Apprenticeship

There are a range of animal worker apprenticeships to choose from, such as:

Animal Care and Welfare Assistant Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
Animal Care and Welfare Manager Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship

You can find them and explore the progression pathways for these on the Agricultural, environmental and animal care apprenticeship maps.

College

You could take a college course in animal care to get some of the skills and knowledge needed in this job, for example:
– animal care
– practical small animal care skills
– animal management
– pet care in retail
– T Level in Animal Care and Management

Job options

Volunteering is a very useful way to gain initial experience in the nature sector – you can search for volunteering opportunities on sites like:
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations
Do IT

Some of the bigger national animal charities that take volunteers, include:
Blue Cross
RSPCA
PDSA
Dogs Trust
Cats Protection
You may be able to find more animal welfare charities in your local area by searching online.

Direct application

You could apply directly for jobs. You may not need formal qualifications to start but it it will help if you’ve got some experience of working with animals.
For pet shop assistant roles, a background in retail or customer service could be useful.

University

You don’t need a degree to in most types of animal care (unless you want to be a vet). But if you’re interested in following an academic route, you could take a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree on relevant courses, including: environmental studies, rural resource management, countryside management and conservation.