Pet shop assistant jobs

What the duties of the job include

Assistants working at pet stores are responsible for a wide range of activities, including providing care for the animals in the store, counseling customers on how to properly care for their pets, and managing inventory levels.

Your typical responsibilities can consist of the following:

Animal care, including the provision of food and water

Performing housekeeping on animal quarters

Grooming animals

Providing customers with advice on pet ownership and care

Selling supplies for the care of pets and ensuring enough supply levels

Examining the animals for any indications of sickness or injury

There are some pet businesses that offer a broad variety of animals, while others may be more specialized, such as stores that sell aquatic or exotic animals.

Personal traits

You will need to have a true enthusiasm for animals and a commitment to ensuring their well-being in order to be successful in this field. You will be in a position to guarantee that pet owners get the appropriate guidance in order to offer the level of care and attention that is deserved for their animal companions if you work at an establishment that specializes in the sale of pets.

You will need to be comfortable working with animals and have strong communication skills in order to be successful in this position.

Conditions of employment

The employment will often need you to put in a substantial amount of time on the weekends and may even require you to put in time during the nights, particularly in some of the more expansive pet shops.

There is often a choice between full-time and part-time employment.

Qualifications and experience are required.

There are no predetermined prerequisites for working in a pet store as an assistant; nevertheless, having previous experience with animals and obtaining a certification that is relevant to animals can make your resume more marketable and place you in a favorable position when applying for positions.

The following are some credentials that you may want to check into:

Level 2 Diploma in Animal Care

Level 3 Extended Diploma in Animal Management

Certificate of Competence in Animal Care at the Level 1 Work-based Level

Animal Care Practitioner with a Level 2 Qualification

Level 3 Certificate in the Fundamentals of Animal Management within a Retail Establishment

Getting one's foot in the door of the profession

Employers will look favorably upon any job experience, and having any work experience will frequently provide you a "foot in the door" if any openings occur in the future. You will also get genuine insight that will assist you in determining whether or not the employment is right for you.

Local newspapers, employment centers, and even the website of the Pet Industry Federation are some of the locations you might check for work openings at pet shops, such as job assistant positions. You might also drop off your resume at local pet stores in the event that they have any openings in the near future.

There is also the possibility that you may attain this employment by participating in an apprenticeship program. On the website of the National Apprenticeship Service, you can find a search function that allows you to look for available apprenticeships.

Compensation and advantages

The annual compensation might vary anywhere from £11,000 to £13,000 on average. The median annual salary for supervisors and managers is around £16 000.

Progression

There is a possibility that you may advance into a supervisory or management post, or even establish your own company, if you work hard enough. If this is the case, you should consider enrolling in the City & Guilds Level 3 Certificate in the Principles of Animal Management within a Store. This is an essential qualification for individuals who wish to be licensed to operate a pet shop and is acknowledged by local authorities when they are licensing premises.