Jobs with Animals Abroad

Love wildlife? Keen to turn this into a full time job and career? Find paid jobs with animals around the world. Lots of companies hire staff to work helping animals in the UK, Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania and Latin America. Short term positions for seasonal roles e.g. summer are available, as well as full time careers.

Latest Animal and Wildlife Vacancies

These companies are hiring staff to work with animals now:

Where to Find Employment

You can find jobs all around the world. These are some of the recruiters and places which hire most staff:

• NGO’s
• Wildlife conservation charities
• Wildlife sanctuaries
• Veterinaries
• Zoo’s
• Farms and ranches
• Summer camps
• Holiday parks and resorts

Courses & Training

Can I work with animals without a degree? Absolutely. While having a college degree will always give you an edge, there are roles where you won’t need one.

But if you want to get a job working hands on with animals most people study an animal related degree, we recommend: Animal Science, Dairy Science, Environmental Science, Exotic Animal Training and Management, Farm Management, Marine Biology, Veterinary Science, Wildlife or Zoology.

If you haven’t got a formal education or qualifications related to animals, you can still find work around the world. Some NGO’s and charities offer volunteering work abroad where you will get training and really get to make a difference. Several positions are available, some don’t even require any previous experience.

Species

You can find work with every species of animal you can think of, dogs, cats, birds, insects, lions, tigers, elephants, rhinos, monkeys, turtles, pandas and many more.

The Best Jobs and Careers for Animal Lovers

What are the best ways to get a paying job with animals? There are a lot of ways you can make money while being around animals. Let’s take a look at some careers you can consider.

Animal Shelters Assistant
Your job as an animal shelter assistant can include a variety of roles. Besides tending to injured and abandoned animals, you can even be involved in rescuing animals from cruel breeders and pet owners.
If the shelter takes in wild animals, it’s extremely satisfying to rehabilitate and release them into the wild when they’re ready. Another aspect of being an Animal Shelters Assistant entails looking after the shelter. From keeping it organized to grooming and feeding animals, this is a fulfilling and satisfying job.

Pet Store Assistant
Pet Stores always need well-educated and knowledgeable helpers who can contribute to the smooth running of the business. You don’t need to be a specialist for this job but if you have prior experience with pets, this one’s for you. As an employee, you may be asked to organize pet supplies, set up the display shelves, evaluate and monitor inventory, and help customers. If you love animals and enjoy communicating with other people who share your interest, this is a great way to spend your summer.

Pet Sitter
Pet sitting has become a sought-after job that pays well, especially in cities. Working as a pet sitter has many advantages like flexible hours and the opportunity to meet different animals. Depending on the owner, you can even work from home and freelance as a pet sitter. If you don’t mind taking care of animals 24 hours a day, pet sitting may be something you’d like to try.

Dog Walker
Dog walking is a popular job since all dogs need to be walked. It’s also the most common job for animal lovers. Many pet parents who are away for most of the day due to their work hire dog walkers who come to their homes and take the dogs for their daily walk. If you’re good with dogs and like spending time outdoors, consider being a dog walker.

Farm Hand
Working on a farm hand means working with farmers and helping them with their daily chores on the farms. As a farmhand, you’ll be in charge of feeding livestock and may even be asked to assist vets and farmers in animal health care. You’ll be delegated tasks like milking cows, keeping sheds clean, caring for calves, feeding animals, and so on. Expect a hard day’s work and a good night’s sleep since this requires a lot of physical labor.

Veterinary Assistant
What is the highest paying job with animals? The highest paying job that involves animals goes to veterinarians. However, as an assistant, you can still expect a handsome paycheck for your efforts.
As a veterinary assistant, you’ll be expected to perform a range of routine tasks like feeding animals and monitoring their vitals, bathing animals, providing first aid to emergency patients, supervising animals’ medications, and soothing stressed-out animals during procedures.

Park Naturalist
A list of jobs for animal lovers wouldn’t be complete without this role. While you get to learn about animal behaviors in their natural habitat, being a park naturalist also requires you to enjoy the rugged outdoors. A park naturalist’s duty is to learn about animal behaviour in their natural habitat. While on the job, you’ll spend time sharing your knowledge about the park’s flora and fauna with visitors. Park Naturalists also understand the importance of wildlife and nature conservation so if you’re an environmentalist and a conservationist, this job is for you.

Guide Dog Trainer
From leash training and aggression management to show-dog grooming and assisting with pet relocations, being a guide dog trainer requires that you know how to handle and train dogs. You’ll be dealing with small and large dog breeds, and of different behaviors so flexibility and patience are crucial qualities that you’ll be using in this role.

Stables Assistant
Love horses? Then consider becoming a stables assistant. Horse riding jobs are an excellent opportunity to learn more about these animals. From caring for mules and horses to keeping stables clean and organized, a stables assistant ensures the safety and health of horses. In this role, you’ll be watering and feeding horses, keeping them clean and grooming them, brushing their coats, cleaning out stables, saddles, bridles, riding the horses, and more.

Zoo Workers
Zoo workers look after all the animals on the property. Like the stables assistant job, being a zoo worker entails a lot of manual work like maintaining enclosures, feeding animals, and making sure the animals are healthy. If you love dealing with all kinds of animals and enjoy taking care of them, working as a zoo worker may be right up your alley.

Animal Therapist Assistant
As a therapist assistant, you’ll provide assistance to animal physical therapists who rehabilitate animals who’ve been injured, had surgery, been amputated, and suffer from chronic pain. If you’re interested in becoming an animal physical therapist someday, this is a wonderful opportunity where you can learn the ropes. You’ll assist animals with exercise and strengthening routines, help animals stretch and even massage them, and coordinate checkups and treatments with clients.

Pet Photographer
How can I make a lot of money working with animals? Creative, fun, and high-paying photography jobs where you can bring your love for photography together with their love for animals. There are many fur parents who just love having their pets’ photos taken so you’ll need to know how to work with pets to ensure that you get great pictures. Of course, this also requires you to have photography skills.

Wildlife Rehabilitation Interns
As an intern at wildlife rehabilitation centers, you’ll be responsible for the well-being of injured, orphaned, and sick wild animals. This job will take you to some of the most remote locations and you may have to trek through forests. If you’re up for an outdoor adventure, this could be the perfect job for you. Don’t worry about training either because interns are provided training.

Pet Blogger
If you have a flair for words and have a lot to say about animals, become a pet blogger. The job may not pay that well but if you’re serious about writing, you can use your blog as a sample of your work to give future employees an idea of your abilities.

Animal Caretaker
Animal caretakers work in animal shelters, pet care centers, kennels, and dog pounds. They bathe, feed, exercise, and groom animals. They also play with animals, record how they’re doing, clean and repair cages, and report any animal problems. Some jobs are paid whilst others are voluntary work.

Many people love animals but not all have the chance to work with them. While there aren’t a lot of high-paying jobs for animal lovers, animal-related jobs are fulfilling and generally less stressful than other roles.