Zoo educator to zookeeper
A zoo educator already meets 20% of what the zookeeper role asks for. The move turns on 22 required skills not yet in the profile.
81.8/ 100
1 How much of what a zookeeper is expected to do is already part of a zoo educator’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 zookeeper role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A zookeeper role treats 5 of its required skills as things a zoo educator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- animal evolution
- applied zoology
- control animal movement
- monitor the welfare of animals
- provide nutrition to animals
What stands in the way is 22 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 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A zookeeper role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a zoo educator background worth leading with.
- already held animal evolution arts and humanities
- already held educate people about nature communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held train livestock and captive animals handling and moving
- already held applied zoology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held provide nutrition to animals handling and moving
- already held control animal movement handling and moving
All 7 carried skills, including the 5 the zookeeper role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 26 missing skills fall into 6 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 administer drugs to facilitate breeding required
- still to learn administer treatment to animals required
- still to learn apply animal hygiene practices required
- still to learn assess animal behaviour required
- still to learn assist in general veterinary medical procedures required
- still to learn assist in transportation of animals required
- still to learn breed reptiles required
- still to learn care for juvenile animals required
- still to learn maintain animal accommodation hygienic required
- still to learn provide an enriching environment for animals required
- still to learn provide first aid to animals required
- optional, not held design training programmes for animals optional
- optional, not held groom animals optional
- still to learn assess animal nutrition required
- still to learn assess environment of animals required
- still to learn assess management of animals required
- still to learn manage animal biosecurity required
- still to learn maintain professional records required
- optional, not held conduct ecological research optional
- still to learn signs of animal illness required
- still to learn animal nutrition required
- still to learn animal welfare required
- still to learn follow zoo safety precautions required
- still to learn promote animal welfare required
- still to learn maintain equipment required
- optional, not held speak about your work in public optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a zookeeper role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 administer drugs to facilitate breeding practise this
- 02 administer treatment to animals practise this
- 03 apply animal hygiene practices 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 7 skills that carry over
- already held animal evolution knowledge
- already held applied zoology knowledge
- already held control animal movement skill
- already held monitor the welfare of animals skill
- already held provide nutrition to animals skill
- already held educate people about nature skill
- already held train livestock and captive animals skill
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held design training programmes for animals optional
- optional, not held groom animals optional
- optional, not held conduct ecological research optional
- optional, not held speak about your work in public optional
25 held skills the zookeeper role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role animal training knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply teaching strategies skill
- not needed by the target role brief volunteers skill
- not needed by the target role build community relations skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with target community skill
- not needed by the target role conduct educational activities skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate educational programmes skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate events skill
- not needed by the target role develop craft activities skill
- not needed by the target role develop educational resources skill
- not needed by the target role ecology knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure cross-department cooperation skill
- not needed by the target role establish educational network skill
- not needed by the target role fix meetings skill
- not needed by the target role integrate community outreach skill
- not needed by the target role integrate content into output media skill
- not needed by the target role lead a team skill
- not needed by the target role manage a team skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage volunteers skill
- not needed by the target role speak different languages skill
- not needed by the target role study topics skill
- not needed by the target role supervise craft activities skill
- not needed by the target role use learning strategies skill
- not needed by the target role zoo community knowledge
3 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 signs of animal illness required
- still to learn animal nutrition required
- still to learn animal welfare required
Other moves recorded from zoo educator
Common questions about this move
Can a zoo educator become a zookeeper?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A zoo educator already covers 20% of what a zookeeper is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 5 of which the zookeeper role treats as required.
What skills does a zoo educator need to become a zookeeper?
22 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is administer drugs to facilitate breeding.
How hard is the move from zoo educator to zookeeper?
Its learning distance is 81.8 out of 100, which is the career change 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.