Join Intern Abroad HQ, the world’s most affordable international internship organization, and invest in your future with a Marine Ecology Internship in Greece.
 
If you’re interested in enhancing your knowledge of healthy marine environments and the flow-on effect for marine life, this is for you! Marine ecosystems undergo continuous change, whether related to climate change or anthropogenic impacts. Marine Ecology interns in Greece gain practical experience across a range of survey methods. Contribute to hands-on data collection activities and research across a range of focus areas. All Marine Ecology internships are designed to help develop your leadership initiatives, teamwork, and independent research study skills.

This program offers durations of 8-24 weeks from April through October and 4-24 weeks from November through March. Start dates are available every first and third Monday throughout the year.

Your fully-hosted experience includes sourcing of your internship placement, personalization of your project plan, airport pick-up, orientation, accommodation, meals, and onsite student support. See our full list of fees and inclusions on our website.
 
Suitable for students, graduates and researchers of marine, ecological and environmental sciences. Applicants must be able to contribute both independently and as part of a dynamic, multicultural, multidisciplinary team. Technical skills such as data entry, statistical analysis, knowledge of the marine environment, and experience with scientific surveying are encouraged.

This internship is conducted in English.
 
Marine Ecology interns provide valuable support to ongoing conservation efforts in the Mediterranean. Whether assisting as part of a project group or using your own initiative to develop specialized research, there are broad opportunities to conduct fieldwork, data collection, and analysis. Take pride in real-world experiences and efforts to inform local conservation and environmental management activities, while strengthening your understanding of healthy marine environments.

The Marine Ecology internship program in Greece is primarily based in the island of Samos, situated in the eastern Aegean Sea. The beautiful location provides excellent opportunities for year-round conservation activities, including occasional access to other research sites on nearby islands. Samos has a steady tourist industry and, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has interesting historical sites and attractions to enjoy.

Interns in this field may support the program in either a general role - collaborating on current research topics - or in a more specialized role, where you have time and scope to contribute one pre-defined project. Depending on your goals and academic level, proactive participants can collect data for independent research purposes, or simply take the learning opportunity to broadly increase important conservation skill sets. There can be a large intern-to-supervisor ratio on this program, so interns with specific research goals should come prepared with ideas.

The Marine Ecology internships can involve day-trip or multi-day sea expeditions, since the conservation institute operates dedicated research vessels. Likewise, kayak, and snorkel activities are also conducted. Some examples of activities are:

• Experimental replanting of Posidonia oceanica seagrass with environmentally friendly methods.
• Quantifying the capacity of carbon sequestration and oxygen production in Posidonia seagrass meadows.
• Mapping of seagrass meadows and coralligenous reefs using GIS and boat-based surveys.
• Assessing anthropogenic impacts (such as illegal trawling activity).

Trips are supervised by a qualified and experienced team, who additionally assist to analyze and interpret information, used to inform local conservation and environmental management strategies. Importantly, all research is developed in close cooperation with the local communities, authorities, NGOs and national and institutional institutions.

In addition to the examples outlined above, other project activities can be related to:

• Using visual and camera based surveys to monitor the behavior, presence and environmental conditions of fish, algae and invertebrates. These techniques can help to assess the biodiversity and health of coastal ecosystems.
• Monitoring invasive species, helping determine their presence and impact on native populations.
• Assessing the effect microplastics have on fish populations, sediment, invertebrates, and seagrass.

If you have multiple interests or projects that span different themes, it is possible to assist other teams with diverse areas of focus. This is something you can discuss directly with your supervisor or in advance, in planning stages for your internship. Preferences are subject to availability, as conservation and research priorities vary throughout the year.

Conservation operations and Marine Ecology internships run year-round and a flexible mentality is required. Activities can vary as all field work is subject to weather conditions. Over the winter months, interns should expect less boat, kayak and snorkeling surveys, and more supporting tasks related to other aspects of marine ecology and microplastic assessment in the laboratory. Interns often enjoy scope to become involved with a range of opportunities, whether related to environmental awareness campaigns, public relations, education initiatives within the community, and more.

Interns must come prepared to assist with office/admin based activities, in addition to hands-on fieldwork. All tasks related to data collection and data analysis in the field require follow up work on a computer, which is an essential aspect of research and scientific progression. Prior to participating on certain surveys, all interns are required to complete theoretical training/preparation tasks related to species identification, data sheets, etc.

In all cases, interns should expect that the first week of your experience will focus on settling in, building new relationships, gaining introductory and foundational knowledge. Being able to balance the motivation to get stuck in as soon as possible must be balanced with teamwork, patience, the willingness to try new things, achieve learning milestones, and ask questions as you progress.

You might find yourself using equipment to collect and analyze data, using software and other methods, which are all new to you - however, this can greatly benefit your future career, as it adds so much more practical experience to your resume! A commitment to responsible communication and self-management is required. Supervisors will assign tasks and projects but interns are required to organize and put suitable timelines in place for achieving the best outcome.
 
Intern Abroad HQ's Greece programs are available year-round, with start dates every first and third Monday.

Intern Abroad HQ provides the most affordable and top-rated programs. Check out our intern reviews on our website.

We match you with innovative and entrepreneurial host organizations around the world that give you the opportunity to make a real contribution on high-impact projects with the support of travel experts with an outstanding safety system and track record.

Our experiential learning approach provides a structured and guided platform for you to think critically about your experiences on your internship. It accelerates and deepens your learning by asking self-reflective questions around the contexts, actions, and outcomes of your placement.

Academic credit is available for all experiences, through our School of Record partnerships with University of Montana (1-5 credits) and Warren Wilson College (6-16 credits). Check in with your academic advisor to understand if you can apply these transfer credits toward your degree at your home institution.

We offer flexible booking and free changes so you can register with confidence.
 
Apply for free: Complete an online application form via the Intern Abroad HQ website.

• Select your start date and duration: All Intern Abroad HQ programs are available year-round and you can choose to intern for durations on this program ranging from 4 to 24 weeks.
• Complete your registration: After you have been accepted on your chosen program, you can secure your place by paying the Deposit.
• Pay your Balance: This is due 60 days before your program starts.

Need to make changes to your booking? You can make free unlimited changes to your destination, project and dates up until 60 days before you start.