Have you always wanted to work with animals but think you don’t have the qualifications? If you’re looking for jobs which involve working with animals without a degree, read our blog post and discover your dream career!
No Degree? You Can Still Work With Animals
Although you need a degree to become a vet, you don’t necessarily need a degree to work with animals! If you’re interested in working with animals without a degree, we’ve outlined some examples of great potential roles involving animals and animal care below.
Veterinary nurse or assistant
For the majority of roles in this area, you can train on the job – this means you don’t need a degree qualification to begin. You need to apply to an RCSV-registered practice which will allow you to train on the job until you get your full qualification. Veterinary nurses and assistants provide important, hands-on care for animals and work alongside veterinary surgeons in order to ensure the health and welfare of animal patients.
Animal care assistant
This type of role often becomes available in animal sanctuaries and rescue centres. Animal care assistants do incredibly valuable work to help vulnerable animals stay safe and healthy. If you’re looking at working with animals without a degree, this is a highly rewarding path to take.
Voluntary work
This may not be for you if you are looking for paid work, but a great way to get involved in working with animals without a degree is to do some voluntary work. This may involve raising money and awareness for animal charities. Experience doing animal-related voluntary work can also be very useful if you’re applying to train as a veterinary nurse.
Pet groomer
Not all pet care is carried out by vets; pet groomers play a very important part in looking after animals. Pets, particularly long-haired dogs and cats, often need frequent grooming sessions to ensure that they stay clean and healthy. If you are good with animals and are able to make them feel calm and relaxed in a strange environment, this may be a good career path for you!
Dog walker or dog sitter
Dog owners are busy people and many of them need an extra helping hand to walk and look after their dogs. You can either join a dog walking agency or another option is to set up your own dog-walking business, although this may take a little longer for you to make a name for yourself and get clients.
Riding instructor
If you’ve always dreamed of working with horses, a great career path for you could be teaching horse riding. This does require you to be experienced at riding but you don’t need a degree! Riding instructors usually work with a range of ages, so if you’re also interested in working with children as well as animals then this is a good job for you.
We hope this blog has reassured you that you can still be involved in working with animals without a degree! If you’re interested in becoming a veterinary nurse, check out our list of vacancies and opportunities!