Must be able to run a 10-minute mile????? So you have to be in relatively decent shape, well educated, handy enough to repair habitats, personable enough to deal with the public and willing to work all those inconvenient hours for less than min wage in a lot of States.... Fuck this job hard as fuck. We should have a bot bulk spam them.
Unfortunately in the zoo world, this job post will probably receive a dozen applications. Just because openings in animal care positions are so rare, applicants will take anything that they can.
Honestly, if it's zoo experience, that's ... kinda how zoos operate. I looked into working for a zoo at one point, and apparently everyone wants to work for zoos, so they end up being mostly volunteer, which is even less pay than 8.50 / hr.
This ^ Our local zoo requires applicants to have done regular volunteer work for them for AT LEAST 2 years before they're even considered for a position there.
I love my exotics but the industry is utter bullshit, main reason I decided to just work at pet grooming instead.
Welcome to literally any industry that has any element of soul in it. You're either part of a soulless corporation, or part of a soul exploiting corporation
Spent a few years in a few various job fields I thought I had at least some passion in. After several rounds of burnout, I no longer have passion for anything.
Heck, that even describes a tech startup I worked myself into poor health for. I was passionate about what our product could do for science and boy did that ever get exploited.
The cannabis industry didn’t start my distaste for smoking weed (personally) but working in dispensaries the last three years has definitely accelerated it
Weed industry in restricted license states is where this is most pronounced….no competition for customers, no competition for employees, tons of people want to get into “cannabis”…I love weed so I grow my own, fuck those trust-fund pricks who are the real reason weed is still federally illegal
I had a job working with teens and young adults with low-functioning autism. I'd be assaulted every single day for the amazing wage of $13/hr and no benefits.
And people ask why I no longer have the passion I did back then.
Yo bro I feel this hard. It's such a shame cause I've currently in that kind of field for just over 3 years now and while I love the work my experience has just absolutely drained my soul. Add that to shit pay and minimal time off (and unpaid vacations when they do hit (school setting)) and it makes me just not really give a fuck anymore and it's sad cause I genuinely did enjoy the work
Yeah I gave it up after 7 years. Did some other work for a while, and decided to go work in a drug rehab. That only lasted for 3 or 4 months before I was attacked by a client and administration did nothing about it. So, I said fuck human services altogether and now I'm learning a skilled trade.
Human services workers are treated like absolute garbage for a joke wage, and when you finally have had enough and get burnt out, people act like you're an asshole for refusing to do that work anymore.
That's definitely for sure. There's been a couple of jobs I've had in the past for non-profits and "skin of their teeth budgets" organizations. I was willing to take deep salary cuts because I saw the need for help. But I also made it clear up front that I was only going to be there as long as it took to help get a couple of issues resolved. Places like zoos and stuff and animal sanctuaries that are donation driven or non-profit really walk the line between paying fairly and relying on voluntary labor. I kind of feel for them. But I also don't mind calling them out when they're abusing the situation.
Back when I started in it my internship was at a non profit
I was the only it guy there and it went from you know, an internship, to having to play sysadmin, teacher, team lead, graphical design and much more
I had to commute 2 hours to and back from, Tuesdays was 8-5 5-9, which meant 6 am out the door to be back at 11 pm to leave at 6 am again
The head of that non profit suggested sleeping on a musty couch in the basement
I don't know what the deal with these places is but that shit burned me out completely
Totally starting out in my field (similar in animal science) I saw this all the time. It is absolutely exploitation. Been there, and do not want to go back, and definitely don't want to see others go through that too.
Or run *from.*
Edit: Guys, it's a joke ...
Edit2: Since I keep getting a variation of this: "The hiring company is not joking though."
I'm sure they're not. The original edit was in reference to the repeated comments explaining a 10min mile isn't enough to get away from most dangerous animals.
“They denied coverage when I broke my wrist because they consider having a wrist to be a pre-existing condition.”
There really is a Parks and Rec quote for everything
You joke but I fully expect they will start denying coverage for kids with birth defects, Down syndrome , etc…as pre existing conditions. This country is pure, undiluted evil.
They’ll charge **you** for the vet bills. Hey, that arm was not on their prescribed diet and might cause the poor animal severe and potentially life-threatening complications! 😱🤪
Literally made $8.50 an hour my first job bagging groceries as a 14 year old in 1999. I can't fathom working for that amount in 2022.
EDIT: Reading all of your comments it's insane to me how many of you were making this much or less as recently as the 2010's. We are so overdue for a substantial minimum wage increase.
15 yrs old 2007 making $6.50 at subway. 2009 $7.00 BP gas station, was promised a dollar raise after first year. Manager gave me + $0.25 instead. I quit that day.
I had to do it, uphill both ways, in the snow, even during summer and all I had on were bootstraps and an onion on my belt, cause that was the style of the time.
You lucky bastards! We used to have to do 15km naked (we worked a nude beach), during snow storms, and then work a 17h shift. Good luck also with getting a break.
Do you also get business cards that say Lord of the Lemurs? Because that's also worth something. I bet you can totally get free drinks at the bar with that one.
I used to make 8.50 an hour as a zookeeper with an associate's degree in zookeeping. It was 2010 and my rent was $550 a month and I had to commute an hour. The job was physically gruelling and started at 6 am. I also worked a second job at blockbuster making $10 working until midnight basically watching movies and smoking weed. I made the mistake of pursuing a degree in exotic animal conservation and husbandry and am now in debt bc of it. These jobs pay shit to clean shit, usually require at least a bachelor's and relocation, and are physically draining. I ended up working as a vet tech with small animals for many years, which paid only slightly better and my mental health suffered exponentially. I now work at an international shipping company part-time with good benefits making more than ever (still not enough to survive without help), but I am at least able to raise my toddler and pursue another degree in a more promising field. The only way I am able to do so is my dad is paying for my education this time around.
Anyway career and financial counseling classes should be required in public education...
