Annual Salary
£16,000 to £28,000
Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Assistance dog trainers and instructors train dogs that help people to maintain their independence, like guide dogs.
Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends; occasionally
There will be
5.4% more Assistance dog trainer jobs in 2027.
In this job, you'll:
You could work at a client's business or at a client's home.
Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers and you'll travel often.
You can get into this job through:
You could do a course at college which may give you some of the skills and knowledge needed to do this job.
Courses include:
You'll usually need:
You may be able to start by doing an intermediate apprenticeship as an animal care and welfare assistant.
With experience, you could move onto an animal trainer higher apprenticeship.
You'll usually need:
You could get into this job by starting as a kennel worker then move on to training dogs and working with their owners.
You could gain experience of working with dogs and using positive training techniques through volunteering.
This might include:
Do IT has more information on voluntary opportunities in your area.
You can apply directly for jobs if you've got some experience of working with dogs.
You'll need:
Depending on the people they support, some employers may also ask for more specific skills like:
You'll need to:
You can find out more about becoming an assistance dog trainer from:Guide Dogs; Hearing Dogs for Deaf People; Dogs for Good; Canine Partners; Dog A.I.D.; Assistance Dogs UK
With experience you could become an area team supervisor, training manager or regional manager.
You could move into related jobs like veterinary nurse or RSPCA inspector.
You could also set up your own business and provide services like dog behaviour classes or private dog training.
You'll need: