Annual Salary
£23,000 to £48,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Agriculture or Environment or go back to all job sectors
Swap to Agriculture or Environment or go back to all job sectors
Zoologists study animals and their behaviour.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; attending events or appointments
There will be
2.4% more Zoologist jobs in 2027.
As a zoologist, you could work in agriculture, conservation, pharmaceuticals or for government departments.
You'll usually specialise in an area like:
Depending on your role, sector and specialism, you could:
You could work in a laboratory or at a research facility.
Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time and you'll travel often.
You can get into this job by doing a university course.
You could study for a degree in a subject, such as:
You may need a relevant postgraduate qualification like a master's degree or PhD for certain jobs, particularly in research.
Some degree courses offer a placement year where you can get relevant experience in areas like conservation.
Doing an internship during the summer holidays can also help you gain useful knowledge and skills. Your university careers department will be able to give you information about opportunities. They may also have links with wildlife or conservation organisations in the UK or overseas.
You'll usually need:
Volunteering in conservation work is a good way to strengthen your application for university courses.
Many opportunities won't be advertised, so you could contact organisations directly.
You can also use sites like:
You can search for zoology, conservation and ecology opportunities online, for example through sites like Conservation Jobs.
You can find out more about careers and training in zoology from the Institute of Zoology or from other specialist organisations, depending on your interest:British Ornithologists' Union; British Herpetological Society; British Ecological Society
As an experienced zoologist, you could become a research manager. You might also work with zoos on wildlife conservation projects, or overseas on habitat and conservation management assignments.
In an academic post in higher education, you could progress to senior fellow or professor and lead your own research team. You might also supervise postgraduate research students, or work in scientific journalism.
You can get more details about research career development options through Vitae.
You can find more details about careers and training in zoology from the Institute of Zoology.
You'll need: