Internship Program

Animal Care, Marketing & Live-In Internships available

 

As a smaller animal sanctuary, interns are an essential part of the FPAS family. Internships are available year-round, and positions are filled on a rolling basis. We are seeking individuals who are passionate about animals and the environment; dependable, responsible, dedicated, and compassionate humans who want to make a difference. Internships are volunteer-based and therefore not paid. FPAS currently has no paid staff. Interns will be working with and learning from the FPAS Founder and Director.

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FPAS is not a typical animal rescue nor a traditional American farm. Our primary focus is the safety, happiness, and well-being of the animals who call our sanctuary home. They are here with us, not for us, and we are here to care for them. We don’t engage in farming for production or sell animal byproducts, and we are a vegan sanctuary, so we don’t allow meat or dairy products on the property. We consider our animal residents family and treat them as such. We do not breed or sell animals and adoptions are very rare. Instead, our sanctuary is a permanent, loving refuge where animals can live their lives freely.

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If you love animals, and want to make a difference, consider applying for an internship at Flying Pig Animal Sanctuary.

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Animal Care Internship

 

As an Animal Care Intern, you’ll gain valuable hands-on experience working with nearly 100 rescued farmed animals, along with a few exotic species. This immersive opportunity offers a deep understanding of what it takes to care for animals in a sanctuary environment. You’ll learn to provide care for a variety of species, and while you'll be expected to work with all of the animals, your internship can be tailored to align with your specific interests.

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Qualifications:

•   Must be 18+ years old 

•   Must be able to commit 12 hours a week (2-3 days a week: 4-6-hour shifts a day) with a 4-month                 commitment.

•   Respect for our animal residents as individuals and part of our family

•   Willingness to learn our compassionate approach to animal rescue and care

•   Must demonstrate enthusiasm and good judgment while working with residents, volunteers and visitors

•   Must be able to work indoors and outdoors in all South Ga weather conditions, including but not limited to:      rain, heat, cold, wind, sun, humidity, bugs and even the rare snow

•   Ability to lift bales of hay/straw and unload 50 lb bags of feed

•   Able to stand, walk for extended periods, and occasionally climb ladders

•   Attention to detail—especially regarding resident safety

•   Must demonstrate communication skills and be able to follow both written and verbal instructions

•   Needs to work well both independently and as part of a team

•   Must be dependable, punctual, and efficient with time

•   Flexible and open to a variety of tasks

•   Comfortable working with pigs, donkeys, goats, birds, dogs, cats, and a 100 lb tortoise

•   Comfortable around wildlife (frogs, toads, spiders, and the occasional mouse or snake)

•   Understand and respect the philosophy and mission of FPAS

•   Experience working with animals is preferred but not required 

•   Must be willing to work one event a month, which may include weekends or holidays

•   Must be in college, have a degree, or related experience to apply

•   Must have reliable transportation and be able to navigate to the sanctuary and offsite events

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What you'll learn:
    •    How to feed and care for many different species of rescued animals 

    •    Best practices for enrichment, animal health checks and compassionate care 

    •    Simple organic gardening techniques and what plants the animals can and can't eat

    •    Ways to promote sustainability and regenerative practices in sanctuary life 

    •    Basic carpentry, fence repair, and grounds maintenance skills 

    •    How to engage the public in outreach, education and fundraising

 

Responsibilities:

    •    Preparing food (chopping produce, making supplement/enrichment treats, cooking eggs for residents)    

    •    Assisting with am animal feeding

    •    Providing daily enrichment for residents (e.g., treat toys, gathering weeds/limbs for snacks, belly rubs)

    •    Assisting with preparing daily meds, routine health checks and minor medical care

    •    Cleaning houses/barns/coops and enclosures (raking, scooping, spot-cleaning, removing cobwebs, etc.)

