Zoo Educator Personal Service Workers
SaveWhat Does a Zoo Educator Do?
Zoo educators teach visitors about the animals living at the zoo/aquarium as well as other species and habitats. They provide information about management of zoos, its collection of animals, and wildlife conservation. Zoo educators can be involved in both formal and informal learning opportunities ranging from production of information signs at enclosures to delivering classroom sessions linked to school or university curricula. Depending on the size of the organisation the education team may be a single person or a large team. Consequently the optional skills reqired are very broad and will vary from organisation to organisation. Zoo educators also promote conservation efforts. This can involve work within the zoo but also in the field as part of any zoo outreach project(s).
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Where Do I Start?
Applied Zoology
The science of applying animal anatomy, physiology, ecology, and behaviour in a particular practical context.
Sign up to trackReady to go deeper? Pick up to 3 skills to focus on from the list below.
These are common skills for this role. Real-world experience matters more than ticking every box — use this as a guide, not a checklist.
Skills You Need to Become a Zoo Educator
Essential Skills
Essential Skills
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EssentialApplied Zoology knowledge
The science of applying animal anatomy, physiology, ecology, and behaviour in a particular practical context.
Recommended Books
2 books -
EssentialAnimal Evolution knowledge
The evolutionary history of animals and the development of species and their behaviour through domestication.
Recommended Books
1 book -
EssentialZoo Community knowledge
Zoo and aquarium community on a local, regional and global scale. Zoo membership associations, their guiding principles and how this might affect management of individual institutions within the wider community.
No book recommendations available yet.
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EssentialApply Teaching Strategies skill
Employ various approaches, learning styles, and channels to instruct students, such as communicating content in terms they can understand, organising talking points for clarity, and repeating arguments when necessary. Use …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialBuild Community Relations skill
Establish affectionate and long-lasting relationships with local communities, e.g. by organising special programms for kindergarden, schools and for dissabled and older people, raising awareness and receiving community appreciation in return.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialCarry Out Internet Research skill
Execute efficient search on the internet in order to gather relevant information and share it with others.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialConduct Educational Activities skill
Plan, perform and supervise educational activities for a variety of audiences, such as for school children, university students, specialist groups, or members of the public.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialCoordinate Educational Programmes skill
Plan and coordinate educational and public outreach programs such as workshops, tours, lectures and classes.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialCoordinate Events skill
Lead events by managing budget, logistics, event support, security, emergency plans and follow up.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialDevelop Educational Activities skill
Develop speeches, activities and workshops in order to foster access and comprehension to the artistic creation processes. It can address a particular cultural and artistic event such as a show …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialDevelop Educational Resources skill
Create and develop educational resources for visitors, school groups, families and special interest groups.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialEducate People About Nature skill
Speak to a variety of audiences about e.g. information, concepts, theories and/or activities related to nature and its conservation. Produce written information. This information may be presented in a range …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialEnsure Cross-department Cooperation skill
Guarantee communication and cooperation with all the entities and teams in a given organisation, according to the company strategy.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialFix Meetings skill
Fix and schedule professional appointments or meetings for clients or superiors.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialStudy Topics skill
Carry out effective research on relevant topics to be able to produce summary information appropriate to different audiences. The research may involve looking at books, journals, the internet, and/or verbal …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialCommunicate With Target Community skill
Identify and implement the best channels of communication for the community you are looking to work with.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialEstablish Educational Network skill
Establish a sustainable network of useful and productive educational partnerships to explore business opportunities and collaborations, as well as stay current about trends in education and topics relevant to the …
Course recommendations coming soon.
Optional Skills (5 of 18 displayed)
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OptionalAnimal Training knowledge
Animal responses to specific conditions or stimuli. Animal behaviour, ethology, learning theory, training methods, equipment, as well as communicating and working with animals and humans.
Recommended Books
2 booksPreviewAn Introduction to Social Cognitive Animal Training: A Relational Approach to How Animals Learn -
OptionalEcology knowledge
The study of how organisms interact and their relation to the ambient environment.
Recommended Books
1 book -
OptionalCommunicate In English In A Competent Way language skill
Competent use of English; R351refers to level C1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalControl Animal Movement skill
Direct, control or restrain some or part of an animal's, or a group of animals', movement.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalDelegate Activities skill
Delegate activities and tasks to others according to the ability, level of preparation, competence and legal scope of practice. Make sure that people understand what they should do and when …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalLead A Team skill
Lead, supervise and motivate a group of people, in order to meet the expected results within a given timeline and with the foreseen resources in mind.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalManage A Team skill
Ensure clear and effective channels of communication across all departments within the organisation and support functions, both internally and externally ensuring that the team is aware of the standards and …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalManage Budgets skill
Plan, monitor and report on the budget.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalManage Volunteers skill
Manage volunteers' tasks, recruitment, programmes and budgets.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalMonitor The Welfare Of Animals skill
Monitor animals' physical condition and behaviour and report any concerns or unexpected changes, including signs of health or ill-health, appearance, condition of the animals' accommodation, intake of food and water …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalProvide Nutrition To Animals skill
Provide food and water to animals. This includes preparing food and water for animals and reporting any changes in the animal feeding or drinking habits.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalSpeak Different Languages skill
Master foreign languages to be able to communicate in one or more foreign languages.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalTrain Animals skill
Train animals to facilitate their routine husbandry, for treatment, and/or public demonstrations.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalBrief Volunteers skill
Brief volunteers and introduce them into the professional work environment.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalDevelop Craft Activities skill
Develop craft related activities for use with members of the public e.g. face painting, colouring in, mask making. Where possible ensure these activities are linked to relevant educational outcomes.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalIntegrate Community Outreach skill
Integrate community outreach within conservation projects to encompass knowledge, social and emotional aspects of learning and engagement.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalIntegrate Content Into Output Media skill
Compile and integrate media and text content into online and offline systems, such as websites, platforms, applications and social media, for publishing and distribution.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalSupervise Craft Activities skill
Supervise craft related activities for use with members of the public e.g. face painting, colouring-in, mask making, ensuring that these activities are carried out safely.
Course recommendations coming soon.