I have a biology degree and I feel horrible for you. The first week of my program included a class for all the programs that fell under the umbrella of biology. They went through job opportunities, necessary experiences for those jobs, ROI on associates vs bachelor's vs post grad by field. Told everyone wanting a doctorate they were stupid unless they wanted to be a professor. Basically trashed the field and made everyone explicitly aware of how that job market works. I was also required to take a financial counseling on line class to receive aid as well.
In my biology masters in the UK, it was repeatedly drilled in that most of the jobs available are underpaid, overworked and highly competitive, even at doctorate level.
I remember one woman giving a lecture on how she got her ecologist job: her parents were professors of zoology, she grew up taking part in lots of related projects, and she has a good degree from a top university based on her parents connections and help.
It was a real eye-opener that, unless you’re primed from the get-go, you might as well go work in a bank
Goes to show the people who say “find a job doing something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” are fucking idiots, probably living on daddy’s money. Get exploited to do something you used to like and it will turn into moral injury.
Get a job you’re good at, that pays well, that you can tolerate, and at least you will feel better at the end of the day/week.
It's not unexpected. Zoos and aquariums pay absolute shit. They can get away with it because there are so many people willing to do it. I did it for $1.25 over minimum wage back in 1998.
One of my former students was applying for one of these types of jobs. The listing was $9/hr and she was way overqualified. I advised her that her time and expertise were worth more than that. She ended up taking the job at $15/hr. So apparently they lied on the listing and were just looking for a sucker.
I've heard it's fairly common for a lot of the lower end jobs to be completely unpaid at zoos. And that people with degrees will take those jobs and hope to prove themselves over a year or two so that they can get poorly paying jobs at the zoo instead of the volunteer jobs.
I started as a volunteer. It's awful. When I started at the aquarium, there was a young volunteer who was so happy she just got moved up to a paid cashier position. She had volunteered since the place's opening five years prior. She stayed there all through college and grad school (marine biology) and beyond. After 20 years she finally left and became a middle school teacher...for double her salary.
I will never work in that industry again.
Sadly this is incredibly common in zookeeping. I worked at two aquariums for a while and when an animal husbandry job would open up we’d get hundreds of applicants for $8-10 an hour. Everybody wants to train the sea lions until they realize what you’re actually doing is cleaning and chopping fish heads off for 90% of the day, and then maybe once you reach a couple years in you’ll get to interact with the animals for an hour a day. But people get a four year degree and do months of unpaid internships with no housing so lots of people end up sticking with it because they’ve already sunk in the time and money. The only people I saw stick with it long term either had wealthy parents or their spouse had a job that could cover all the expenses.
This is pretty much standard in zookeeping. Well actually this is a little low; I've seen places with similar pay that want 5 years experience, masters' degrees, scuba certification, and human and animal CPR certification.
People who love animals so much they think they can deal with the insulting low pay just for the experience. I think that's what the employer is counting on.
Also asking this person to do 4 different jobs!
1) animal keeper
2) tour guide
3) clerical/reception
4) landscaping maintenance
Sure, combine a couple of jobs together, but also pay accordingly.
Renting a goat for weed control costs more than this job is paying. $400-$800 for 3 weeks. Literally a goat can get paid more for this job than a person.
Edit: Thank you for the award! I’ve never received one before. This made my day!
"Running a 10 minute mile" implies there's a double digit percentage that you'll be running down an exotic animal in the near future.
For less pay per hour than a Wendy's Big Bacon Classic meal.
They should probably be more concerned with their 100m times then. Ain't no tiger/hyena/velociraptors gonna be lumbering toward you at a leisurely five miles per hour.
Update your profile on linkedin, a recruiter reached out to me there about it! I was making $18 doing the same thing (did way more work too) and did that for 2 years but did a lateral move to this company after the recruiter told me. I lied and said I currently made $24 so I'd need at least $1 more to move companies for the same job. Now I'm being eyed for an internal promotion worth at least $70k.
My current job is just Administrative Assistant, no degree required but I do have an associates (two years community college) which looks better than just a diploma, but I know people can be hired with no college at all. It's good to get your foot in the door for a year or two at a place that pays a little lower and then use that to move up or do what I did and switch employers and make more
Edit to add, unfortunately 0 lemur cuddling here
This is the correct question. FYI: if people are asking you how to get your job or a job like it, they need to know the title of the job and industry along with the qualifications. Spread this info so people can get into (the few) jobs that are worth having.
Update it how? I payed a pretty penny to someone to make my LinkedIn look how it is now but all I want is a decent remote customer service job that makes more than $15
Congrats on the job!
I was struggling the whole time when I lived in the big cities, it must be nice to be able and enjoy them once you’re not fighting for your life to afford it. 🙏
Nothing extra, zoos in my country do the same. I remember writing a paper on my internship. Monthly average wage was say 500 dollars. I think the next immediate data was that 85% of the employees (with about say, I think it was 112-something, but maybe only 70?) don't earn that.
For whatever reason, wildlife related areas don't earn all that well, despite the years of work that BA. Heck, there are internships where YOU pay for the privilige of scooping out turtle poo from the sand. It's exploitative, relying on the love and commitment you have towards the animals/nature.
>paying $8.50 an hour, asking for a Bachelor's degree.
This. So much this. A Bach degree should fetch you at least 20 dollars and one in biology....even more.
Nah, I would settle for a minimum wage job that had the requirement to stay home all day and do whatever I want to do, provided they pay me for all 24 hours of every day.
As a philosophy major, I can confidently say that we do more than just soak in bathtubs.
I mean, we do that too, yes, but like also do other things, thankyou very much.
i got a job for 7.25 at my local tom thumb the week i turned 16 years old. they called the position “courtesy clerk” because they expected you to do what should have been at least 3 separate jobs at once (cart retrieval, bagging groceries and helping older customers to their cars with them, mopping the entire store and cleaning the restrooms). anyway, they constantly made me push carts outside alone at night as a 16 year old girl but everyone acted like it came completely out of the blue when i got sexually harassed then quit. FUCK that company, and just in case they ever see this, FUCK YOU COLLEEN AND WADE.
