Animal service workers are people who work with animals. Aside from training them or playing with them, they may also do heavy work such as cleaning animal cages and restraining animals, risking their bodies to bites, scratches, or sometimes worse. They may do a lot of other things but their main responsibilities are to care for the animals, oversee the animals’ hygiene, and clean their habitats. Their work may involve crawling, bending, and kneeling repeatedly and the work setting can be noisy. They may also take the animals to competitions or occasions in other places. Animal service workers work in hospitals, parks, stables, or laboratories.
To be an animal service worker, one must have passion for working outdoors and be physically fit to withstand changing weather. One must also love animals and have experience working with animals. The hours of an animal service worker are often irregular and sometimes weekend reporting is needed. Most full-time service workers work about 40 hours a week and an aspiring animal service worker must be disciplined, strong, and patient.
In terms of education, certification is not usually required for animal service workers but completing a training program and getting a certification from any accredited organization is a big advantage and may boost one’s opportunities. Some animal service positions require a bachelor’s degree and some skills.
Animal service workers earn an average of $7.67 every hour. Local government animal service workers earned about $11.80, veterinary animal workers about $7.07, and those who work in membership organizations, about $7.18.