Apprentice Animal Care Assistant
RSPCA
Aylesbury, Birmingham, March, Potters Bar, Ringwood, Shrewsbury, Somerset, West Malling
Closes in 6 days (Tuesday 21 July 2026)
Posted on 14 July 2026
Contents
Summary
We are excited to be recruiting Animal Care Assistant Apprentices at 8 of our Animal Centre's. You'll be joining us as a dedicated team member for the largest animal welfare charity in the UK. You will be attending to the needs of individual animals, including providing exercise/socialisation and grooming, amongst other duties.
- Wage
-
£19,583.20 a year
- Training course
- Animal care and welfare assistant (level 2)
- Hours
-
35 hours per week with 20% dedicated to your qualification. You will work weekends.
The hours are usually 8:30am to 4:30pm with a one hour unpaid lunch. It will also involve working bank holidays.
35 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 7 September 2026
- Duration
-
1 year 6 months
- Positions available
-
8
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
As an apprentice, you’ll work at a company and get hands-on experience. You’ll gain new skills and work alongside experienced staff.
- Cleaning animal accommodation for cats, dogs, rabbits, small animals, poultry & farm animals
- Preparing and providing food and water for all animals in the establishment
- Performing regular health checks on all animals and giving medical treatments as prescribed by the centre
- Attending to the needs of the individual animals including providing exercise/socialisation and grooming
- Communicating with the public, representing the RSPCA positively and professionally
- Completing relevant paperwork
Where you'll work
You can select which locations you want to apply for in your application on Find an apprenticeship.
This apprenticeship is available in these locations:
- Blackberry Farm Animal Centre, Quainton, Aylesbury, HP22 4RJ
- Newbrook Farm, Frankley Green, Birmingham, B32 4AX
- RSPCA Block Fen Drove, Wimblington, March, PE15 0FB
- Southridge Animal Centre, Packhorse Lane, Ridge, Potters Bar, EN6 3LZ
- RSPCA Ashley Heath Animal Centre, Horton Road, Ashley Heath, Ringwood, BH24 2EE
- Gonsal Farm, Gonsal, Dorrington, Shrewsbury, SY5 7ET
- RSPCA West Hatch Animal Centre, Taunton, Somerset, TA3 5RT
- RSPCA Leybourne Animal Centre, 199 Castle Way, West Malling, ME19 5HW
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
THE COLLEGE OF ANIMAL WELFARE LIMITED
Training course
Animal care and welfare assistant (level 2)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- comply with UK and EU Animal related legislation
- work effectively in a safe and healthy working environment following current / relevant health and safety legislation and work place policies
- identify and report potential hazards and breaches of security within animal accommodation/enclosures
- clean and maintain animal accommodation/enclosures/environment and equipment and provide appropriate resources including species specific enrichment (e.g. hiding, perches and areas to dig)
- maintain hygiene, bio security procedures and infection controls when working with animals including quarantine and isolation
- dispose of waste in a safe and appropriate manner in line with legislative and workplace requirements
- store, use and administer medication in line with legislative and veterinary instructions as appropriate
- monitor, record and report the health and welfare of animals in line with animal welfare legislation and workplace policies
- observe and be aware of the behaviour of animals and take appropriate actions
- approach/handle/restrain/move/recapture animals as part of routine husbandry appropriate for the species and individual
- exercise/socialise animals and provide appropriate enrichment relevant to their specific needs
- provide appropriate care, for example coat, skin, scales, plumage and feet to ensure good health and appearance
- provide food and water to animals and monitor the intake
- store and care for foodstuffs
- identify and describe animals using appropriate methods to the species involved (e.g. scanning for microchips)
- maintain, update and reference correct records in accordance with current legislation
- deliver customer experience (internal and external), where applicable, in line with workplace policies and procedures
- respond to animal first aid, urgent, ongoing and preventive care requirements as appropriate
- Beyond routine animal husbandry as listed in the core i.e. for animals with specific needs, unknown or unpredictable behaviour: i.e. animals recovering from routine operations such as neutering, or who may be obese, pregnant or fearful. Behaviour such as barking or pulling on the lead or who react unpredictably when meeting other animals.