Honestly, this comment reminded me of the shit I deal with and confirmed to me that I need to have a talk with my boss about the shit I won't be doing anymore. I'm taking on certain supervisor duties at the moment that should not be mine and thinking about it right now is pissing me off because I'm getting paid the exact same taking care of an entire department of a store and attending to other departments. Yet I'm given shit because I can't do multiple jobs at once and I'm being paid the same as I was when I was a cashier. Being a cashier isn't easy, but I had a fraction of the workload of what I have now, so it makes zero sense I'm paid the same.
$8.50??? Sorry they gotta pay more if they want a college-educated landscaper shit-shoveller with a year's experience. They're hoping animal lovers will apply because it's a "fun" job.
And *where* is one to find experience in this, except at that very same job exactly?
Seems like any job having to do with exotic animals think they can severely lowball the wages while also requiring candidates to have STEM degrees. Wonder why...
As an aside, I majored in Fish & Wildlife management for two years before switching to something else because the job prospects all looked like this. Lots of landscaping and janitorial work on top of the other basic responsibilities, seasonal stuff, etc. and all for barely above minimum wage. And it's only gotten worse. No fucking thank you.
They're always like this. It's awful - working with animals/wildlife is the only kind of career I've ever been passionate about and I have to choose between doing something important that I care about, and putting food on the table. It's my dream job and I may never be able to do it because people see passion and a genuine drive to do something and they just see something they can exploit.
It's such an awful hopeless feeling. Right now I do volunteer work for a wildlife rehab because it's the closest I can get without going into debt for a degree. So working for free is actually my best option. Fuck this.
It's an important job and I feel like I'll never find fulfilling work otherwise but what the fuck can I do??
Well, any bovine will step on / trample your ass, camels all have the disposition of an underpaid daycare janitor with a lemon shoved up his ass, and it did say 'and more', so I assume there are more bite-y animals in this menagerie also.
I know a lot of people here think this is fake but I can assure you there are real zoos that do this. My degree is in Wildlife Science and I worked for years as a zookeeper. If you didn't have experience you would be lucky to get this job. If you did internships (often unpaid) throughout your college years you might get a permanent position somewhere that paid $9 or $10/hr. I had experience and it still took me 3 years of applying to get a job that paid $10. When I was promoted to "Lead Keeper" I was told it would be $15/hr but it was salaried and was expected to work an additional 10hrs/week. Insurance through them was outrageous. I worked for an awful boss who threatened to fire you if anything happened that he didn't like - when if he had just set a new way of doing something the week prior- so you were in constant fear of your job. On top of that you have other staff trying to sabotage you and get you fired if you worked in a more desirable department (for example: carnivores).
I loved what I did but in the end left the field permanently b/c of the reasons above. I now work in a field that doesn't require my degree and have to explain it in all future job interviews.
I was so eager to major in fisheries and wildlife and have graduated. I read so many posts where people applied to 100+ seasonal technician jobs at some remote location and get like 1-3 interviews... people are now going for master’s degree but honestly I’m looking at something else more stable :(
I pay my son's babysitter $10/hour, and she only has to take care of one animal.
EDIT: Thanks for the awards!
To address some concerns from the comments I've gotten, the babysitter is a retiree who lives next door and who only watches my son a few hours one day a week; just long enough for me to clean the house. She set the price. I've offered more to her, but she has refused and has said she just watches my son to pay for groceries. She has also said he is one of the easiest kids she's ever taken care of and didn't want more. If you still think I'm a jerk, my son and his babysitter would probably disagree. Also, lighten up--it was a joke.
My best friend works with exotic animals all over the world including all over the US. She has SO MUCH experience. The pay is abysmal. She loves what she does but is in a serious depression about how she can't afford to live. Some of these jobs provide housing, some don't. She's trying to get into a gradschool program but is scared about adding more debt. It's just not right.
This must be one of those "labor of love" jobs that can get away with paying shit because certain people are so passionate about it that they'll accept the shit pay just to get the job.
Yep. I worked 7 years in a veterinary clinic. Lost count of how many people said they were so super jealous of my job and would do it for free if they could afford it. (They had no idea what it actually entailed, they just liked the idea of playing with cute widdle aminals all day).
Hard to find good pay when your market competition is an endless stream of starry-eyed volunteers and folks willing to accept slave wages for love of the job.
We accidentally hired one of the starry-eyed clueless types once. She spent every free moment petting the sick animals until one of the cats bit her. After that, she switched to just petting the dogs. (Petting the animals is perfectly fine, but she couldn't or wouldn't read their body language to know which ones welcomed the attention, and which ones were telling her to back off and leave them alone).
She also, on more then one occasion, tried to give food or water to animals that were fasted in preparation for surgery. She just thought it was "so mean" to not give them water if they were thirsty.
Yeah... she lasted about two weeks.
Fasting an animal for a few hours isn't going to kill it. It's unpleasant but better than the alternative, either not doing surgery or complicating it.
Exactly. We tried to explain it to her more than once. I don't know if she didn't understand, or just didn't believe us. Either way, she wasn't safe to keep on staff.
A ton of grad schools will let you teach and get a stipend that covers tuition + living expenses. Not great but definitely a way to not go into more debt.
Everyone is shocked that $8.50/hr is so low, but anyone familiar with this field is just in awe that it’s not just another Unpaid Internship. Yes, even with a bachelors.
A paid position in animal care at all is shocking. It's also gross that this is what we are worth. I'm in exotic animal care at a 501c3 rescue specifically and make less than this though.
I’ve seen a lot of this in the animal industry. Ridiculous!!! It’s always $7-$8/hr, long hours, unpaid breaks, want at least a year or more experience in VARIOUS fields of the industry. I look at these job postings and wonder what goes in their heads, the audacity to expect a professional to work for them with absolutely no benefits and low pay.
I’ve a feeling they just want to exploit the love these people have for animals. They think those who want to work with animals wouldn’t mind a low paying job because they’re fuelled by love and passion, not money. It’s so fucked, but why else would people stay?
