When asked to do an internship or a job (December 2011)

It was necessary to clarify my professional situation.
Since I have been working with marine mammals, I have received hundreds of applications for internships and jobs with me.

It is impossible to give a favorable answer to these requests because I do not have my own company.
I am still employed by companies that are involved in tourism or research related to whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals and other marine species.

Sometimes I think about creating my own company related to research and the marine environment. I would then be surrounded by the best people I met during my travels. But this project is not possible in Canada because the place is not conducive to its development.

In the past, it was difficult to find an internship with cetaceans, especially in France. And when I found one, it was arranged not to be paid and to work as an ordinary employee, which is an advantage for the employers because it has everything to gain!

But you gain experience in the field. These encounters with scientists or in tourism as a volunteer were indispensable at my beginning. To create a business network in my field could only be done with my travels and the different places. I managed to put some money aside and accept not to be paid but to be fed and housed for free.

In your twenties, between studies, it is easy to accept this kind of volunteering, but afterwards you only accept a paid job. You spend energy and time and without a penny it is impossible!

I remember that during the year of the new millennium, I had started a job as a guide and assistant skipper for a Swiss NGO, it rented sailboats from Toulon to identify whales in the sanctuary "Pelagos" in the Mediterranean Sea. A great job but not paid. I was promised to be paid the next season. The following year, she contacted me again late in the summer and there was never a question of salary. I never followed up.

Often you will hear from managers that the job of the "whales" is exciting so you are lucky to do it! The remuneration is less important. Resumes arrive by the thousands in their offices and their choice is quick.

What I have just written is my experience as an intern, volunteer or minimum wage worker.
You will have difficulty finding or accepting them, but you must be patient and remain optimistic. There will be an employer who will accept you at a lower cost.

One day, if I create my company, you will be informed through my website and in specialized networks.