Animal Care Worker
Also advertised as: Animal Attendant, animal care attendants, animal care provider, animal care worker, Animal Care Worker, animal cleaner
Feeds, cleans, exercises and monitors animals in kennels, rescues, zoos or farms.
What the job involves
Animal care workers handle the daily welfare of animals: feeding, cleaning, health checks, enrichment and record keeping. Roles range from boarding kennels and rescue centres to zoos and wildlife parks, usually entered with a Level 2 or 3 animal qualification or hands-on volunteering.
Typical responsibilities
- Feed, clean and exercise animals
- Monitor health and report concerns
- Provide enrichment and handling
- Maintain welfare and cleaning records
- Talk to owners or visitors
Common employers
- Rescue centres
- Boarding kennels and catteries
- Zoos and wildlife parks
- Veterinary practices
- Farms
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£19,000 – £23,000 a year
With experience
£24,000 – £29,000 a year
Typical hours
Early starts, weekends and bank holidays
Working environment
Outdoors and in animal housing
Remote working
on_site
Demand for this work
competitive
Pay ranges are indicative guidance drawn from advertised UK vacancies and published careers information. They are not an offer, and actual pay varies by employer, location and experience.
Skills and qualifications
Core skills
- Animal handling
- Observation
- Physical stamina
- Record keeping
- Hygiene standards
Transferable skills you may already have
- Volunteering with animals
- Outdoor physical work
- Following routines
Requirements employers ask for
- Animal handling
- Observation
- Physical stamina
- Record keeping
- Hygiene standards
- No formal qualification required; Level 2 animal care is common
- Licences apply to boarding, breeding and exotic animals
- manage animal hygiene
- anatomy of animals
- signs of animal illness
- environmental enrichment for animals
- animal nutrition
- manage animal biosecurity
- animal behaviour
- provide first aid to animals
- provide nutrition to animals
- monitor the welfare of animals
- control animal movement
- apply safe work practices in a veterinary setting
Useful but not essential
- Volunteering with animals
- Outdoor physical work
- Following routines
- Level 3 Animal Management
- Licensed activity training for boarding or breeding
- interview animal owners on animals' conditions
- deal with challenging people
- use different communication channels
- apply numeracy skills
- establish aquarium
- calculate rates per hours
- collaborate with animal related professionals
- scan an animal to locate a microchip
Helpful qualifications
- Level 3 Animal Management
- Licensed activity training for boarding or breeding
Licences and checks
- Licences apply to boarding, breeding and exotic animals
Ways into this career
A degree is only one route. Where an apprenticeship, work-experience or qualification route exists, it is listed here alongside the academic option.
Apprenticeships and work-based routes
- Animal Care and Welfare Assistant (Level 2)
- Animal Trainer (Level 3)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Animal management
- Related subject: Biology
Where this career can lead
next
Senior Animal Care Worker
next
Animal Care Manager
next
Veterinary Nurse
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Volunteering leads directly to paid work
- Physical outdoor variety
- Strongly vocational
What people find hard
- Low pay and competitive roles
- Physically hard in all weather
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a animal care worker?
- No. As well as degree routes, this career can be entered through an apprenticeship or by building experience and qualifications on the job. not_required
- How much does a animal care worker earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £19,000 to £23,000 a year, rising towards £29,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include Volunteering with animals, Outdoor physical work, Following routines.
Related careers
Veterinary Nurse
Provides nursing care to animals, assists in surgery and supports owners.
Dog Groomer
Bathes, clips and styles dogs, and spots health problems on the coat and skin.
Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 14 September 2026.
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