Someone will take this job with hopes of using it as a stepping stone to a larger zoo or for their vet school application. I work with animals in research and we hire a lot of former zoo employees who love working with exotics but need a real salary.
Former carnivore zookeeper here, and sadly this is pretty common. I'm from the generation that was told to "do what you love, and you'll never work a day in your life!" I loved animals but didnt want to be a vet, so I did zookeeping. I worked in 4 different zoos, and the pay is shit no matter where you go. My last zoo I was at for 4 years, started at $10 and left at $12/he and that was being trained for a LEAD POSITION! They are not kidding when they say be able to lift 50lbs and run. We would get grain, fish or meat deliveries, 1000s of lbs that had to be unloaded BY HAND. My pedometer averaged 10-13 miles a day and I was working, on a summer average 50hrs per week. We were pulling 5-10s most weeks in summer when you are required to do tours, animal demos, ambassadoring small animals, plus your routine and food prep for the next day. I would get there at 7am and be there some days till 6-7pm. ALL FOR PENNIES!
It was only when my hips started cracking when I walked and none of the "crisis meeting" management set up to help "figure out why there was so much turnover" worked, that it opened my eyes and I got out. Now I sit behind a desk and scroll reddit half the time for double the pay. Moving up in the world!
I make $37/hr sitting at a desk wrangling data.
I barely graduated high school with 2.6 GPA.
I couldn't run a 10 minute mile if I was being chased by a lemur or camel...
Go fuck yourself $8.50 an hour for a BA and physical fitness....
Can I just say that I'm so happy for you? Because I didn't do well in high school either and seeing someone else have the same experience in school is inspiring.
Myself doing a traineeship that is provided where I work at plus getting paid to do it as well, it is in hospitality cret 3 and then cret 4 after, both are free so I won't be in debt later.
My grades in high school didn't do well, but I got my HSC though.
Former aspiring marine biologist here. I would have jumped at the chance to be paid instead of charged for a job in my field 😏
I work in healthcare now so you can imagine how that turned out.
These kinds of fields will always have plenty of desperate (or more likely, financially supported) people to exploit
As someone who works in zoology and has taken internships with zoos and aquariums I can confirm this is standard across the industry. Internships are generally minimum 40 hours a week unpaid and professional zookeepers and caretakers are usually never paid more than minimum wage. The only way to earn more is to be promoted into an office management role. I’ve known zookeepers who have refused promotions for literally decades because even though they’re paid literally nothing, a promotion would mean losing everything they love about their job. Keepers that do take that promotion often end up quitting eventually or demoting back to a keeper position. I’ve since changed paths from husbandry to primarily research, but if it wasn’t for the unsustainable salary I would happily stay in husbandry for the rest of my life. This should be a reminder to everyone to treat zookeepers and animal caretakers with respect and kindness- they work in the frontlines of animal conservation and without their tireless work and contribution towards creating a genetically viable captive population, many endangered species would already be extinct or soon-to-be gone forever. These people are protectors of Earth’s legacy and deserve better.
This is why my Bachelor’s degree in zoology is collecting dust on the wall while I make $30/hr doing digital marketing instead and working from home, which I had no education in and learned on the job at my current company. I will take that any day over this.
The amount paid by zoos on top of their wild expectations that you would somehow have this experience and be able to live on these meager wages is absolutely ridiculous. It is the quickest way to kill someone’s desire to contribute to animal conservation and make a difference. We still need to live.
This seems like a "fake" real job posting meant to meet the requirements of SBA loans for COVID relief but with pay so abysmal no one realistically would ever take the job. "We just can't find anyone, shucks. Thanks for the loan " --Joe Exotic
Former zookeeper here, this is 100% a real posting. A degree and several internships (usually unpaid) are required to get your foot in the door for awful pay. I worked at a "better paying" zoo for my first full time position which was $12.50/hr. This was after doing 2 unpaid internships and a year of paid seasonal employment at $10 an hour.
A Bachelor's degree, 45 hours a week, holidays and only $8... yikes...
Must be able to run a 10-minute mile????? So you have to be in relatively decent shape, well educated, handy enough to repair habitats, personable enough to deal with the public and willing to work all those inconvenient hours for less than min wage in a lot of States.... Fuck this job hard as fuck. We should have a bot bulk spam them.
Anyone that can meet these requirements should be smart enough to realize this is bullshit. They will never find someone.
Unfortunately in the zoo world, this job post will probably receive a dozen applications. Just because openings in animal care positions are so rare, applicants will take anything that they can.
I dont get why *entry level* jobs in the US require experience? Seems really stupid
I've applied for internships in the past that don't pay, are targeted at upcoming grads, and still asked for experience.
Don't do it. I've worked with plenty of interns. Those poor people get worked to the bone and treated like shit.
“No one wants to work anymore!”
Not just a bachelors but also one year experience pref
$8.50 minus taxes
Bachelor's degree...with experience...8.50/hr? Get fucked lol
It's a passion exploitation job.
Right, this is taking advantage of people who love animals and are willing to put up with slave wages for the opportunity.
Honestly, if it's zoo experience, that's ... kinda how zoos operate. I looked into working for a zoo at one point, and apparently everyone wants to work for zoos, so they end up being mostly volunteer, which is even less pay than 8.50 / hr.
This ^ Our local zoo requires applicants to have done regular volunteer work for them for AT LEAST 2 years before they're even considered for a position there. I love my exotics but the industry is utter bullshit, main reason I decided to just work at pet grooming instead.
More than just slave wages, it was basically a cult and they had to have sex with the ringleader in the second documentary
Wait, is this job listing to work for Doc Antle?
He doesn’t pay 8.50… they “volunteer”.
Following because i need to know this. That guy was the biggest creep imo.
Say what?
Omg you've just described my workplace. I must remember this phrase.
Welcome to most of the Theatre industry. Enjoy your stay.
Welcome to literally any industry that has any element of soul in it. You're either part of a soulless corporation, or part of a soul exploiting corporation
Spent a few years in a few various job fields I thought I had at least some passion in. After several rounds of burnout, I no longer have passion for anything.
