How to Teach in the Animal Care Sector
Teaching within the animal care and welfare sector is an opportunity to help likeminded, passionate people to achieve their career goals.
Like many other professions, careers within animal care require specific qualifications to practice safely and legally. As such, animal care teachers provide an essential service to train up the next generation of dog groomers, animal hydrotherapists and more.
There are some excellent opportunities around the world that help educate, train and tutor animal care professionals.
Teaching is a popular career for those who have a passion for learning and development, however, many people are unaware of the alternative teaching and tutoring roles that exist within the animal care sector.
To become an animal care teacher requires training and study, but you can broaden your knowledge through volunteering and work experience. This will help your employment prospects once you have qualified.
We outline some of the things you need to consider ahead of embarking on this fun, engaging and rewarding career.
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What skills do you need to train animal care professionals?
To be an effective teacher, you need to possess excellent communication skills, a positive outlook, a willingness to learn and a desire to share knowledge with others.
It is also great if you have a natural eye for detail – especially when you are marking or assessing work, and even more so when animals are also thrown into the mix.
An animal care tutor or instructor will need to adapt to the individual’s learning and development needs as well as have sound knowledge, understanding and confidence to work alongside animals. As an example, a trained dog grooming tutor should also have a passion for dogs and have experience in canine behaviour.
An animal educator will spend a lot of time reading, writing, and marking and should have an interest in theoretical animal studies. So, any additional interests in animals, species or behaviour will also help with a career in teaching.
Where do animal educators or teachers work?
You can find these sorts of roles within Animal Charities, Small Animal Businesses, Colleges, Universities, and even Veterinary Practices.
Educators in animal care can hold a variety of job titles including Technical Instructor, Animal Technician, Animal Lecturer, Animal Charity Manager and even tutors for Animal Volunteers.
Some teachers and instructors in animal education have previous training or used to work full time in Veterinary Care, Small Animal Hydrotherapy or even Canine Behaviour. This is a great career choice for those who are looking for a career change but also want to utilise their existing experience and valuable expertise.
Here is a list of careers that would provide a perfect foundation for teaching animal professionals:
• Small Animal Hydrotherapist• Animal Physiotherapist
• Dog Groomer
• Canine Behaviourist
• Feline Behaviorist
• Animal Welfare Officer
• Kennel Manager
• Veterinary Surgeon or Practitioner
• Canine Nutritionist
• Animal Technician or Instructor
How do you teach in an animal setting?
Teaching in the animal sector is a little bit different to normal teaching. For starters, you will be teaching adults over the age of 16, as this is the legal age for employees in the UK to work with animals in a professional capacity. Therefore having the confidence to work alongside adults is important for this role.
There are a few different scenarios where you could be teaching as an educator in the animal sector. For example, you could be an online tutor, where you will be supporting students and marketing and reviewing assignments. On the other hand, you could be located at a practical training centre where you will be actively instructing, monitoring, and assessing animal professionals whilst they work.
Dog Grooming training centres have qualified educators, tutors, and assessors helping the students with their training and development. Working as an educator in the animal care sector can vary and will depend on which animals, and what sort of organisation you work for.
A confident educator in animal care will know the following:
• Know how to create effective learning sessions with clear objectives
• Value needs of learners and understanding barriers to learning
• Implement effective methods of assessments
• Know how to create a safe learning environment
• Be able to select and use appropriate reflection models
How do you apply for jobs in teaching with animals?
Teachers in animal care are in high demand, not least because it is a lesser-known profession. This presents you with a high chance of employment once you have gained the necessary qualifications.
As with mainstream education, the more qualifications and experience you have, the more roles you can apply for. Volunteer work, relevant paid employment and study will all help you to get the job that’s right for you.
These types of roles are generally available at Animal Charities, Dog Kennels and Colleges, but they can also be found in any animal care setting that delivers staff or volunteer training or on popular animal job boards such as www.animaljobsdirect.com.
Take the time to identify the role that you think will be the best fit before you enrol on any courses to use your time efficiently. If you’re unclear on what qualifications you’ll need to meet your chosen profession's requirements, contact your course provider for clarification.
Animal Courses Direct is one of the UK’s largest online training providers of Ofqual regulated Qualifications for Professionals in the Animal Care Sector. We also offer a broad range of quality endorsed courses, continued professional development and online webinars.
All our courses are designed to enhance career and employment prospects in the Animal Care, Canine, Feline and Wildlife sectors around the world.
Discover more animal careers and training opportunities by visiting our animal career advice pages. Alternatively, you can contact us directly to speak to a student career advisor by calling 0120 200 640.
Also, if you adore animals, you can keep track of all upcoming animal awareness days and events with our FREE calendar! Download it here.
