Pet sitter to animal handler
A pet sitter already meets 74% of what the animal handler role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
34.6/ 100
1 How much of what an animal handler is expected to do is already part of a pet sitter’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 19 of its required skills as things a pet sitter 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
- biosecurity related to animals
What stands in the way is 5 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 26 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 a pet sitter background worth leading with.
- already held groom animals handling and moving
- already held provide an enriching environment for animals handling and moving
- already held calculate rates per hours information skills
- already held manage animal welfare handling and moving
- already held implement exercise activities for animals handling and moving
- already held understand the animal's situation handling and moving
All 26 carried skills, including the 19 the animal handler role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 12 missing skills fall into 5 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 provide animal training required
- optional, not held handle animals for semen collection optional
- optional, not held maintain welfare of animals during transportation optional
- optional, not held load animals for transportation optional
- still to learn apply safe work practices in a veterinary setting required
- still to learn treat animals ethically required
- optional, not held take advantage of learning opportunities in veterinary science optional
- optional, not held apply numeracy skills optional
- optional, not held animal production science optional
- optional, not held interview animal owners on animals' conditions optional
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 apply safe work practices in a veterinary setting practise this
- 03 assess animal behaviour 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 26 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 biosecurity related to animals knowledge
- already held control animal movement skill
- already held environmental enrichment for animals knowledge
- already held handle veterinary emergencies skill
- already held implement exercise activities for animals 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 provide an enriching environment for animals skill
- already held provide first aid to animals skill
- already held provide nutrition to animals skill
- already held safe work practices in a veterinary setting knowledge
- already held signs of animal illness knowledge
- already held assess animal's condition skill
- already held calculate rates per hours skill
- already held cope with challenging circumstances in the veterinary sector skill
- already held groom animals skill
- already held maintain animal accommodation hygienic skill
- already held make decisions regarding the animal's welfare skill
- already held understand the animal's situation skill
7 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 interview animal owners on animals' conditions optional
- optional, not held maintain welfare of animals during transportation optional
- optional, not held take advantage of learning opportunities in veterinary science optional
- optional, not held apply numeracy skills optional
- optional, not held load animals for transportation optional
14 held skills the animal handler role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role animal species knowledge
- not needed by the target role assist in transportation of animals skill
- not needed by the target role breed reptiles skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role deal with challenging people skill
- not needed by the target role follow client animal handling programme skill
- not needed by the target role follow work schedule skill
- not needed by the target role handle petty cash skill
- not needed by the target role keep task records skill
- not needed by the target role manage a small-to-medium business skill
- not needed by the target role provide dog walking services skill
- not needed by the target role provide home pet sitting services skill
- not needed by the target role understand the needs of animals skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held animal production science optional
Common questions about this move
Can a pet sitter become an animal handler?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A pet sitter already covers 74% of what an animal handler is expected to do: 26 skills carry over, 19 of which the animal handler role treats as required.
What skills does a pet sitter need to become an animal handler?
5 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 5 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 pet sitter to animal handler?
Its learning distance is 34.6 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.