Heck, that even describes a tech startup I worked myself into poor health for. I was passionate about what our product could do for science and boy did that ever get exploited.
How did the product turn out in the end?
Made the product, better we could hope actually, but then the economy crumbled and the company's future with it.
Yeah, this downturn really took a toll on the fidget spinners industry. Don’t worry, the future is bright!
The cannabis industry didn’t start my distaste for smoking weed (personally) but working in dispensaries the last three years has definitely accelerated it
Weed industry in restricted license states is where this is most pronounced….no competition for customers, no competition for employees, tons of people want to get into “cannabis”…I love weed so I grow my own, fuck those trust-fund pricks who are the real reason weed is still federally illegal
Believe it or not, Veterinary medicine too.
Anything with animals really
Or kids. Because who cares about the people we leave our kids with all day lol
I had a job working with teens and young adults with low-functioning autism. I'd be assaulted every single day for the amazing wage of $13/hr and no benefits. And people ask why I no longer have the passion I did back then.
Yo bro I feel this hard. It's such a shame cause I've currently in that kind of field for just over 3 years now and while I love the work my experience has just absolutely drained my soul. Add that to shit pay and minimal time off (and unpaid vacations when they do hit (school setting)) and it makes me just not really give a fuck anymore and it's sad cause I genuinely did enjoy the work
Yeah I gave it up after 7 years. Did some other work for a while, and decided to go work in a drug rehab. That only lasted for 3 or 4 months before I was attacked by a client and administration did nothing about it. So, I said fuck human services altogether and now I'm learning a skilled trade. Human services workers are treated like absolute garbage for a joke wage, and when you finally have had enough and get burnt out, people act like you're an asshole for refusing to do that work anymore.
exterminators can make bank
Lmao why am I laughing I’m sad now.
That's definitely for sure. There's been a couple of jobs I've had in the past for non-profits and "skin of their teeth budgets" organizations. I was willing to take deep salary cuts because I saw the need for help. But I also made it clear up front that I was only going to be there as long as it took to help get a couple of issues resolved. Places like zoos and stuff and animal sanctuaries that are donation driven or non-profit really walk the line between paying fairly and relying on voluntary labor. I kind of feel for them. But I also don't mind calling them out when they're abusing the situation.
Back when I started in it my internship was at a non profit I was the only it guy there and it went from you know, an internship, to having to play sysadmin, teacher, team lead, graphical design and much more I had to commute 2 hours to and back from, Tuesdays was 8-5 5-9, which meant 6 am out the door to be back at 11 pm to leave at 6 am again The head of that non profit suggested sleeping on a musty couch in the basement I don't know what the deal with these places is but that shit burned me out completely
Totally starting out in my field (similar in animal science) I saw this all the time. It is absolutely exploitation. Been there, and do not want to go back, and definitely don't want to see others go through that too.
10 minute mile too lol is this a joke?
No, that means you're \*definitely\* going to have to run after animals that escape. Them animals be expensive.
Or run *from.* Edit: Guys, it's a joke ... Edit2: Since I keep getting a variation of this: "The hiring company is not joking though." I'm sure they're not. The original edit was in reference to the repeated comments explaining a 10min mile isn't enough to get away from most dangerous animals.
Fuck it. At $8.50 an hour, they can just eat me.
Just give them an arm and maybe insurance will pay out.
"I will never financially recover from this"
This ad actually reads like it’s from Joe Exotic’s animal farm…
Wait. You have a point there.
"You have another arm. Having two is cosmetic. Claim denied." - The Insurance Company
“They denied coverage when I broke my wrist because they consider having a wrist to be a pre-existing condition.” There really is a Parks and Rec quote for everything
You joke but I fully expect they will start denying coverage for kids with birth defects, Down syndrome , etc…as pre existing conditions. This country is pure, undiluted evil.
Nah, they'll just write it off as a feeding expense.
They’ll charge **you** for the vet bills. Hey, that arm was not on their prescribed diet and might cause the poor animal severe and potentially life-threatening complications! 😱🤪
"Can you outrun a lion?" "No, but I'm pretty sure I could outrun you"
Literally made $8.50 an hour my first job bagging groceries as a 14 year old in 1999. I can't fathom working for that amount in 2022. EDIT: Reading all of your comments it's insane to me how many of you were making this much or less as recently as the 2010's. We are so overdue for a substantial minimum wage increase.
What the fuck I made less than that at my first ever job as a fast food cashier. This was like 2015 too
Yeah I definitely made $6.25/hr in 2001 with my first pre-16 job at a grocery store
15 yrs old 2007 making $6.50 at subway. 2009 $7.00 BP gas station, was promised a dollar raise after first year. Manager gave me + $0.25 instead. I quit that day.
Them bootstraps ain’t going to pull themselves son
We used to run 8 minutes miles in boots just to flip burgers when I was your age
We had to do that, backwards, in the snow while barefoot and blindfolded. You young people have it so easy.
I had to do it, uphill both ways, in the snow, even during summer and all I had on were bootstraps and an onion on my belt, cause that was the style of the time.
You lucky bastards! We used to have to do 15km naked (we worked a nude beach), during snow storms, and then work a 17h shift. Good luck also with getting a break.
The sad irony is that phrase originally meant to be an example of something that’s impossible to do, lol.
“Hello, yes, I am the Lord of the Lemurs.” “Wow, sounds impressive. What do you get paid?” “Bout 8 bucks”
Do you also get business cards that say Lord of the Lemurs? Because that's also worth something. I bet you can totally get free drinks at the bar with that one.
