Recently realised I really want to study animal care but only have IT qualifications?

Have you tried contacting universities doing Animal Management Degrees to see their entry requirements? Some will allow students who don’t have an animal background. I went into a Foundation Degree in Animal Management from A-Levels (IT and Psychology).

Are you looking to stay close to home for university? Where abouts in London do you live? Do you drive? I can try and help you to find some volunteer experience to help get you started, but sadly it’s not realistic to get even a part-time job in the industry without qualifications and experience.

The best places to go are independent rescues, veterinary practices, and some zoos offer volunteering experience. The RSPCA and big companies are hard to get into without the prior experience like you stated.

Hi there, really sorry for replying late. Thank you for responding. Admittedly, I never did contact any unis or checked the entry requirements for their courses because i honestly thought there's no chance they would take a candidate that has no background experience with animals or qualifications. But seeing how it was possible for you, I will definetly check it out now.

Regarding uni, I don't mind at all staying on campus or attending a uni thats near home. I live in North London, wont say the exact borough (just to be safe) but its near Barnet. I do not drive, although during this period of job searching, I'm planning on taking some driving lessons and passing my theory test. In the meantime, i usually travel by tubes and buses, so i do not mind having to venture abit further to any available places that can allow me to volunteer.

Yeah i figured alot of well known organisations like RSPCA are less likely to take on just about anyone. There are a few independent rescue shelters around, but they mostly prefer people who are currently enrolled on an animal related course or have the qualifications ☹ but i'll keep applying to them anyway.

At this point, I'm really regretting that i didn't study animal management/behaviour back when i was in college instead of doing IT. I had no idea. However, i guess its still somewhat helpful to have qualifications in the IT sector as it has unlimited roles and can be opportunistic...however even finding any IT related part-time work is proving to be difficult. Just about any kind of work actually.

Have you tried contacting universities doing Animal Management Degrees to see their entry requirements? Some will allow students who don’t have an animal background. I went into a Foundation Degree in Animal Management from A-Levels (IT and Psychology).
Are you looking to stay close to home for university? Where abouts in London do you live? Do you drive? I can try and help you to find some volunteer experience to help get you started, but sadly it’s not realistic to get even a part-time job in the industry without qualifications and experience.
The best places to go are independent rescues, veterinary practices, and some zoos offer volunteering experience. The RSPCA and big companies are hard to get into without the prior experience like you stated.