All Shedd Aquarium volunteers are required to:

• Complete an application, background, and reference check

• Meet the minimum age for their desired role, currently 18+ for most roles.

• Attend a new volunteer orientation and any additional training that may be required for their role.

• Make a recurring commitment for the minimum length of time listed for their chosen role

• Exceed 40 hours of service per year

Volunteer applications will be open on a quarterly basis in January, April, July, and October. 

When applications are open, there will be a link within each available opportunity posting to a dedicated application form. 

We hope to connect with you in the future!

• Admission to the aquarium for you and guest tickets to share with friends and family

• A unique opportunity to see how Shedd works behind the scenes

• Discounts on gifts, food, and parking while volunteering

• Contribute to our mission of sparking compassion, curiosity and conservation for the aquatic animal world.

• Build relationships with diverse groups of staff members, volunteers and guests who share a passion for aquatic life

We strive to create the best experience for both our volunteers and our teams by selecting individuals whose interests and skills align with current needs. Due to the high level of interest in our volunteer opportunities, we may not be able to accommodate every applicant. We encourage you to check back regularly for future openings.

At this time our recurring volunteer roles are open to those at least age 18. Divers must be at least age 21. Our Shedd Action Days program is able to accommodate younger ages.

The vast majority of our roles require a recurring weekly or biweekly commitment for at least 3 months. Most shifts fall between the hours of 8am and 12pm. The Aquarium Host role is able to accommodate variable schedules. All volunteers must exceed 40 hours of service a year.

One-time, short-term, court-appointed, or school-service volunteer opportunities may be available through our Shedd Action Days program.

We offer discounted parking in the Soldier Field north garage for active volunteers. The cost is $8 per daily pass. The garage is a short walk from Shedd. The Museum Campus is also accessible by public transportation.

We are not able to accommodate job shadowing or informational interview requests at this time.

Our Shedd Action Days program offers a limited number of volunteer opportunities for community groups.

We also offer group volunteer opportunities to Corporate Partners at certain levels. Please note that due to limited capacity, corporate group Action Day opportunities are reserved for Shedd’s current corporate partners.

We have a variety of internships available throughout Shedd Aquarium. Please visit our Internships page for listings and application instructions.

Please visit our careers page for current opportunities.

Volunteering is never a guarantee of internships or employment. Volunteers are welcome to apply for positions if they meet the requirements. We do have many staff members who started as volunteers or interns.

Shedd Aquarium does not offer dive certification courses. Divers applying to the volunteer program must already be certified and have a certain number of logged open-water dives. Some dive positions require further certifications.

Please contact us at [email protected].

We will be hosting periodic virtual information sessions that provide an overview of Shedd’s volunteer program. While not required, participation is highly encouraged so you can make sure this is the right opportunity for you.

There is no cost to join our program. Volunteers do have to pay their own transit costs.

Please note, volunteer divers must cover the cost of their physical examinations in order to join the dive program and maintain eligibility to participate.

Volunteers wear a uniform that includes a royal blue t-shirt, black or dark gray bottoms, and closed-toe shoes. We provide the t-shirt, but volunteers need to provide their own bottoms and shoes.

Additional uniform top pieces are available for purchase.

Visible tattoos are permitted so long as they don’t contain obscene, profane, racist, sexual, or objectionable words or imagery. Head, face and neck tattoos are not allowed. Small ear gauges and nose piercings are allowed. No other visible pierced jewelry or body adornments are allowed, including tongue studs. For the safety of our animals, you may be asked to remove all jewelry, including piercings, during animal husbandry shifts.

At this time we do not offer summer volunteer opportunities in our formal volunteer program.

You are always welcome to participate in Shedd Action Days.