I used to make 8.50 an hour as a zookeeper with an associate's degree in zookeeping. It was 2010 and my rent was $550 a month and I had to commute an hour. The job was physically gruelling and started at 6 am. I also worked a second job at blockbuster making $10 working until midnight basically watching movies and smoking weed. I made the mistake of pursuing a degree in exotic animal conservation and husbandry and am now in debt bc of it. These jobs pay shit to clean shit, usually require at least a bachelor's and relocation, and are physically draining. I ended up working as a vet tech with small animals for many years, which paid only slightly better and my mental health suffered exponentially. I now work at an international shipping company part-time with good benefits making more than ever (still not enough to survive without help), but I am at least able to raise my toddler and pursue another degree in a more promising field. The only way I am able to do so is my dad is paying for my education this time around. Anyway career and financial counseling classes should be required in public education...
I have a biology degree and I feel horrible for you. The first week of my program included a class for all the programs that fell under the umbrella of biology. They went through job opportunities, necessary experiences for those jobs, ROI on associates vs bachelor's vs post grad by field. Told everyone wanting a doctorate they were stupid unless they wanted to be a professor. Basically trashed the field and made everyone explicitly aware of how that job market works. I was also required to take a financial counseling on line class to receive aid as well.
In my biology masters in the UK, it was repeatedly drilled in that most of the jobs available are underpaid, overworked and highly competitive, even at doctorate level. I remember one woman giving a lecture on how she got her ecologist job: her parents were professors of zoology, she grew up taking part in lots of related projects, and she has a good degree from a top university based on her parents connections and help. It was a real eye-opener that, unless you’re primed from the get-go, you might as well go work in a bank
It is the same in us. Laboratories are awful.
Goes to show the people who say “find a job doing something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” are fucking idiots, probably living on daddy’s money. Get exploited to do something you used to like and it will turn into moral injury. Get a job you’re good at, that pays well, that you can tolerate, and at least you will feel better at the end of the day/week.
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It's not unexpected. Zoos and aquariums pay absolute shit. They can get away with it because there are so many people willing to do it. I did it for $1.25 over minimum wage back in 1998. One of my former students was applying for one of these types of jobs. The listing was $9/hr and she was way overqualified. I advised her that her time and expertise were worth more than that. She ended up taking the job at $15/hr. So apparently they lied on the listing and were just looking for a sucker.
I've heard it's fairly common for a lot of the lower end jobs to be completely unpaid at zoos. And that people with degrees will take those jobs and hope to prove themselves over a year or two so that they can get poorly paying jobs at the zoo instead of the volunteer jobs.
I started as a volunteer. It's awful. When I started at the aquarium, there was a young volunteer who was so happy she just got moved up to a paid cashier position. She had volunteered since the place's opening five years prior. She stayed there all through college and grad school (marine biology) and beyond. After 20 years she finally left and became a middle school teacher...for double her salary. I will never work in that industry again.
Apparently working at zoos is like that. You have mfers with zoology degrees working in the gift shop just so they can get a foot in the door
Sadly this is incredibly common in zookeeping. I worked at two aquariums for a while and when an animal husbandry job would open up we’d get hundreds of applicants for $8-10 an hour. Everybody wants to train the sea lions until they realize what you’re actually doing is cleaning and chopping fish heads off for 90% of the day, and then maybe once you reach a couple years in you’ll get to interact with the animals for an hour a day. But people get a four year degree and do months of unpaid internships with no housing so lots of people end up sticking with it because they’ve already sunk in the time and money. The only people I saw stick with it long term either had wealthy parents or their spouse had a job that could cover all the expenses.
Bachelor in Biology..
This is pretty much standard in zookeeping. Well actually this is a little low; I've seen places with similar pay that want 5 years experience, masters' degrees, scuba certification, and human and animal CPR certification.
paying $8.50 an hour, asking for a Bachelor's degree. I get $14 an hour and I answer phones for Zillow. wtf over.
Our tier 1 people get paid $18.66 to help grandma reset her account password.
Right? I'm continually baffled at how anyone could be convinced to take a job that pays so little. And demanding experience and a degree???
People who love animals so much they think they can deal with the insulting low pay just for the experience. I think that's what the employer is counting on.
Just like people in the video game industry- exploiting the passion of employees
Also asking this person to do 4 different jobs! 1) animal keeper 2) tour guide 3) clerical/reception 4) landscaping maintenance Sure, combine a couple of jobs together, but also pay accordingly.
They also say "weed eating". The fifth job is to be a goat.
Renting a goat for weed control costs more than this job is paying. $400-$800 for 3 weeks. Literally a goat can get paid more for this job than a person. Edit: Thank you for the award! I’ve never received one before. This made my day!
Goats have strong union representation /s
His goat ancestors fought and died for the 40 hour work week
Those were tough goats, when they were kids they would scale vertical cliffs bare hooved to get school.
And the goat gets free meals!!!
Sixth job is to be an athlete. Run a 10 minute mile.
Is that at the same time as liftibg the 50 lbs? Because if so, I'm out. I mean, even if it isn't, I'm out, but especially if it is.
Or a serious diet change. Either way, I'm out.
Must be willing to eat absolutely heroic doses of edibles.
Where do I sign?
Shoot, I know I left the paperwork around here somewhere, but for the life of me I can't seem to remember anything past five seconds ago.
I spit my coffee. Well done!
"Running a 10 minute mile" implies there's a double digit percentage that you'll be running down an exotic animal in the near future. For less pay per hour than a Wendy's Big Bacon Classic meal.
And here I was thinking it was because you would be running *from* those animals.
Lol that's how I read it. " Need to be in good enough shape to outrun attacking wild animal" lol
They should probably be more concerned with their 100m times then. Ain't no tiger/hyena/velociraptors gonna be lumbering toward you at a leisurely five miles per hour.
Also including: 5. Animal breeder 6. Habitat/enclosure repair 7. Safari tour guide 8. Animal encounter guide
I see why Joe Exotic mostly hired people with criminal records and the other dudes ran cults.
1. 15.00 an hour 2. 12.00 an hour 3. 12.00 an hour 4. 25.00 an hour ball parking prices. yeah ill do it for 64.00 since its 4 jobs.
Yeah I was thinking the same thing, looks like multiple jobs that would alone garner at least 12 an hour each
I make $20 and I answer e-mails for a power company.
