Are you an animal lover and enjoy taking care of animals? Here’s a career option that is not only offbeat but also fetches you good money. From taking care of the appearance of pets to showering them with a lot of love, you will learn different ways to interact with animals. It is a challenging field as it requires one to have immense knowledge about different types of animals. Some pets are extremely nervous and uncooperative during grooming procedures. So, you must know how to handle them. You need to be familiar with all breeds of dogs and cats, you need to be an expert on everything from nail clipping to brushing to shampooing to trimming.
With several pet schools and academies burgeoning across India, here’s how you could chalk a career in pet grooming:
Salary/Pay: Salary of a groomer to be anywhere between Rs.10,000 to Rs. 50,000, depending on your skill. If you own a dog-grooming salon, this figure increases exponentially.
Job opportunities:
Kennels/Vet Clinic/Animal Shelters: As a pet groomer, an individual can work in kennels, veterinary clinics, animal shelters, or even pet supply stores.
Boarding services for pets or pet-sitting: You can also start boarding services for pets, as pet owners often look for a safe and hygienic environment to leave their pets, when they go out of town as there is a very high demand for it.
Independent pet groomers: Pet groomers can work independently or with others as an employee of an animal grooming salon. Individuals can also explore grooming the pets for various events and competitions.
Mobile Pet Spa: There is also the option to start a mobile pet spa business by attending home calls or providing door to door pet grooming service.
Trainer at Pet Grooming School: Some can move into lecturing or training of animal grooming, or start their own pet grooming school.
Courses to pursue pet grooming:
S677 – Certificate II – Animal Studies
S681 – Certificate III – Companion Animal Services
S685 – Certificate IV – Companion Animal Services
J361 – Certificate III – Pet Grooming
J362 – Certificate IV – Pet Styling
Eligibility criteria:
An individual doesn’t require any specific qualification to become a pet groomer. However, your chances of gaining employment gets improved if you have completed a certificate or training in the related area.
Certificate III in Companion Animal Services is available from Polytechnic West (Bentley campus) and Challenger Institute of Technology (Murdoch and Peel campuses). The course offers the practical skills and knowledge required to care for domestic and companion animals, and usually takes two semesters (twelve months) to complete.
Training is also available in Companion Animal Services. If one is still in school, one can pursue the training through the school also.
Best Colleges in the World:
The following institutions offer accredited bachelor’s, diploma and certificate courses in animal care management:
- Hadlow College, UK
- ACS Distance education
- Australian School of Petcare Studies
- National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (Online Certification Course)
In India, you can pursue the courses at any pet grooming school or academy.
(Edvantage Point is India’s go-to platform for education-related products and services. We are into admissions management for schools, career advice and counselling services for students as well as recruitment services).