zookeeper

food service supervisor

security supervisor

maintenance person

caterer

Wildlife Conservation Society

WCS is an organization that has a long history and is deeply connected with the NYC Parks Department. Central operations (HR, Payroll, Payables, etc.) are run from the Bronx Zoo offices. This review is from my time working at the Central Park Zoo office, but all the city zoos are basically run the same, with Central Park and Bronx Zoo offices being used for meetings.

The work environment and most coworkers are pleasant, but there is a group at the Bronx Zoo that is resistant to using more efficient technology for scheduling, etc.  WCS are just getting onboard with SAP and still submit paper timesheets to payroll!  The offices are antiquated, with sections renovated here and there. There is a silo effect in that each city zoo, including the NY Aquarium, is an outpost of its own, with no team-building efforts to bring a sense of unity between the workers in different offices, who can get at odds with each other. 

The hardest part of the job was the difficulty faced to implement technology practices that are commonplace in the private sector. Most are long-time workers that have been there 10 years or more and they are resistant to change.    

The most enjoyable part of the job was being able to visit the zoo animals every day at lunchtime!

A typical day at work would be;
1. Getting settled then read emails first
2. Check voice mails if any
3. Check copy machine for paper and toners (full/empty)
4. Grabbing the mail and placing them in mailboxes
5. Filing invoices, payment request forms and contracts
6. Walking over documents

(administrative work) etc

It really depends on what department you work for. Things like feild or office and part-time or full-time can unfortunetly make an impact on your experience as an employee at WCS. Depends on your work ethics too. As well as your pride. You decide which battle to pick. Some aren't even worth it. Just get the job done and go home happy. :)

A day starts with a morning announcement to zoo staff pertaining to openings and closing of different attractions and changes availability of certain team members of different departments. Then comes a day of relaying radio transmissions and directing issues to the appropriate teams, filing of reports and updating spreadsheets. I learned how to really deal with an office space outside of a bank and the more relaxed and far less aggressive space it provides. 
Co-workers here, however, aren't too friendly too friendly to new-comers. My predecessor was my main source of information in how to get things done in the fashion with which business is done here usually. The office team is lackadaisical, unopen to new ideas, disorganised, and really without a sense of camaraderie. Management is helpful but again, really unopen to new ideas and change. 
Really, the hardest part is getting past my own team in just expediting work that's being done. On the other hand, working with WCS and aiding a great organisation in achieving an admirable goal gives one a great feeling that they're contributing to something bigger.

Working at the zoo, a typical day would be starting at 6am, gathering things to load up the truck. Afterwards, I would get a task breakdown of what was delivered and where I would have to store those items within the park. Working here, I learned to have patience. Patience was key because I would have to drive through the park when it became open to the public to transport these items to their destination. It was always a high volume of guests which made it challenging to maneuver and get the job done before my shift was complete. 

The team that I worked with was always enthused about doing their job and very helpful which made the workload a bit easier however, we also needed to have independency which I enforced half of my time working there. I would say there was no challenges within this job because I have a strong work ethic and there is nothing ever to hard for me. In addition, I collaborate well with others and if I ever needed help I know that I can always reach out to my team members.

The most enjoyable part was being able to take the initiative to interact with guest although my job required me to do a lot of backstage work.

10 years later MGMT revolves faster then a spinning door, Upper MGMT, Toxic supervisors and directors with failed leadership abilities with no capability to promote the society's Core Values to Encourage and support employee growth had been the biggest upset in my 10 years. Working both Union and Non Union. HR could care less about solving these issues and just continue to train employees on how to be degraded at work by Toxic Managers and Directors that the Society's answer to all serious issues. No support for a middle management supervisors in a declining society structure, and no accountability for Directors and curators when they continue to fail in there positions. Employees moral ends up Super low for those that stay, and Turn around is Super High for the Smart ones who don't stand the abuse. 

Review requirements for the days' activities; assigning duties to team followed by a briefing and special announcements.
Communicate with staff from other departments concerning special events or tours. Verifying cart availability for guest transport. 
Sending team on their appointent rounds by 10am.
Public speaking is required and you learn to tailor your talks and tours to a different audience based on the toopic and age of the group.
Co-workiers have specific areas where they prefer to work so an attempt to accommodate them can be a challenge if we need coverage in other areas.
Making sure everyone is in compliance of park protocol.
The most rewarding aspect of working at the WCS is knowing you made a positive difference in the visitor experience. Also, providing the wildlife staff with the support they need, whether it is bringing attention to WCS concervation efforts or providing assistance in monitoring and reporting wildlife response to enrichment stimuli.

A typical day would start with the cleaning of the equipment and making sure there was enough supplies for the day. Next there was meeting to go over anything unique for the day. The day would consist of me being posted at various stations around the zoo providing education for the public and guidance for the teen volunteers on quest topics. 
At the end of the day there would be cleanup and then a wrap-up meeting to discuss if anything of note came up during the day.

Provided learning experience as teaching techniques improved from day to day. 

Excellent co-workers. 

Hardest part of the job was balancing education for a very wrong crowd and an older crowd, trying to make the information enriching for both.

The most enjoyable was the many interactions with guests who understood things and had very fun questions.

A typical day started with me taking a walk through the park and recording its sanitary condition. I then gathered my team and assign then areas for the day. Their jobs were to keep the park litter free and safe. I loved working there. Every day was a new experience with the animals and visitors. The fact that I learned about animals both old and new to myself was a great plus for me. Management was fair and reasonable when it came to dealing with their employees. My co-workers were like family to me. We worked together as a team to make sure all areas were taken care of. The hardest part in my opinion was working outside in 90+ degree temperatures. The most enjoyable part I would say was the learning opportunities and room for advancement.

The Dancing Crane Café located in the Central Park Zoo overall is a very busy, fast-paced restaurant. Due to its location the prices for food and drinks are very expensive compared to the prices in the deli's and supermarkets. There is a lot of hard labor and the superiors are always very demanding and inconsiderate. In my experience working there I did not enjoy it at all. The only somewhat decent aspect was working outside selling ice cream away from everyone else. Personally I felt I was being talked down to, disrespected, and none of my efforts were appreciated. The hardest part was having to lift the inventory and other items used for selling onto very high shelves and having to hoard heavy frozen bags of ice cream to the to other side of the zoo without help.

Working at the Bronx Zoo I was always busy and always had work to do. I did multiple jobs here from membership sales, to office team leader, and a training assistant. A lot of the management team here were very outgoing and helpful but some were not and had favoritism. My manager was great to work with and very understanding. The hardest part of the job was getting all the work done on time and the information had to be very accurate. I did work for all five parks and 6 departments in each park. The most enjoyable part was my co workers. We worked great together and never had any issues being a team. I learned a lot here about animals who were endangered and all the effort the Wildlife Conservation Society puts into saving them.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Zookeeper 4 salaries reported	$47,250 per year
Food service supervisor 2 salaries reported	$32.00 per hour
Security supervisor 1 salary reported	$58,250 per year
Maintenance person 2 salaries reported	$46,465 per year
Caterer 2 salaries reported	$72,500 per year

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