    •    Cleaning and refilling water bowls, pools, and wallows

    •    Washing feed dishes and doing animal laundry

    •    Observing animals for behavioral or health concerns

    •    Grooming donkeys and guardian dogs, applying sunscreen to pigs and fly spray to residents as needed

    •    Grounds maintenance (dragging the pasture, removing toxic plants, repairing fencing)

    •    Shadowing staff in areas outside animal care

    •    Other tasks as needed

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Benefits:

    •    Learn from and connect with our animal residents

    •    Work alongside like-minded and compassionate animal advocates

    •    Gain valuable skills and experience

    •    Make professional contacts and references

    •    Potential for academic credit

    •    Invitations to special events and complimentary merch

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Marketing Internship

 

As a marketing intern you'll learn to educate the public on animal welfare and wildlife conservation.  where you will develop your educational and marketing skills. Tailor your internship to your interests and use your creative and marketing skills to help FPAS reach more followers, gain supporters, create local partnerships and spread conservation messages to help our planet and the animals we share it with. 

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Qualifications:

• Must be 18+ years old 

• Must be able to commit to 1 project a week (approximately 4 hours) with a 4-month commitment, approximately 16 weeks.

• Must have internet access and a computer for remote work

• Basic familiarity with Canva, Google, Facebook, Instagram and similar

• Experience working in marketing, sales, or social media is preferred but not required

• Photo/video editing or graphic design skills preferred but not required

• Must demonstrate communication skills and be able to follow directions

• Must demonstrate enthusiasm and good judgment while working at the sanctuary

• Must be punctual and display time management skills

• Must be willing to work at least one event, which may include weekends or holidays

• Must be able to work outdoors in all weather conditions when visiting the sanctuary

• Must be in college, have a degree, or related experience to apply

• Must have reliable transportation and be able to navigate successfully to the sanctuary and events

• No prior animal experience required

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What you'll learn:

• Non-profit marketing skills

• Valuable education and communication skills

• Multitasking and time management skills

• Develop design and creative skills 

• How to apply your marketing skills to real-world situations

• Social media management and administrative skills

• How to work with a team of both people and animals

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Responsibilities:

• You will be helping FPAS to market the nonprofit with the goal of getting more followers, supporters, and sponsors to help FPAS continue to grow and improve.

• You will be responsible for completing one project each week. This will include projects such as:

  • Taking and editing photos/videos, scheduling multiple social media posts, ambassador work, creating marketing materials, making phone calls and more

• You will be required to come to 2 in-person events at the sanctuary or offsite.

• You will be required to come to the sanctuary once a week to take photos and videos of the animals, learn some of their stories and see how the sanctuary runs.

• You will be required to have a weekly video or in person meeting with our Director to discuss weekly projects. Can be combined with sanctuary visit. 

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Benefits:

• Make professional contacts and references

• Potential for academic credit

• Invitations to special events and complimentary merch

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Live-In Internship

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For those who aren’t local or for anyone wanting to fully immerse themselves in sanctuary life, we offer an on-site living option in our guest room. Live-in internships are available on a case-by-case basis and are offered in exchange for a more "full-time" commitment.  As a live-in intern, you’ll experience every aspect of farm and sanctuary life—caring for our rescued animals, tending to our quaint organic memorial garden, helping us expand sustainability and regenerative practices, assisting with building and construction projects, and engaging in fundraising and outreach within the community. 

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Qualifications:

•    Must be 18+ years old

•    Must be able to commit to 6 hours a day, 5 days a week (30 hours/week) with a 2 month commitment. Shift       times/days are flexible but usually look something like 8 am-12 pm and 5-7pm.  

