Marine internship programmes

The UK marine industry is a flourishing sector that offers diverse and fulfilling careers across the country; from marine ecology, renewable energy, to fisheries and more.  

The Crown Estate works in partnership with other organisations in the marine sector to offer full-time, paid internship programmes to people interested in a career in the marine environment, helping to nurture a diverse, skilled workforce that the marine industry needs for a sustainable future.  

Key details:

• The internships run for six months between June and December each year

• Interns are paid the Real Living Wage (those based in London, London Living Wage)  

• Five different internship programmes in 5 different locations across the UK: Kendal (Cumbria), Horncastle (Lincolnshire), Bangor (North Wales), Pembroke Dock (South Wales), and London/Maidstone (Kent)  

• Two interns per programme

• Applications are typically open mid-March to mid-April. For 2026, the application window opens on 9th March and runs to 12th April.   

To find out more about the internships, please explore the summaries below, watch the videos, or read the FAQs here for information on internships and applying.  

You can also explore the Marine Internship Hub, hosted on the Marine Data Exchange, to find out more about our marine internships, read monthly newsletters and learn about previous internship projects.   

You can hear from some of our most recent interns on the Marine Futures Internship in Wales in the video below:

Marine Futures internship

North West England

Application status: OPEN

Applications for 2026 opened on 9th March and will close on 12th April .  

To apply, please follow this link to the Cumbria Wildlife Trust advert.   

The Marine Futures North West internship programme is predominantly based in Cumbria and was set up in 2018. It is funded by The Crown Estate and managed by Cumbria Wildlife Trust, in partnership with The Crown Estate, Natural England and Ørsted. Each partner organisation provides opportunities for the interns to develop skills and gain experience in specialist areas from marine conservation and community engagement to renewable energy.  

The Northwest Marine Futures internship offers a well-rounded experience where Interns have the chance to collaborate with leading experts, conduct hands-on fieldwork, and help run community outreach initiatives. They also gain valuable insights into the latest trends and challenges in the renewable energy sector, particularly offshore wind.  

The latest interns worked on exciting research projects mapping historic oyster distribution in the Northwest, helped run various community outreach events and got involved in stakeholder engagement. The interns had the opportunity to take part in various training courses. You can read more about the programme and some of the previous interns here: Marine Futures North West Internship | Living Seas North West .  

North Sea East Coast

Application stats: OPEN

Applications for 2026 opened on 9th March and will close on 12th April .  

To apply, please follow this link to the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust advert.   

 The Marine Futures East Coast internship programme is predominantly based in Lincolnshire, and was set up in 2023. It is funded by The Crown Estate and managed by Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, in partnership with The Crown Estate, Natural England and Ørsted. Through these partners, the internship offers a holistic programme enabling work experience opportunities in renewable energy, marine ecology and community engagement.  

Last year's interns took part in exciting activities, such as working on the Wilder Humber project and attending the ReMeMaRe conference, as well as a diverse variety of surveying, habitat restoration and attending conferences across the UK, where they built new relationships with experts across industry and academia. You can learn more about what the interns got up to by reading their blog: Blog: Internship | Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust  

North Wales

Application status: OPEN

Applications for 2026 opened on 9th March and will close on 12th April .  

To apply, please follow this link to the North Wales Wildlife Trust advert.   

The Programme is funded by The Crown Estate, project managed by North Wales Wildlife Trust and run in partnership with M-SParc, Menter Môn and Natural Resources Wales. It was set up in 2024 and is predominately based in Bangor.  

Each partner organisation provides opportunities for the intern to develop on-the-job skills in specialist areas including marine conservation advice, sustainable fisheries, renewable energy development, marine policy, and community engagement. Welsh language skills are also a key focus of the internship, and candidates will need to have the ability to hold informal conversations in a work setting through the medium of Welsh, and an understanding of Welsh culture, heritage and identity.  

Through the programme the intern will be offered experience and a balanced view on a career in the marine environment and how different sectors can work together. The intern will get the chance to undertake an independent research project focussing on a topic that is relevant to all partners. Additional activities will include stakeholder engagement, creating virtual educational outreach materials and ecological fieldwork. You can learn more about what previous interns got up to by reading their blog: Blog: Marine internships | North Wales Wildlife Trust 

South Wales

Application status: OPEN

Applications for 2026 opened on 9th March and will close on 12th April.  

To apply, please follow this link to the Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum advert.   

The Marine Futures: South Wales programme was launched in 2026 and is predominately based in Pembroke Dock. It is funded by The Crown Estate, project managed by Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum, and run in partnership with Natural Resources Wales and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult.  

Each partner organisation provides opportunities for the interns to develop skills in specialist areas including ocean literacy, community engagement, marine policy and renewable energy development. While developing these skills, the successful interns will also build an understanding of how these organisations work together, what role these organisations play in the overall marine sector and complete the internship with a network of relevant contacts for their future career. The internship will have a specific focus on the Marine Energy Test Area (META). An understanding of Welsh culture, heritage, language and identity is essential for the South Wales application.

The successful interns will undertake activities which include stakeholder engagement, creating educational outreach materials, ecological fieldwork, delivering media interviews and presentations, understanding health & safety at work, and participating in online meetings, training, conferences and webinars.  

Coast Explorer Internship

London and Kent

Application status: OPEN

Applications for 2026 opened on 9th March and will close on 12th April.  

To apply, please follow this link to the Adonis Blue advert.   

The Coast Explorer internship programme offers a unique opportunity for candidates interested in a career in the marine environment to gain skills, knowledge and experience relating to this exciting field.  

Based in London and Kent, the internship programme is funded by The Crown Estate and run in partnership with Vattenfall, Canterbury City Council and project managed by Adonis Blue Environmental Consultants (part of the Kent Wildlife Trust Group). Through these partners, the internship offers a holistic programme enabling work experience opportunities in renewable energy, marine ecology and community engagement.  

Developing from the Coast Explorer Environmental Programme which began in 2013, the Coast Explorer Internship Programme was developed in 2016 and has run every summer since. Previous interns have gone on to flourish in careers within the marine sector. You can learn more about what previous interns got up to by reading the blogs available here: Blog - Adonis Blue Environmental Consultants  

Marine Research Internship

London

Application Status: CLOSED  

The position is currently filled.  

An internship position based at The Crown Estate for six months to work across a variety of research topics of strategic importance to the team at The Crown Estate who manages the seabed and approximately half of the foreshore around England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  

Internship programme information

You can find out more information about the Marine Internship Programmes and how to apply to them by reading our FAQ or hear from some of our recent interns by visiting the internship hub on the Marine Data Exchange here.