Zoology work experience?

Hi!
I want to do zoology for university but I need to gain work experience in order to stand out (especially since I don’t take another science other than biology). I’m not really sure what the best work experience is for it.
The problem is that I’m under 18, so not many places will allow me to work with animals.
Anyone got any tips? No one I know knows anything about zoology so I really need some insight!
Thanks!!!

Hi!
I want to do zoology for university but I need to gain work experience in order to stand out (especially since I don’t take another science other than biology). I’m not really sure what the best work experience is for it.
The problem is that I’m under 18, so not many places will allow me to work with animals.
Anyone got any tips? No one I know knows anything about zoology so I really need some insight!
Thanks!!!

Good afternoon @larsss
its great to hear you are thinking of studying zoology!
I have a few ideas you can look into to see if it would work for you. With zoology, you will also be doing a lot of museum-focused work and behavioural studies and learning the academic aspects of animal handling.
A list of potential zoology-focused work experience:

Alternatively, if you are looking for experiences to strengthen your UCAS application, then i highly recommend some of these activities:

I hope these ideas help!
Similarly, we have a great zoology undergraduate course at The University of Reading, which has an optional placement year, and many students hoping for zoology work experience opt for the placement year. This means you will be able to choose somewhere to work whilst enrolled at the university, and it will be a great experience to add to your CV.
You can find more about the zoology course here. Simialrly, if you would like to look around the university, you can use our virtual tour here.
If you have any questions, please let us know.
All the best,
Ella 😀
BSc Ecology

Hi @larsss,
Ella has made some great suggestions!
One suggestion I wanted to add was looking at local wildlife parks, as well as zoos, as these are usually smaller making them less competitive. I found a page on the BIAZA website listing work experiences here: link. Whilst most are 18+ there are a few with lower restrictions. Birmingham is even 14+.
I hope this gves you another avenue to look into,
Abby
BSc Zoology, MRes Wildlife Conservation.

Thank you so much! This is so helpful. I’ve applied to volunteer at a wildlife centre and will join the biology society at my school
I have another question if that’s ok. The only science related subject I take is biology, because I wasn’t a massive fan of the other sciences and didn’t take geography for GCSE so I couldn’t do it at A level. Is this ok to go onto a zoology/ecology degree? A lot of unis seem to accept just biology (including yours) but I wanted to be sure! Thank you so much for all of your help!

Hi!
I want to do zoology for university but I need to gain work experience in order to stand out (especially since I don’t take another science other than biology). I’m not really sure what the best work experience is for it.
The problem is that I’m under 18, so not many places will allow me to work with animals.
Anyone got any tips? No one I know knows anything about zoology so I really need some insight!
Thanks!!!

Hi!
I’m also applying for zoology and have done a bit of work experience/volunteering, though I relate to your struggle with the age thing😅
I’ve always found that emailing these organisations which state they require applicants to be over 18 on their website is worth a try! I got into an amazing field assistant position for a pretty great organisation because I actually emailed them to ask if there was a possibility I could be considered despite it saying 18+ on the page.
Smaller organisations aren’t usually too strict about their requirements. I worked at a falconry centre this summer which couldn’t care less about how old you are as long as you’re willing to work, it was perfect.
Oh also there are a number of Facebook groups like ‘wildlife science career network’ and ‘wildlife workers network’ which you can join and post about your situation. I found out about the field assistant position in this way and have gotten some great advice.
You’re more likely to find volunteering positions rather than work experience ones when you’re under 18, but it’s all experience in the end that will really help you in the long run and shows your interest in the subject when you put it down in your personal statement.
Good luck!!