Animal technician
Animal Care

How to become an animal technician

You can get into this job through:

• a university course
• a college course
• an apprenticeship

University

You could do a higher national diploma or degree in:

• pharmacology
• biology
• animal studies
• animal care

University (Entry requirements)

You'll usually need:

• 2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent, including a science, for a degree

College

You could do a Level 3 Diploma in:

• animal care
• animal studies
• applied science
• animal management

College (Entry requirements)

You may need:

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course

Apprenticeship

You could get into this job through an animal technologist advanced apprenticeship.

Apprenticeship (Entry requirements)

You'll usually need:

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

More info

Career tips

Working with animals or in a lab may help improve your chances of finding a job or training.

You could get work experience:

• on a farm
• in kennels, an animal welfare centre or zoo
• in a laboratory setting

Further information

You'll find out more about careers and training from the Institute of Animal Technology.

What it takes

Skills & Knowledge

You'll need:

• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• the ability to work well with others
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• the ability to use your initiative
• sensitivity and understanding
• customer service skills
• thinking and reasoning skills
• excellent verbal communication skills
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

What you'll do

Day to day

Your day-to-day duties might include:

• providing exercise, food and water
• carrying out regular observations
• making sure that animals are clean, comfortable and behaving as expected
• controlling heating, lighting and humidity
• monitoring weight and growth
• keeping accurate records

Working environment

You could work at a research facility. Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time. You may need to wear protective clothing.

Career path and progression

Career path & progression

With experience, you could become a senior animal technologist, unit or section supervisor or manager. You could also specialise in breeding, immunology or training.