- follow a prepared interaction/handling plan to prepare the animal and resources required i.e. muzzle, collar leads, harnesses, head collars, crush cage, grasper, snake hook, hoods
- undertake interaction/handling activities and use methods such as desensitisation and socialisation in accordance with the interaction/handling plan
- handle the animal throughout the interaction/handling to promote the animal’s health, normal behaviour and physical and emotional welfare
- monitor, report and record the response and welfare of the animal throughout interaction/handling activities
- apply techniques which take into account the animal’s welfare and emotional wellbeing, such as positive reinforcement to interact/handle the animal
- contribute to the assessment of an animal’s readiness for rehoming
- provide advice to customers/clients on the suitability of animals according to their circumstances and experience in line with the workplace policies and procedures
- support customers/clients during the rehoming/intake process and provide direction to further sources of information and guidance following rehoming of an animal
- contribute to the assessment of the animal during the intake process
- contribute to the matching process
- prepare means of transport appropriate for animals, ensuring serviceability and cleanliness
- prepare animals for movement and/or transportation taking into consideration their welfare potentially dealing with sick or injured animals
- use of appropriate equipment and methods to move and transport animals ensuring their safety and security
- monitor the physical and emotional health and welfare of animals during and after movement and transportation
- identify route and contingency plans
- identify if an animal required veterinary care and take appropriate action
- present a safe, friendly and welcoming reception for internal and external customers/clients/animals as appropriate
- provide information, advice, support and guidance on a range of topics such as animal care and welfare to customers/clients and seek advice when necessary
- use appropriate methods of technology for internal and external communication such as telephone, walkie talkies, email and scanning documents
- prepare, receive and store deliveries of goods including animal related products such as food stuffs and sundry items
- prepare and display stock for sale, including stock rotation
- take payment for goods, services and charitable donations
- process customer and animal registrations and bookings
- keep records for individual animals and people in line with the organisation’s procedures
- prepare animals and environment for mating
- monitor animals during parturition, recognising signs of difficulty
- carry out general care of animals through gestation
- prepare and manage pregnant animals pre and post parturition
- provide appropriate care and monitoring of neonates
- carry out procedures for caring for the young (once weaned) and introducing them to new environments
- socialise young animals appropriately
- fit and maintain appropriate equipment, ensuring the dog can operate safely
- conduct refresher/maintenance training with the support of a helper and dog trainer at an appropriate frequency to maintain the minimum standard of operational performance.
- interpret the dog’s behaviour and indications and react accordingly to the operational situation
- ensure that the dog team (handler and dog) maintains the minimum standard of operational performance as determined by national standards or the employers’ policies and procedures
- operate the dog team within the legal and ethical framework associated with their employment
- transport working dogs
- respond to collection requests
- identify wild animals that are suitable for rehabilitation and release
- plan and undertake rehabilitation for release into the wild
- capture and handle healthy and casualty wild animals
- move and transport wild animals appropriately
- release and monitor wild animals as appropriate
- carry out the hand rearing of wildlife species
- identify a range of different species (wildlife) or breeds (domestic) in order to understand the behavioural and ecological needs of the animal as well as be aware of the potential risks it may pose
- support, as directed, a veterinary surgeon / veterinary nurse in a clinical environment with: dealing with potential and actual emergency situations pre and post-operative care patient monitoring for example anaesthetic monitoring in-patient care diagnostic care/tests/X-rays – positioning and exposing the dispensing and administration of medication end of life care for pets and providing support for the owner
Training schedule
An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. This will take place online or on site at the Animal Centre. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.
Requirements
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Customer care skills
- Team working
- Initiative
- Patience
- Physical fitness
- Adaptability
- Practicality
About this employer
The RSPCA is the largest animal welfare charity in England and Wales. It’s an exciting time to join us in the decade of our bicentenary as we focus on our new Strategy to 2030. The RSPCA works 365 days a year, 24 hours a day rescuing all animals of all types from abuse, neglect, and injury.
https://www.rspca.org.uk/ (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
- 25 days holiday
- Family friendly policies
- Pension scheme
- Healthcare cash plan
- EAP
- Occupational sick pay
- Life assurance
- Cycle to work and discount schemes
Disability Confident
A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.
You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.
After this apprenticeship
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
We would expect that on completion of your apprenticeship you would become a permanent member of the team, with options to look at various career paths within the RSPCA.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
RSPCA
Lee Harrison
lee.harrison@rspca.org.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000042368.
Apply now
Closes in 6 days (Tuesday 21 July 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.