaying live mollusks requires a high level of care. Help our expert aquarium husbandry staff care for these unique animals.

  • Location: Ground floor of the Museum

  • Responsibilities:

- Clean aquariums and associated life support system components

- Prepare a variety of animal foods

- Assist husbandry staff in other tasks and projects as needed

  • Available shifts: 

- Usually 8 AM – 12PM. Every day.

  • Minimum Time Commitment: 1 shift per week, for 6 months

  • Qualifications:

- Must have completed at least 6 months as an Aquarium Docent 

- Must be able to follow detailed direction and safety protocols

- Must be able to lift 15 pounds

- Must be able to stand, bend, stoop, squat, reach, climb a ladder, work safely around water, work in hot or cold environments

- Excellent attention to detail and communication skills

CHILDREN'S FIELD TRIP DOCENT

  • Purpose: To educate Lee County K-12 Students about mollusks and create lifelong learners.

  • Location: Various locations throughout the Shell Museum

  • Responsibilities:

- Supervise students
- Educate students based on outlines
- Make each student feel empowered by acknowledging their ideas and observations

  • Available shifts: 10am-12pm on field trip days. Monday through Friday.

  • Minimum Time Commitment: 5 field trips per school year

  • Qualifications:

- Must enjoy working with kids
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to follow lesson plan
- Experience teaching is a plus

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COMMUNITY SCIENCE

  • Purpose: To help the Museum gather important data about southwest Florida’s local land and aquatic mollusks!

 

Snail Search of Lee County

  • Location: Various areas in Lee County

  • Responsibilities: Look for land snails (or evidence of them) in various locations throughout Lee County. Document findings by taking photos and uploading them to iNaturalist.

  • Available Shifts: Flexible; can go as little or as often as desired.

  • Minimum Time Commitment: 1 hour training session beforehand; time commitment is flexible after training.

  • Requirements: Must have a cell phone or camera that can be used to take photos of snails or snail evidence, must be able to upload the images to iNaturalist through the cell phone app or computer website, and must have some knowledge of local land snail identification (provided at training). Must have the ability to walk short distances, crouch, stoop, and bend over without difficulty. 

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Live Mollusk Counts

  • Location: Various beaches on Sanibel Island.

  • Responsibilities: Look for aquatic mollusks on different stretches of beach and record findings. Turn in findings to Museum staff to be used in research.

  • Available Shifts: Low tide throughout the calendar year.

  • Minimum Time Commitment: 1 hour training session beforehand; must be able to walk the exact same stretch of beach at least 5x per year during low tide.

  • Requirements: Must have the ability to walk distances upwards of 1.5 miles at a time, crouch, stoop, and bend over without difficulty. Must have knowledge of local aquatic mollusk identification (some provided at training). Must be able to walk the exact same stretch of assigned beach at least 5 months per year during low tides to gather data. 

GREAT HALL OF SHELLS DOCENT

  • Purpose: To educate visitors about shells and the mollusks that create them. Engage with guests and enhance guest experience while in the Museum.

  • Location: Great Hall of Shells in Museum

  • Responsibilities:

- Engage with guests

- Educate guests about exhibits and answer questions

- Answer general Museum questions (restroom/vending location, hours, daily programs, etc.)

- Assist guests in finding the answers to scavenger hunt questions throughout the Hall

  • Available shifts: Usually 10 AM – 1 PM or 1 – 4 PM. Every day.

  • Minimum Time Commitment: Two shifts per month, for 3 months.

  • Qualifications:

- Must be friendly, accommodating, respectful, understanding, and helpful when dealing with the public

- Excellent communication skills

- Knowledge of mollusks or ability to learn

- Speaking a second language is a plus

GROUP TOUR DOCENT

  • Purpose: To educate groups of adults or children in the Museum, creating a memorable experience and molding life-long learners.

  • Location: Various locations throughout the Museum

  • Responsibilities:

- Supervise guests while in the Museum

- Educate group guests

- Answer guest questions and facilitate engagement 

  • Available shifts: Variable. Usually 2.5 hours.

  • Minimum Time Commitment: 5 group tours per year

  • Qualifications:

- Must enjoy working with kids and/or adults

- Excellent communication skills

- Ability to follow lesson plan

- Experience teaching is a plus

MOLLUSKS ON THE MOVE (K-12 OUTREACH)

  • Purpose: To educate the students of Lee & Collier Counties about local mollusks, their identification, and their habitats. To inspire each student to get outside and explore the natural world.

  • Location: Various schools throughout Lee & Collier Counties. May meet at the Museum to ride with a staff member or meet staff member at the school.

  • Responsibilities:

- Assist students with shell identification

- Distribute shell identification guides to students

- Assist trip leader with logistics

- Answer general mollusk biology questions

  • Available shifts: Variable, usually 5+ hours per day, but some days more than 8 hours. Usually begin before 8am. Monday through Friday

  • Minimum Time Commitment: 4 per school year

  • Qualifications:

- Must enjoy working with kids

- Excellent communication skills

- Fluent in Spanish a plus

- May be required to pass a background check per school district guidelines

MUSEUM STORE OR ADMISSIONS

  • Purpose: To assist staff and Director of Retail to create a special Museum and shopping experience. Help check in visitors at admissions, recommend products in the shop, price tag items behind the scenes, and much more. All Museum Store and Admissions sales are used to support the Museum’s Misson.

  • Location: Museum Store at the Shell Museum.

  • Responsibilities:

- Restock shelves

- Arrange items to look neat/attractive

- Greet customers and help them find merchandise

- Answer general Museum questions (restroom/vending location, hours, daily programs, etc.)

- Other miscellaneous retail store needs

  • Available shifts: 

- Flexible. Usually 10 AM – 1 PM or 1 – 4 PM. Every day.

  • Minimum Time Commitment: 2 shifts per month, for 3 months

  • Qualifications:

- Must be friendly, accommodating, respectful, understanding, and helpful when dealing with the public

- Must enjoy working with the public

- Must enjoy working with both children and adults

- Customer service experience is a plus

- Sales experience a plus

SHELL AMBASSADOR

  • Purpose: To educate interested beach goers about local mollusks and ecology. To share your enthusiasm with others and help create other life-long learners.

  • Location: Sanibel beaches.

  • Responsibilities:

- Follow all local, state, and federal laws

- Follow all Museum policies at all time

- Responsible for your own safety 

- Educate general public only after they approach you (you are not allowed to initiate engagement with anyone)​

  • Qualifications:

- Enthusiasm for mollusks

- Ability to learn shell identification, local beach ecology, and local laws

  • Dress Code:

- Shell Ambassador shirt

  • Special Notes:

- The Museum does not reimburse for beach parking fees, but does reimburse the Sanibel Causeway toll.

- Trainings are offered periodically through season (Dec – April) depending on need.

TOUCH POOL DOCENT

  • Purpose: To facilitate guest engagement, educate, and supervise guests touching mollusks at the Touch Pools. Create a unique and memorable experience for guests and help foster lifelong learning.

  • Location: Touch Pools in Museum

  • Responsibilities:

- Supervise guests 

- Ensure all guests wash hands 

- Educate guests about mollusks

- Engage with all guests

- Public speaking to individuals and small groups

  • Available shifts: 

- Usually 10 AM – 1:30 PM or 1:30 – 5 PM (with 30 minute break). Every day.

  • Minimum Time Commitment: 1 shift per week, for 3 months

  • Qualifications:

- Must have completed at least 3 months as an Aquarium Docent 

- Must enjoy working with both children and adults

- Excellent communication skills and a passion for learning

- Previous educating experience a plus

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