Most people choose to become an animal behaviourist because they love working with animals. Their sole motivation is typically they want to help animals and their owners become more succinct and manageable, leading to a healthy and long life. Despite their passion for the industry, there are some important questions to be answered, such as how much do animal behaviourists make?

When you are able to do your passion as a job, you find more satisfaction in your day-to-day. Of course, money is what the world goes around, so it is important to consider this before choosing your vocation. Within the animal care industry, there are many different ways to make money, with varying levels depending on the sector. Join us in this blog as we outline how much an animal behaviourist can expect to make during their career. 

Animal Behaviourist Earning Potential in the UK

When you qualify as a fully-fledged animal behaviourist, you open yourself up to a world of opportunities to work within several animal industries. Each of these comes with its own earning potential, with our advice being to niche down and choose a specific animal to study and mould their behaviour – this ensures you love what you do, and the money is secondary.

Entry-Level Animal Behaviourist Earning Potential

Someone newly qualified with little to no experience working within the animal behaviour industry can expect to earn anywhere from £20,000 to £25,000. As you progress and gain valuable experience, you can expect this number to increase as the types of tasks you’d be expected to do change.

Experienced Animal Behaviourist Earning Potential

An experienced animal behaviourist can expect a greater earning potential, highlighting it is certainly worth sticking at it as a career, as you will likely bear the fruits of your labour. While the working hours may be demanding, they are rewarding. An experienced animal behaviourist can expect to make over £45,000.

Specialist Animal Behaviourist Earning Potential

When you become a specialist animal behaviourist, this is where you see a great jump in earning potential. So long as the specialism you work within is in demand, you can creep into the high-earners bracket. An in-demand specialist animal behaviourist can earn anywhere up to six figures per year.

How Much Can Self-Employed Animal Behaviourists Earn?

Self-employment is one of the most popular routes for graduates of NAC courses, this is due to the many advantages of being your own boss. You take control of your own schedule, work with the clients you want to and above all, your earning potential greatly increases. It is a real possibility for a full-time, self-employed animal behaviourist to earn over £100,000 per year. As you are in charge of how much work you take on and what rates you set your services at, you are in complete control of your earning potential when you go self-employed.

It is worth noting that going self-employed isn’t a clear decision for everyone. There are many stresses and challenges that come with being your own boss, so make sure you’re completely aware of the potential adversity you may face when going self-employed.

Challenges of Self-Employment

The challenges you face as a self-employed worker are well-documented. You are in charge of setting your own schedule, acquiring new business, nurturing current clients and business, along with what feels like a million other tasks. While it can come across as difficult running your own business, you can’t ignore the advantages of being in charge.

Start your Career in Animal Behaviour

If you want to kick-start your career in the animal behaviour industry, look no further than The NAC. We offer a range of courses, diplomas and training resources to help aspiring animal behaviourists take the first step towards a long and successful career. For more information on how we can help you, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.