Annual Salary
£21,000 to £24,000
Average UK salary in 2024 was £37,430
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Agriculture or Environment or go back to all job sectors or go to green jobs
Swap to Agriculture or Environment or go back to all job sectors or go to green jobs
Animal care workers look after animals in kennels, rescue centres, pet shops and sanctuaries.
Average UK salary in 2024 was £37,430
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts
There will be
3.8% more Animal care worker jobs in 2029.
As an animal care worker, you could:
In a pet shop, you would also:
You could work at an animal welfare centre, at a wildlife park, in kennels or at a store.
Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time, physically demanding and dirty.
You can get into this job through:
You could take a college course in animal care to get some of the skills and knowledge needed in this job, for example:
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
You could apply for a place on an apprenticeship, such as:
These take between 1 and 2 years to complete, and combine work-based training with classroom study.
You'll usually need:
Volunteering is a good way to get experience of working with animals before you start looking for a job.
You can search for volunteering opportunities on sites like:
Some of the bigger national animal charities that take volunteers, include:
You may be able to find more animal welfare charities in your local area by searching online.
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.
Make sure to check online courses carefully. You may need to be working or volunteering with an organisation in order to complete the practical experience and assessment requirements of a course.
You can find out more about careers in animal care from:Lantra; National Land Based College UK
With experience, you could become a supervisor or manager at an animal centre or in a pet store.
You could be self-employed and run your own business, like dog walking, animal day care or pet sitting services. You may be able to open your own kennels or cattery, or set up an animal rescue charity.
You could also use your experience to move into related careers, like veterinary nursing, or find work in a conservation or wildlife park. There may also be opportunities to go into animal training as an assistance dog instructor.
You can find out more about careers in animal care from the National Land Based College UK and the College of Animal Welfare.
Animal Care Workers and Welfare Officers are needed in the West of England to help rescue and care for abandoned or injured domestic animals and also to protect and rehabilitate British wildlife species.
There are several different routes you can take to get into working as an animal care worker which you can explore further in the 'Routes into this job' section above.
Click here for an explanation of the different course and apprenticeship levels.
Click here to search for local providers
Click here to search for a local apprenticeship
As an animal care worker you could work in a local animal shelter or rescue centre. For more local employment opportunities see the 'Live job vacancies by region' section above.
Volunteering is a great way to build experience in animal care and may improve your chances of finding paid work. You can also build up contacts, which will be useful when looking for jobs. You can find local volunteering opportunities with: Secret World Wildlife Rescue, Avon Wildlife Trust and Somerset Wildlife Trust.
You'll need: