If you are an animal lover with a penchant for teaching, Georgina Cairns has one of the most enviable jobs in the world.  

For the past three years, Georgina Cairns’ classroom has looked a lot different to other teachers. 

That’s because Georgina has been working for diocesan schools including Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) as an education officer at Taronga Zoo Sydney, where she has been sharing her passion for all things animals with students across NSW. 

What is your job and what does it involve? 

My position as a Taronga Zoo education officer is very diverse and combines my passion for teaching and wildlife. I deliver school workshops on the zoo grounds and often in the immersive classrooms to students from Kindergarten all the way up to Year 12. 

I also get the opportunity to travel around NSW to bring the zoo workshops and animals into classrooms. In addition to teaching, I am responsible for the coordination of various projects including digital programs, the Taronga Zoomobile and Project Koala.

What do you love about your job? 
Every day I get to teach in the amazing immersive classrooms. These classrooms are animal exhibits which give students a unique opportunity to interact with wildlife. The animals move freely around the classroom and are conditioned to display natural behaviours. 

Each classroom is themed around an iconic habitat including desert, rainforest and woodland environments. Animals in each classroom include Greater Bilbies, Cotton-top Tamarins, Bush Stone Curlews and Nicobar Pigeons. 

“Seeing the student’s faces light up when they see monkeys running across vines or echidnas waddling around the classroom is a highlight for me”

I get to share my passion for wildlife with schools, not only at the zoo but by travelling …