Animal massage therapist to animal handler
An animal massage therapist already meets 48% of what the animal handler role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
59.7/ 100
1 How much of what an animal handler is expected to do is already part of an animal massage therapist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the animal handler role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An animal handler role treats 14 of its required skills as things an animal massage therapist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- anatomy of animals
- animal behaviour
- animal welfare
- animal welfare legislation
- apply animal hygiene practices
- apply safe work practices in a veterinary setting
What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An animal handler role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an animal massage therapist background worth leading with.
- already held manage animal welfare handling and moving
- already held environmental enrichment for animals agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary
- already held apply safe work practices in a veterinary setting assisting and caring
- already held biosecurity related to animals agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary
- already held anatomy of animals natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held physiology of animals agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary
All 14 carried skills, including the 14 the animal handler role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn handle working animals required
- still to learn assess animal behaviour required
- still to learn control animal movement required
- still to learn implement exercise activities for animals required
- still to learn provide an enriching environment for animals required
- still to learn provide animal training required
- still to learn provide first aid to animals required
- still to learn provide nutrition to animals required
- optional, not held handle animals for semen collection optional
- optional, not held groom animals optional
- optional, not held maintain animal accommodation hygienic optional
- optional, not held maintain welfare of animals during transportation optional
- optional, not held understand the animal's situation optional
- optional, not held load animals for transportation optional
- still to learn treat animals ethically required
- still to learn safe work practices in a veterinary setting required
- optional, not held assess animal's condition optional
- optional, not held calculate rates per hours optional
- optional, not held take advantage of learning opportunities in veterinary science optional
- optional, not held apply numeracy skills optional
- optional, not held cope with challenging circumstances in the veterinary sector optional
- optional, not held make decisions regarding the animal's welfare optional
- optional, not held animal production science optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an animal handler role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 handle working animals practise this
- 02 assess animal behaviour practise this
- 03 control animal movement practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 14 skills that carry over
- already held anatomy of animals knowledge
- already held animal behaviour knowledge
- already held animal welfare knowledge
- already held animal welfare legislation knowledge
- already held apply animal hygiene practices skill
- already held apply safe work practices in a veterinary setting skill
- already held biosecurity related to animals knowledge
- already held environmental enrichment for animals knowledge
- already held handle veterinary emergencies skill
- already held manage animal biosecurity skill
- already held manage animal welfare skill
- already held monitor the welfare of animals skill
- already held physiology of animals knowledge
- already held signs of animal illness knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held interview animal owners on animals' conditions optional
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held handle animals for semen collection optional
- optional, not held animal production science optional
- optional, not held assess animal's condition optional
- optional, not held calculate rates per hours optional
- optional, not held cope with challenging circumstances in the veterinary sector optional
- optional, not held groom animals optional
- optional, not held interview animal owners on animals' conditions optional
- optional, not held maintain animal accommodation hygienic optional
- optional, not held maintain welfare of animals during transportation optional
- optional, not held make decisions regarding the animal's welfare optional
- optional, not held take advantage of learning opportunities in veterinary science optional
- optional, not held understand the animal's situation optional
- optional, not held apply numeracy skills optional
- optional, not held load animals for transportation optional
8 held skills the animal handler role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on animal welfare skill
- not needed by the target role assess the animal’s rehabilitation requirements skill
- not needed by the target role deal with challenging people skill
- not needed by the target role manage personal professional development skill
- not needed by the target role perform massage techniques on animals skill
- not needed by the target role plan physical rehabilitation of animals skill
- not needed by the target role prepare animal therapy equipment skill
- not needed by the target role protect health and safety when handling animals skill
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn safe work practices in a veterinary setting required
- optional, not held animal production science optional
Common questions about this move
Can an animal massage therapist become an animal handler?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An animal massage therapist already covers 48% of what an animal handler is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 14 of which the animal handler role treats as required.
What skills does an animal massage therapist need to become an animal handler?
10 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is handle working animals.
How hard is the move from animal massage therapist to animal handler?
Its learning distance is 59.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.