Zoo Keeper
- Thread starter Andy DC
- Start date
headkeeper
Member
the best thing to do is volunteer.
Stefka
Well-Known Member
It´s not easy. Even to get a position as a volunteer can be a problem. Last time they were hiring volunteers they had 300 applicants fo 30 position. And even if you become a volunteer, it won´t guarantee you a job in future.
I was talking with one Dublin Zoo employee recently and she said that the situation changed rapidly over the past few years. Before, there was nobody with proper qualification and people simply worked they way up. But now, with all the schools and courses available, there is a lot of qualified people to do that, so the competition is strong.
So a course is not enough either. You would need not only qualification and experience, but also something "extra", some kind of expertise they don´t have at the moment.
But don´t give up! Even if you won´t get to Dublin Zoo, there are other things you can do as an animal lover!
I was talking with one Dublin Zoo employee recently and she said that the situation changed rapidly over the past few years. Before, there was nobody with proper qualification and people simply worked they way up. But now, with all the schools and courses available, there is a lot of qualified people to do that, so the competition is strong.
So a course is not enough either. You would need not only qualification and experience, but also something "extra", some kind of expertise they don´t have at the moment.
But don´t give up! Even if you won´t get to Dublin Zoo, there are other things you can do as an animal lover!
I know that almost all major American zoos only hire keepers who have full university degrees in an applicable subject (zoology, biology, etc). The days of being unqualified and working your way up in a zoo are long gone, unless it is at an unaccredited institution that is privately owned. Reid Park Zoo in Arizona had 150 people apply for one keeper job, and 50 applicants had a university degree. The first 100 applicants that weren't qualified were immediately eliminated, and then the remaining 50 with degrees had to fight it out for the one vacant position.