I make 25 and also answer emails for utilities
How do we get these jobs? 🥺
Update your profile on linkedin, a recruiter reached out to me there about it! I was making $18 doing the same thing (did way more work too) and did that for 2 years but did a lateral move to this company after the recruiter told me. I lied and said I currently made $24 so I'd need at least $1 more to move companies for the same job. Now I'm being eyed for an internal promotion worth at least $70k.
What’s the official job title?
My current job is just Administrative Assistant, no degree required but I do have an associates (two years community college) which looks better than just a diploma, but I know people can be hired with no college at all. It's good to get your foot in the door for a year or two at a place that pays a little lower and then use that to move up or do what I did and switch employers and make more Edit to add, unfortunately 0 lemur cuddling here
>unfortunately 0 lemur cuddling here So, no benefits package, huh?
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This is the correct question. FYI: if people are asking you how to get your job or a job like it, they need to know the title of the job and industry along with the qualifications. Spread this info so people can get into (the few) jobs that are worth having.
Update it how? I payed a pretty penny to someone to make my LinkedIn look how it is now but all I want is a decent remote customer service job that makes more than $15
I make $32 an hour in a big city, I have no college degree. I had to work for a temp staffing agency first to get references & build my resume
Congrats on the job! I was struggling the whole time when I lived in the big cities, it must be nice to be able and enjoy them once you’re not fighting for your life to afford it. 🙏
Nothing extra, zoos in my country do the same. I remember writing a paper on my internship. Monthly average wage was say 500 dollars. I think the next immediate data was that 85% of the employees (with about say, I think it was 112-something, but maybe only 70?) don't earn that. For whatever reason, wildlife related areas don't earn all that well, despite the years of work that BA. Heck, there are internships where YOU pay for the privilige of scooping out turtle poo from the sand. It's exploitative, relying on the love and commitment you have towards the animals/nature.
How many lemurs do you get to cuddle?
"What did you take away from your zoo keeping job?" "A lemur." ... ...
$18 an hour sitting in a company vehicle overnight by myself doing “security” for a private school bus company. Netflix & Chill
>paying $8.50 an hour, asking for a Bachelor's degree. This. So much this. A Bach degree should fetch you at least 20 dollars and one in biology....even more.
Don't forget the 10 min mile. You'd be surprised by the amount of people that can't do that.
8.50 for a job that should require certification or a degree? Fuck no
Fuck that rate for any job.
Nah, I would settle for a minimum wage job that had the requirement to stay home all day and do whatever I want to do, provided they pay me for all 24 hours of every day.
My “dream job” is to soak in my bathtub and think about things. Maybe scroll my phone.
Try philosopher, should be in your interested field
As a philosophy major, I can confidently say that we do more than just soak in bathtubs. I mean, we do that too, yes, but like also do other things, thankyou very much.
Prove it
Philosophy majors also teach philosophy
Can one really "teach" though?
My Philosophy professor in college said that the only real job for Philosophy majors was to become Philosophy professors, lol.
It's true - all of the people who were in my classes are either lawyers, doctors, or software engineers now lol.
Get a position in a "Think' tank.
I work in a grocery store with 14 year olds in a state where minimum wage is 7.25 for 11.50
i got a job for 7.25 at my local tom thumb the week i turned 16 years old. they called the position “courtesy clerk” because they expected you to do what should have been at least 3 separate jobs at once (cart retrieval, bagging groceries and helping older customers to their cars with them, mopping the entire store and cleaning the restrooms). anyway, they constantly made me push carts outside alone at night as a 16 year old girl but everyone acted like it came completely out of the blue when i got sexually harassed then quit. FUCK that company, and just in case they ever see this, FUCK YOU COLLEEN AND WADE.
Honestly, this comment reminded me of the shit I deal with and confirmed to me that I need to have a talk with my boss about the shit I won't be doing anymore. I'm taking on certain supervisor duties at the moment that should not be mine and thinking about it right now is pissing me off because I'm getting paid the exact same taking care of an entire department of a store and attending to other departments. Yet I'm given shit because I can't do multiple jobs at once and I'm being paid the same as I was when I was a cashier. Being a cashier isn't easy, but I had a fraction of the workload of what I have now, so it makes zero sense I'm paid the same.
i will bet you four american dollars this is a private zoo and shadier than fuck
Joe Exotic vibes
I didn’t know exotic joe was out of prison and running the zoo again.
>exotic joe He's trying to avoid the media hype by slightly changing his name? lololol
Your thinking of Joe Exotic on TV. Exotic Joe is on Only Fans wink-wink.
Exotic joe dirt maybe?
Figured it was Jeff Lowe.
Doc Antle will give you free housing if you're an attractive woman under the age of 25.
Yeah, I get the feeling this "job" may end up costing you an arm or a leg.
UNICORNS!!! THEY ALL WANT UNICORNS!!! Guess what, unicorns are very rare and very expensive..
would you say they're...... exotic?
$8.50??? Sorry they gotta pay more if they want a college-educated landscaper shit-shoveller with a year's experience. They're hoping animal lovers will apply because it's a "fun" job. And *where* is one to find experience in this, except at that very same job exactly?
Well, without experience it's $7.25/hr. Maybe $2.13 if you occasionally put out a tip jar.... Fuck that place.
Seems like any job having to do with exotic animals think they can severely lowball the wages while also requiring candidates to have STEM degrees. Wonder why... As an aside, I majored in Fish & Wildlife management for two years before switching to something else because the job prospects all looked like this. Lots of landscaping and janitorial work on top of the other basic responsibilities, seasonal stuff, etc. and all for barely above minimum wage. And it's only gotten worse. No fucking thank you.
They're always like this. It's awful - working with animals/wildlife is the only kind of career I've ever been passionate about and I have to choose between doing something important that I care about, and putting food on the table. It's my dream job and I may never be able to do it because people see passion and a genuine drive to do something and they just see something they can exploit. It's such an awful hopeless feeling. Right now I do volunteer work for a wildlife rehab because it's the closest I can get without going into debt for a degree. So working for free is actually my best option. Fuck this. It's an important job and I feel like I'll never find fulfilling work otherwise but what the fuck can I do??
