Love people as much as you love wildlife? Apply to be a volunteer Perth Zoo Docent! (volunteer). The Perth Zoo Docent Association is looking for friendly, outgoing people 18 years and over, who are good communicators, physically fit and can commit at least two days a month from 9am until 3pm.

We will be holding a volunteer information session on Saturday 12 April 2025. 

We’ll start in the Zoo’s comfortable theatre, then one of our experienced Docents will walk with you around the Zoo and show you exactly what being a Docent entails. Interviews will also take place on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 April, 2025. Successful applicants will then be required to undertake an intensive training course across every Saturday between 3 May and 5 July 2025.

For more information on becoming a Docent, please click here. 

What are Docents?

Docents belong to a separately incorporated organisation which is a significant and valued partner to Perth Zoo – the Perth Zoo Docent Association (Inc). ‘Docent’ is derived from the latin docere, meaning ‘to teach’.

What Docents Do?

Docents provide the ‘unexpected’ – including informal talks about animals, tours on foot and by vehicle, directions and general visitor information. Docents become especially skilled in “edu-tainment” to promote the Zoo’s conservation mission.  Docents are people who love animals but primarily they are people who love people.

No Pay, No Perks?  

Becoming a Docent is a no pay role, but it is definitely not a no perks role. You will be in the fantastic Zoo environment, have access to a varied social life with dynamic people, gain as much wildlife knowledge as you want and develop both professional and personal skills. There are regular opportunities to help out at events, at children’s activities and closely watching animals for behavioural studies. You can become as involved as suits you. We only ask for a minimum commitment of a regular one-day per fortnight.

Where Do I Sign?

The Perth Zoo Docent Association is fortunate to have more people interested in joining than empty spots available. To make sure you get the fairest and best opportunities to join, the Association recruits once a year just before the intensive ten-Saturday training program.

There is a minimum age requirement of 18 years. The cost of training is $130, which includes your first year’s membership fee, training materials, police check and morning teas. Membership is $50 per year thereafter.

Training

Trainee guides must be dedicated, outgoing people who enjoy interacting with the public. They need excellent communication and people skills. The Perth Zoo Docent Training course is structured to provide information and to develop the communication skills required.

Exhilarating and interesting, the course is very intensive. It runs for ten consecutive Saturday mornings and attendance is mandatory. Each session lasts five hours approximately. At the end of the ten weeks, trainees will undertake four shadowing duties under the guidance of an experienced Docent.  

As one of the main duties of a docent is to provide information and tours for Zoo visitors, tour guiding skills form a major component of this course. During the ten weeks of the course trainee docents must perform three talks, which will be assessed to determine if they have reached the required standard. 

Shadow Period

Following the ten-week training course, trainee Docents enter a shadowing period of two months where they observe an experienced Docent perform a variety of duties. For each of these months, trainee Docents must commit to two rostered days. Attendance is mandatory.

Acceptance into the Perth Zoo Docent Association is subject to successful completion of the training course and the two-month shadow period.

Graduation for the successful trainees is held at the end of August and rostered duties commence from 1 September. Newly graduated Docents have a 12-duty probation period, for the transition into Docent life. 

If you have questions that the application form cannot answer, please contact Perth Zoo Reception on 08 9474 0444 or email reception@perthzoo.wa.gov.au