Nestorbot
Social ServiceISCO 5113

Zoo educator

A zoo educator is a person who tells visitors about the animals living in a zoo or aquarium, about other species and about their habitats.

Check your gapsCheck yourself in a minute ↓AI risk: 13/100 (very low risk)

Check yourself in a minute: zoo educator

Rate 5 of the 15 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

coordinate events

build community relations

develop educational resources

apply teaching strategies

establish educational network

About zoo educator

The educator gives information on how the zoo is run, on its animal collection and on the conservation of wild species: why a given species came into a breeding programme, where it comes from and what is happening to it in the wild. Visitors' questions are answered too.

The educator runs both formal and informal education: they develop educational materials and the information signs at the enclosures, deliver sessions matched to school and university curricula, coordinate education programmes and events, and adapt how they speak to each target audience, from pupils to university students.

A zoo education team may be one person or several, and the range of duties depends on the size of the organisation. The educator builds relationships within the community, creates educational networks with teachers and other collections, and promotes conservation action — inside the zoo and in the field, on projects run beyond it.

Key Work Functions

Core areas of responsibility for a zoo educator.

1

Educational Program Development

  • Develop educational resources including presentations, displays, and educational materials for various audiences
  • Create interpretive signage and information displays at animal enclosures
  • Design educational programs aligned with school curricula for formal learning opportunities
2

Teaching and Public Engagement

  • Deliver engaging talks and presentations about animals, habitats, and conservation to zoo visitors
  • Conduct classroom sessions and educational workshops with school and university groups
  • Apply teaching strategies to communicate complex zoological concepts in accessible ways
3

Conservation Education and Advocacy

  • Educate people about nature, wildlife conservation, and environmental sustainability
  • Promote conservation efforts and highlight endangered species and habitat protection initiatives
  • Conduct field outreach projects as part of zoo conservation initiatives
4

Community Relations and Event Coordination

  • Build community relations and establish partnerships with schools and educational institutions
  • Coordinate educational events, lectures, and special programs at the zoo
  • Establish and maintain educational networks with schools, universities, and conservation organizations
5

Organizational Support and Communication

  • Ensure cross-department cooperation to integrate education into zoo operations and management
  • Communicate with target community and translate zoo's collection and conservation message
  • Study topics relevant to zoo animals and species to provide accurate information

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (15)

animal evolutionanimal evolutionThe evolutionary history of animals and the development of species and their behaviour through domestication.zoo communityzoo communityZoo 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...applied zoologyapplied zoologyThe science of applying animal anatomy, physiology, ecology, and behaviour in a particular practical context.coordinate eventscoordinate eventsLead events by managing budget, logistics, event support, security, emergency plans and follow up.build community relationsbuild community relationsEstablish affectionate and long-lasting relationships with local communities, e.g. by organising special programmes for kindergarten, schools and for disabled and older people, raising awareness and r...develop educational resourcesdevelop educational resourcesCreate and develop educational resources for visitors, school groups, families and special interest groups.apply teaching strategiesapply teaching strategiesEmploy 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 argument...establish educational networkestablish educational networkEstablish 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 rel...educate people about natureeducate people about natureSpeak 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...communicate with target communitycommunicate with target communityIdentify and implement the best channels of communication for the community you are looking to work with.conduct educational activitiesconduct educational activitiesPlan, perform and supervise educational activities for a variety of audiences, such as for school children, university students, specialist groups, or members of the public.coordinate educational programmescoordinate educational programmesPlan and coordinate educational and public outreach programs such as workshops, tours, lectures and classes.fix meetingsfix meetingsFix and schedule professional appointments or meetings for clients or superiors.ensure cross-department cooperationensure cross-department cooperationGuarantee communication and cooperation with all the entities and teams in a given organisation, according to the company strategy.study topicsstudy topicsCarry 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 ...
Optional (17) — show
ecologyecologyThe study of how organisms interact and their relation to the ambient environment.control animal movementcontrol animal movementDirect, control or restrain some or part of an animal's, or a group of animals', movement.lead a teamlead a teamLead, 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.manage budgetsmanage budgetsPlan, monitor, report on the budget and prepare set production budgets.manage volunteersmanage volunteersCoordinate a staff of volunteers. Manage their tasks, recruitment, programmes and budgets.speak different languagesspeak different languagesMaster foreign languages to be able to communicate in one or more foreign languages.provide nutrition to animalsprovide nutrition to animalsProvide food and water to animals. This includes preparing food and water for animals and reporting any changes in the animal feeding or drinking habits.'.develop craft activitiesdevelop craft activitiesDevelop 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.integrate community outreachintegrate community outreachIntegrate community outreach within conservation projects to encompass knowledge, social and emotional aspects of learning and engagement.use learning strategiesuse learning strategiesUse different channels of perception, learning styles, strategies and methods to acquire knowledge, know-how, skills and competences.train livestock and captive animalstrain livestock and captive animalsTrain animals to facilitate their routine husbandry, for treatment, and/or public demonstrations.brief volunteersbrief volunteersBrief volunteers and introduce them into the professional work environment.integrate content into output mediaintegrate content into output mediaCompile and integrate media and text content into online and offline systems, such as websites, platforms, applications and social media, for publishing and distribution.manage a teammanage a teamEnsure 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 standar...monitor the welfare of animalsmonitor the welfare of animalsMonitor 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...supervise craft activitiessupervise craft activitiesSupervise 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.animal traininganimal trainingAnimal responses to specific conditions or stimuli. Animal behaviour, ethology, learning theory, training methods, equipment, as well as communicating and working with animals and humans.

Related Occupations

Occupations that need many of the same essential skills, so the move between them is shortest.

zoo curator4 shared essential skillsconservation scientist3 shared essential skillszoo section leader3 shared essential skillsarts education officer2 shared essential skillschild care coordinator2 shared essential skillscommunity artist2 shared essential skillscultural visitor services manager2 shared essential skillsexecutive assistant2 shared essential skills

Frequently asked questions

What 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 required 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).

What skills does a zoo educator need?

A zoo educator needs 15 essential skills, including animal evolution, zoo community, applied zoology, coordinate events, build community relations.

Will AI replace zoo educator jobs?

The AI disruption score for zoo educator is 13/100 (very low risk). Skills most exposed to automation: fix meetings, integrate content into output media, manage budgets. Most resilient: control animal movement, train livestock and captive animals, build community relations.

Quick Facts

SectorSocial Service
ISCO GroupPersonal service workers
Essential Skills15

What are you missing to work as zoo educator?

The free skill gap analysis compares your skills with what this occupation requires and shows where to start.

Check your gaps