I was an English major, and I'm currently working at a law firm, the second job I've had like this. I'm feeling more and more that I'd like to work at a zoo, aquarium, or animal shelter. Well, the zoos seem to want sciencey backgrounds, but the worst of it is, all of these places seem to only take volunteers for the good jobs, especially animal shelters. Don't some people WORK there? I want to be paid, you know.

How do I find these jobs, if they exist? I've looked at web sites, but they're all for volunteers.

i bet its b/c, that people tend to stick around b/c they are passionate, animals don't talk back to you, and they are grossly underfunded.

I dont have any advice, but I did think that this thread had to do with animal fetish or something, the "animal scene". Like, how do I break into the scene of dressing up like a kitty and being led around on a leash. hehe!

i think that for the most part, people who get paid jobs in places like that a) volunteered for a long time and/or b)have other non-profit type experience.


also, misshawklet, I also giggled and clicked thinking it had to do with some fetish

what kind of shelter work are you looking for?
do you have animal related experience? i might be able to help you out

I don't have extensive animal related experience, but I worked at a children's library through high school and college where I tended animals - they had an iguana and hamsters and stuff. I also have volunteered at a cat shelter. I just want to work with animals in some way. I realize that I may have to volunteer my butt off to even get close to getting paid for something like that, but it's what I really want to do.

My aunt got a job at a vet's office. Initially she was just helping clean cages, assisting during visits, etc, but she's now worked her way up to office manager. I don't think she had any particular prior training other than always having a bunch of pets. Not sure if that's typical or if she just got lucky though.

Have you thought about doing a vet tech program? There are a ton of people who are willing to volunteer for zoos, aquariums, and animal shelters, hence the lack of paying positions for relatively unskilled work. Often times, volunteer positions are more like internships for high school students and college undergrads with an interest in exotic/aquatic animal medicine/bio/the environmental science fields. The "animal scene" (tee hee) is actually pretty competitive if you have no degree (Edit to be more specific: no degree in animal medicine or the biological sciences) and are looking to work with the animals themselves.

On the other hand...if you're interested in working in development or administration for a zoo or aquarium, it might be easier considering your education/work background. Try looking at things like idealist.org and your local non-profit development association website; it may take a little looking and a little networking, but if you have an English degree and some solid administrative skills, you should be able to find work in community education, events, or development and fundraising (although it will probably mean a paycut).

I don't have to work directly with animals, but I do want to work FOR them. (Does that make sense?) So yeah, I'd like to find an admin job. There's just not much out there now, I guess. I'll explore the vet tech option.

I didn't mean to be a downer in my post!

Have you looked at Idealist? There has to be a non-profit development association in Chicago which has job postings and events where you could network. I don't know if you've done any professional writing after getting out of school, but most larger non-profits (like zoos and larger branches of the Humane Society) have community ed/PR departments which could use good writers, and non-profits are always hungry for admins with corporate experience and a certain level of professionalism. You may also see more admin/entry level development/community ed/PR positions closer to the end of the fiscal year.

There are so many ways to get into animal work. Obviously many are non-paying, and most are low-paying! I used to work at an animal shelter and some do hire vet techs, animal care people, trainers, adoption coordinators, etc. Many have a full-time fund-raising staff person.

Here are some other ideas:

Wildlife rehabilitation (very few paying)
Zoos and aquariums
Bird field jobs (http://birds.cornell.edu/OSNA/ORNJOBS.htm)
Working at national parks/state parks/etc-- many have education programs
Arboretum
Vet tech or vet receptionist
Petsitting (it can pay well!)

There are some other ideas on this web page... http://wfsc.tamu.edu/jobs/job_view.cfm
-- mostly for wildlife-related, not pet-related

This site might give you some ideas:
>http://www.canoe.ca/CareerConnectionNews/040225_animallovers.html



Can you contact zoos or places you might like to work in your area and ask them about employment opportunities and what qualifications you might need?



Working with animals would be great: good luck!

This reminds me of a thought I had the other day, watching some program about apes. I was so amazed and for a brief period sat there thinking how wonderful it would be to work with primates. Alas, I have no real science/wildlife educational background. I told my boyfriend and he said (semi-jokingly) that even if I went and got my masters, PhD etc, not everyone can work with primates and i'd probably end up working with New Jersey ground squirrels!

hey voodoo didnt forget about you

do you like cats?
how do you feel about a caretaker or adoption counselor position at a shelter?

see how crafts solve everything?

my aunt works as a zoo keeper in the World of Birds at the Bronx Zoo. She has no education in this type of thing (she got her PhD in Sociology). she began by volunteering and then put her name on a waiting list for a paid position. I think it took her a little over a year to get the job, but she's been working there for years now and really likes it.

Thanks for all the suggestions, girls. I think I'll try and get a volunteer position I can handle while working full time, and maybe when I'm on the inside I can find out how to be a full employee.

Hey, everyone! I just joined the group and thought I'd respond to this topic. I've worked at our local animal shelter for 12 years. I started out cleaning kennels. I had minimal experience (volunteer work at a zoo and some animal-related college courses). Since starting, I've worked in almost every department. I now supervise the intake and reclaim offices. I do all of the hiring for that department. The jobs I supervise are entry level positions--in fact, about 85% of shelter positions are considered entry level. They pay minimum wage and have a lot of frustration. Even if you are not working with upset people, you are having to deal with the neverending influx of new animals, some of them suffering or aggressive. I don't really look for someone with animal experience when I'm interviewing. I look for someone with a good work ethic and an interest in animal welfare. If you don't mind a low-paying job to start out, you should have no trouble getting a job at a shelter if you have a true desire to work in the animal field. Don't forget--animals don't take holidays! Expect to work weekends, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.
Oh, I've worked at a zoo, too (not the one I volunteered at). It was essentially the same thing--minimum wage to start, lots of physical labor, ignorant customers demanding unreasonable requests from animals...
Ginger