•    Respect for our animal residents as individuals and part of our family

•    Willingness to learn our compassionate approach to animal rescue and care

•    Respectful, professional attitude toward staff, volunteers, and visitors

•    Comfortable working in all weather conditions (hot, cold, rain, and even the rare snow)

•    Ability to lift bales of hay/straw and unload 50 lb bags of feed

•    Able to stand, walk for extended periods, and occasionally climb ladders

•    Attention to detail—especially regarding resident safety

•    Able to follow both written and verbal instructions

•    Works well both independently and as part of a team

•    Must be dependable, punctual, and efficient with time

•    Flexible and open to a variety of tasks

•    Comfortable working with pigs, donkeys, goats, birds, dogs, cats, and a 100 lb tortoise

•    Comfortable around wildlife (frogs, toads, spiders, and the occasional mouse or snake)

•    Understand and respect the philosophy and mission of FPAS   ​

•    Reliable transportation a plus. We are rural and do not go to town often

•    Experience working with animals is preferred but not required 

•    Must be in college, have a degree, or related experience to apply​

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What you'll learn:
    •    How to feed and care for many different species of rescued animals 

    •    Best practices for enrichment, animal health checks and compassionate care 

    •    Simple organic gardening techniques 

    •    Ways to promote sustainability and regenerative practices in sanctuary life 

    •    Basic carpentry, fence repair, and grounds maintenance skills 

    •    How to engage the public in outreach, education and fundraising

 

Responsibilities:

• Preparing food (chopping produce, making supplement/enrichment treats, cooking eggs for residents)    

• Assisting with am/pm animal feeding

• Providing daily enrichment for residents (e.g., treat toys, gathering weeds/limbs for snacks, belly rubs)

• Assisting with preparing daily meds, routine health checks and minor medical care

• Cleaning houses/barns/coops and enclosures (raking, scooping, spot-cleaning, removing cobwebs, etc.)

• Cleaning and refilling water bowls, pools, and wallows

• Washing dishes and doing laundry

• Cleaning and organizing staff/volunteer workspaces (e.g., barn office and workshop)

• Observing animals for behavioral or health concerns

• Grooming donkeys and guardian dogs, applying sunscreen to pigs and fly spray to residents as needed

• Grounds maintenance (dragging the pasture, removing toxic plants, repairing fencing)

• Planting and caring for flowers, herbs, and garden vegetables 

• Watering the garden and fruit trees during dry periods 

• Pruning trees and weeding (usually feeding to animals)

• Shadowing staff in areas outside animal care

• Assisting with fence installation and repair

• Grounds maintenance

• Basic carpentry

• Assisting with social media and outreach

• Other tasks as needed​​​

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Please Note: Life at the sanctuary, and on a farm is unpredictable. A sick resident, a broken fence, or an emergency rescue are just a few examples of unexpected situations that can interrupt our routine. Important projects are often delayed when more urgent needs arise. Interns should be flexible, adaptable, and able to quickly shift from one task to another as priorities change.

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Benefits:

    •    Learn from and connect with our animal residents

    •    Work alongside like-minded and compassionate animal advocates

    •    Gain valuable skills and experience

    •    Make professional contacts and references

    •    Potential for academic credit

    •    Invitations to special events and complimentary merch

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ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

• Live-in interns will live in the house with Founder & Director, Skye and her daughter Summer. You will stay in the guest room and use a shared bath. You're welcome to share meals with the family or prepare their own vegan meals. Cleaning up after yourself is expected.

• This is an unpaid internship. If you need academic credit for the internship, we can work with you to see if our program meets your requirements. 

• Our community volunteers typically visit once a week, during which we usually work on group projects. This provides a great opportunity to meet others in the area, build team-working skills, and learn from shared experiences.​​

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Live-In Internships here at FPAS provide a very unique opportunity to work directly with a variety of animals of all ages, in a peaceful, and positive environment. While at the same time, learning the inns and outs of a small, grassroots, home-based non-profit. Become fully immersed in sanctuary life, sharing in both the daily rhythms and the heart of our work. From preparing and sharing meals with the FPAS family, to waking up and tucking in the animals, to joining us on errands and behind-the-scenes tasks, it’s a true behind the scenes experience of life at the sanctuary.​

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Have more questions about interning? Check out our FAQ!

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Application Process:

1. Submit an application

2. E-mail resume and two letters of recommendation with emails and phone numbers to skye@flyingpiganimalsanctuary.org 

3. Brief phone interview

4. In-person working interview (8am-12pm) If not local we can do a video interview

5. Internship offer

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Changing the world, one animal at a time.