Voluntary work at AAP

The volunteers at AAP are invaluable! Without the help of over 200 volunteers we would not be able to do our work.

The volunteers at AAP work as tour guides, animal caretakers, receptionists or drivers of the animal ambulance, but there are many more possibilities. You can get to work at our location in Almere or Villena (Spain). Are you coming to reinforce our team?

These are the open volunteer vacancies:

primate rehabilitation assistant
Born to be Wild

AAP is looking for volunteers at our rehabilitation location in Morocco to support the Born to be Wild project. We are currently looking for candidates who are available for the months of December, January, February and March 2024.

Animal care

You will mainly focus on the cleaning activities in and around the animal houses.

Central Kitchen

At the Central Kitchen you will prepare food for the animals using digital diet lists.

animal care (with housing)

A unique opportunity to volunteer at our rescue center in the Netherlands (Almere) with accommodation included!
Without volunteers
there can be no AAP!
Are you coming to reinforce our team?

Questions & answers - voluntary work at AAP

When considering being a volunteer or intern at AAP you might have a lot of questions. We have already answered the most frequently asked questions for you.
There are no specific requirements needed unless specified, we highly value your motivation and expect you to have affinity with the objections of AAP.
Unfortunately not. Being a charity organization means our only means of generating money for the centre is through donations which is filtered throughout our organizations departments to keep the centre going.
AAP Spain: we offer a small lunch compensation and for interns we also compensate the commuting costs (max 200km 2-way) as they need to find their own place to stay.

AAP The Netherlands: For volunteers we offer a commuting compensation: if you travel by public transport we cover all costs. If you travel by car we cover €0,19 per km to max 200km a day. For volunteers the lunch on working days is free.
There is no difference in the tasks set for volunteers or interns. An intern is someone who comes here for practical work experience as part of their school or university, therefore those persons usually have their own project work to do besides the daily tasks. The longer you are working as an intern or volunteer at AAP the more responsibilities you will get.
Yes the minimum age is 16 in the Netherlands and 18 in Spain.

AAP Spain: We only accept interns/volunteers for a minimum of 3 months. There are exceptions but we really aim for this minimum of 3 months.

AAP The Netherlands: For all demands regarding internships in animal care look at our internship webpage. For volunteer work the minimum is 1 day a week for at least 12 weeks or 1 month continuously (workweeks of 4 or 5 days).

AAP Spain: Full time 40 hours a week. We make exceptions for the local volunteers but preferably as many as possible.

AAP The Netherlands: This varies per department but we always have a strong preference for volunteers working full days (08.30 – 17.10) over half days. For interns only full workweeks are possible.
AAP Spain: we do have housing available for volunteers, interns have to arrange their own accommodation.

AAP The Netherlands: AAP has two volunteer houses in Almere but both are usually occupied by volunteers from the European Solidarity Corps (ESC). In some cases we do have space available in one of the houses, this will be than actively communicated via our website. So in most cases you have to arrange your own accommodation.
No, due to law and legislation only people from whit in the EU are able to apply for a volunteer job or internship at AAP.
No. We are an international organization and our main language at AAP is English. Therefor we expect you to have a good level of English.
Yes however, if your internship is in animal care keep in mind that the animals will need caring for every day of the year. So we do expect you to work in weekends and on some holidays.
Firstly, it is important to have a good state of health and physical condition. If you have restrictions of any kind or that can affect your tasks we must be made aware of this upfront so we can try to see if there are possibilities with some adjustments to make a personalized schedule within our working environment.
No, there is no fee to be paid.

Voluntary work via European Solidarity Corps

Volunteers play a crucial role at AAP and they are as much part of the AAP-family as our regular staff. So it’s no wonder young people from all over Europe are interested in volunteering at our rescue facilities in The Netherlands and Spain!
Want to know more about volunteering?
Is your question not listed?
Then feel free to contact the volunteer coordinator Esther Ent.

Telephone number: +31 (0)36 523 87 87
E-mail: vrijwilligerswerk@aap.nl
Esther Ent