Animal Care Technician/Instructors

Abingdon and Witney College; Witney; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous pension

Holiday schemes

Flexible working options

Gym membership

Cycle/tech scheme

Job summary

Abingdon and Witney College is seeking two Animal Care Technician/Instructors at Common Leys Campus. Start date in November. Role includes daily care of animals and delivering practical lessons to learners aged 16+ in a supportive educational setting.

You'll handle a variety of species, ensure welfare and safety, and work with staff to run engaging sessions. Strong communication and proactive mindset are essential, with training available for teaching qualifications.

Qualifications

• Level 3 qualification in Animal Management or related subject is essential.
• Hands-on experience with a wide range of animal species.
• Experience working with or instructing young people in educational settings.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are required.
• Proactive, organised and flexible approach to work.
• Teaching or assessor qualifications are desirable but not essential (training can be provided).

Responsibilities

• Support and deliver practical instruction to students during lessons and workshops.
• Maintain high standards of animal welfare and health & safety across the unit.
• Work collaboratively with teaching staff to ensure engaging, safe, and effective sessions.
• Provide guidance and mentoring to students working on the unit.

Skills

Hands-on animal care

Instructing learners

Excellent communication

Organised and proactive

Education

Level 3 qualification in Animal Management or related subject

Job description

No candidate will meet every single desired qualification / criteria. If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified and you think you can bring value to the role, we'd love to learn more about you!

Salary: £27,166 - £27,820 per annum

Hours per week: 37

Weeks per Annum: 52

Working pattern Role 1: Tuesday- Saturday 7.5 hours per day, with Friday being 7 hours

Working pattern Role 2: Sunday - Thursday 7.5 hours, with Thursday being 7 hours

Location: Common Leys Campus

Contract type: Permanent

Start Date: November

We are looking for two dedicated Animal Care Technician/Instructors to join our vibrant team at Abingdon & Witney College, supporting our growing Animal Management department in Common Leys.

About the Role:

As an Animal Care Technician/Instructor, you will play a key role in the daily care and welfare of our diverse collection of animals, while also supporting and delivering practical learning experiences for our students. You'll work closely with learners aged 16+ to help develop their practical animal handling and husbandry skills in a supportive, educational environment.

Species You May Work With:

From small mammals and reptiles to farm livestock and exotic species, you'll be responsible for the health and welfare of a varied animal collection that supports high quality, hands on teaching.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support and deliver practical instruction to students during lessons and workshops
• Maintain high standards of animal welfare and health & safety across the unit
• Work collaboratively with teaching staff to ensure engaging, safe, and effective sessions
• Provide guidance and mentoring to students working on the unit

Essential criteria:

• A minimum Level 3 qualification in Animal Management or a related subject
• Hands-on experience with a wide range of animal species
• Experience working with or instructing young people in an educational or training setting
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• A proactive, organised, and flexible approach to work
• Teaching or assessor qualifications are desirable but not essential - training can be provided

We're looking for someone who is committed to learner success, passionate about their subject, and ready to contribute positively to our teaching team.

Why Work with Us

Excellent benefits for our employees including generous pension and holiday schemes (with potential Christmas closure days), continued professional development, flexible working options, corporate gym membership, cycle/tech scheme and much more.

AWC values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community. We are committed to safeguarding and expect all our employees and volunteers to share this commitment. We are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and all appointments are subject to satisfactory clearances including enhanced DBS checks.

Abingdon and Witney College are committed to safer recruitment practices. In addition to our pre-employment checks, we will conduct an online search. This includes checking Google main results feed as well as the 'News' and 'Images' tab. We will be checking for any publicly available information that suggests the applicant may not be suitable to work with children or young/vulnerable people or content that could potentially damage Abingdon and Witney College's reputation. This may include inappropriate posts, comments or images displaying evidence of offensive or inappropriate behaviour, jokes or language, discriminatory comments, inappropriate photos, drug or alcohol misuse.