Job description –
wildlife demonstrator
Company
profile:
Snakebusters, Independently rated Australia’s best reptiles, are expanding and need new staff.
Our
company and recognized trademarks is the recognized market leader and dominant
player in terms of business in reptile related education, demonstrations, snake catching,
research and media in all markets we compete in. This includes, shopping malls, schools, universities, major events, snake handling courses and so on,
with business ranging across various spectra to include childcare centers, old
person’s homes, other businesses, government agencies and so on. The company director, Australia's Snake Man Raymond Hoser is an
unrivalled internationally regarded icon in terms of Australian wildlife conservation and
research and is a compelling competitive advantage for the company. Other currently employed staff are of
similar high standard, most of whom have species of reptiles named in their honour.
Job
description:
In
the first instance and after training, the successful applicants will be required
to do live reptile demonstrations at all manner of venues in a manner
consistent with our accepted reputation.
These include highest standards in all regards, including animal
welfare, person-to-person dealings, Australia's only hands-on reptiles shows, where people are allowed to hold the animals (as opposed boring "static displays" or dull "show and tell" of all our less experienced rivals), and most importantly giving the accurate information our company is known for. The
successful applicant will be expected to maintain our company’s Australia-wide
leadership in terms of quality “deadly” snake shows, “hands on reptiles” by the
public, and accurate information dissemination to persons ranging from
recognized experts to young children and all levels in between.
After
appropriate training the applicant will also engage in other aspects of
maintaining and growing our business, including wildlife care, emergency
wildlife removals and relocations, maintenance of our own world leading
state-of-the-art reptile-breeding and research facility, and various
administrative and maintenance work.
In
essence the job primarily involves using some of Australia’s most spectacular
reptiles for the purposes of educating the public and deriving income at the
same time.
Safety:
As
world leaders in safety, we only use venomoid (devenomized snakes) at all
venomous snake demonstrations. We also
adhere to all other proper safety protocols.
In Victoria it is now illegal under Sect 32 of the OH and S Act 2004 to
use snakes with venom glands intact for any demonstrations to the public, making Snakebusters the only legal venomous snake shows in Victoria.
Furthermore, our company has invested heavily in world-best safety barriers,
signage, “pits” and the like, used as needed, with our safety standards set
well above the statutory standards.
However
as the job may include caring for deadly snakes (e.g. offspring of venomoids)
or relocations, successful applicants will be required to sign and adhere to an
agreement that includes an indemnity against damages claims from venomous bites
potentially arising from such circumstances.
Snakebusters are alone in terms of the major zoos and demonstrators in
Australia to have a perfect (zero adverse bites) safety record for all our staff
whether on or “off” the job. We intend
keeping this.
Persons
with any past safety breaches (including any bites requiring anti-venom), even
if many years prior, or a cavalier attitude to reptile safety or reptile
welfare need not apply.
The
person:
The
successful applicant must fit the company profile and be of the highest caliber
in all relevant ways. They must be
honest and willing to learn. The
applicant must be ready to work hard when needs require, including without
notice and including in difficult situations and if and when live reptiles
demand extra care, or clients make what may at times be unreasonable
demands. There will be rural, interstate and possible international travel, although the company base is on a large allotment in
suburban Melbourne.
This
is NOT a 9 to 5 job!
Because
Snakebusters promote integrity, environmental values, public welfare and
health, the applicant must have a proven track record in all areas. This means they will have no criminal
history, pass integrity tests and credit checks, be physically fit and healthy,
not overweight, not a smoker, or use drugs of any form except for legitimate medical
reasons. Age, sex and marital status
are not relevant so long as other criteria are satisfied, although local
Victorian laws prohibit us from employing persons under 18.
The
successful applicant must be a legal resident of Australia, licenced to drive
and be prepared to live within a 30 minute drive of our base in Melbourne’s
Eastern suburbs.
Our
staff must always be of friendly disposition and present themselves in a manner
not likely to offend any reasonable person.
They must be willing to deal with all kinds of people, regardless of
age, sex, race, intellectual ability or other variables, and this includes the
successful applicant here.
Experience:
We
prefer applicants with experience with reptiles and they must have a genuine interest in
wildlife-related matters. Tertiary
qualifications are preferred.
However
the quality of experience is critically important.
Expertise must be verified and verifiable. Unsubstantiated and unverifiable claims will result in immediate
exclusion from the employment process.
Those persons claiming expertise must ensure that they have been
properly trained by appropriately qualified persons and if certificates
acquired, then from a source that itself has appropriate expertise (more than 20 verifiable years expertise with reptiles and over 10 publications in peer reviewed journals as sole or senior author). In common with other industry leaders, we do
not recognize so called “snake handling certificates” or similar as issued by
several newly licenced providers from Vic, Qld, and elsewhere (some of whom
falsely claim expertise) and as a rule, do not employ persons with these
“certificates” due to the fact that it is harder for us to “untrain” a person
who has learnt the wrong way rather than for example to teach a novice from
scratch.
We
do not recognize the internet as a valid source of learning about reptiles due
to the inherent inaccuracy of much information found there including on so-called "chat forums".
Other:
All
our staff have appropriate “police checks”, “working with children checks”,
worksafe clearance and various other permits and/or approvals as part of an
increasingly complex legal regime in which we operate. Failure to acquire these as required, or on
application will usually result in exclusion from the employment process.
Salary:
Above
award rates by negotiation, including superannuation, etc.
Format
of application:
It
must be in writing and this should include the following and (preferably) in
this order:
·
Name
·
Age
·
Contact details
·
Recent photo
·
Past and present employment history
·
Qualifications
·
Details of experience in handling, keeping, catching and
studying wildlife
·
List of any and all wildlife-related publications (copies
not required in the first instance)
·
Relevant experience or information not covered above
·
A brief summary as to why the applicant wants and is suited to
the position
·
Name and contact details of personal references to good character, etc.
Applications
should be sent in writing only to:
Director:
SNAKEBUSTERS
PO
Box 599
Doncaster,
Vic, 3114
Australia
Further
notes:
Applications
will only be acknowledged via e-mail as received if a valid e-mail address is
provided.
However
we don’t accept applications via e-mail.
E-mailed
applications will be ignored.
Applicants
should retain a copy of their application in the unlikely event the copy sent
is either lost or goes missing.
Due
to the schedule at Snakebusters and the frequency of unexpected interruptions,
applications may take some time to be viewed and assessed. Applicants that fit eligibility criteria
(above) not interviewed and/or offered a position in the first instance will
have their applications kept on file in the event of later job offers.
The
first interviews and/or job offer relevant to this application (as presented here) is anticipated
to be within 6 months. However there are likely to be further positions available in the future and hence we will accept and hold written applications indefinitely pending new positions becoming available.
Due
the time lag involved in acquiring statutory legal paperwork that is beyond the
control of Snakebusters, there may be a substantial time lag (some months)
between acceptance for the position and commencement of employment.
SNAKEBUSTERS - Australia's best reptiles:
This file is online at:
http://www.smuggled.com/SBSJD1.htm
World first - Artificial insemination in Australian snakes and lizards.