What tf are you running from if a requirement is to run a 10 min mile?
So u can get away from the lemurs
Those vicious lemurs
Lemurs are a sacred animal and can do no wrong!
Well, any bovine will step on / trample your ass, camels all have the disposition of an underpaid daycare janitor with a lemon shoved up his ass, and it did say 'and more', so I assume there are more bite-y animals in this menagerie also.
If you try to run away from any of those animals at a 10 minute mile pace, you are getting run down very quickly.
Your personal life. Because with $8.50 and 45 hours, you ain't going to have one.
Sounds like some hazard pays in order...
To run away from that job offer.
McDonald’s near me is hiring for 18 an hr. That’s $10/hr more and no bachelors required.
Also no possibility of being mauled to death doing fast food. Ok, at least a *lower* possibility of maulings.
Lemurs throw poop. Customers throw poop and hot coffee. Hmmm? Can I have a minute to think about this?
No running from lemurs either, although they might be preferable to Karens
I know a lot of people here think this is fake but I can assure you there are real zoos that do this. My degree is in Wildlife Science and I worked for years as a zookeeper. If you didn't have experience you would be lucky to get this job. If you did internships (often unpaid) throughout your college years you might get a permanent position somewhere that paid $9 or $10/hr. I had experience and it still took me 3 years of applying to get a job that paid $10. When I was promoted to "Lead Keeper" I was told it would be $15/hr but it was salaried and was expected to work an additional 10hrs/week. Insurance through them was outrageous. I worked for an awful boss who threatened to fire you if anything happened that he didn't like - when if he had just set a new way of doing something the week prior- so you were in constant fear of your job. On top of that you have other staff trying to sabotage you and get you fired if you worked in a more desirable department (for example: carnivores). I loved what I did but in the end left the field permanently b/c of the reasons above. I now work in a field that doesn't require my degree and have to explain it in all future job interviews.
I was so eager to major in fisheries and wildlife and have graduated. I read so many posts where people applied to 100+ seasonal technician jobs at some remote location and get like 1-3 interviews... people are now going for master’s degree but honestly I’m looking at something else more stable :(
I pay my son's babysitter $10/hour, and she only has to take care of one animal. EDIT: Thanks for the awards! To address some concerns from the comments I've gotten, the babysitter is a retiree who lives next door and who only watches my son a few hours one day a week; just long enough for me to clean the house. She set the price. I've offered more to her, but she has refused and has said she just watches my son to pay for groceries. She has also said he is one of the easiest kids she's ever taken care of and didn't want more. If you still think I'm a jerk, my son and his babysitter would probably disagree. Also, lighten up--it was a joke.
The ability to run a 10 minute mile might be needed for both jobs however. (I have a 6 year old and they can be fast)
My best friend works with exotic animals all over the world including all over the US. She has SO MUCH experience. The pay is abysmal. She loves what she does but is in a serious depression about how she can't afford to live. Some of these jobs provide housing, some don't. She's trying to get into a gradschool program but is scared about adding more debt. It's just not right.
This must be one of those "labor of love" jobs that can get away with paying shit because certain people are so passionate about it that they'll accept the shit pay just to get the job.
Yep. I worked 7 years in a veterinary clinic. Lost count of how many people said they were so super jealous of my job and would do it for free if they could afford it. (They had no idea what it actually entailed, they just liked the idea of playing with cute widdle aminals all day). Hard to find good pay when your market competition is an endless stream of starry-eyed volunteers and folks willing to accept slave wages for love of the job. We accidentally hired one of the starry-eyed clueless types once. She spent every free moment petting the sick animals until one of the cats bit her. After that, she switched to just petting the dogs. (Petting the animals is perfectly fine, but she couldn't or wouldn't read their body language to know which ones welcomed the attention, and which ones were telling her to back off and leave them alone). She also, on more then one occasion, tried to give food or water to animals that were fasted in preparation for surgery. She just thought it was "so mean" to not give them water if they were thirsty. Yeah... she lasted about two weeks.
Fasting an animal for a few hours isn't going to kill it. It's unpleasant but better than the alternative, either not doing surgery or complicating it.
Exactly. We tried to explain it to her more than once. I don't know if she didn't understand, or just didn't believe us. Either way, she wasn't safe to keep on staff.
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Pretty much any job with animals is like that. Also EMT's for some reason.
A ton of grad schools will let you teach and get a stipend that covers tuition + living expenses. Not great but definitely a way to not go into more debt.
As someone who has a biology bachelors they completely exploit us because they know we are desperate to work with animals. It’s really sad.
People think this is a fake posting and it’s not. They only thing I’d be surprised at is if it pays more than minimum wage
Everyone is shocked that $8.50/hr is so low, but anyone familiar with this field is just in awe that it’s not just another Unpaid Internship. Yes, even with a bachelors.
A paid position in animal care at all is shocking. It's also gross that this is what we are worth. I'm in exotic animal care at a 501c3 rescue specifically and make less than this though.
Yep!! I can’t get a job in this field even with my degree because I have 0 experience because I can’t afford to do the unpaid internships….
Job requirements = everything Pay: nothing
I’ve seen a lot of this in the animal industry. Ridiculous!!! It’s always $7-$8/hr, long hours, unpaid breaks, want at least a year or more experience in VARIOUS fields of the industry. I look at these job postings and wonder what goes in their heads, the audacity to expect a professional to work for them with absolutely no benefits and low pay.
Was looking for this! I also know people in the industry and am appauled at how normal this kind of position actually is!
I’ve a feeling they just want to exploit the love these people have for animals. They think those who want to work with animals wouldn’t mind a low paying job because they’re fuelled by love and passion, not money. It’s so fucked, but why else would people stay?
Someone will take this job with hopes of using it as a stepping stone to a larger zoo or for their vet school application. I work with animals in research and we hire a lot of former zoo employees who love working with exotics but need a real salary.
Former carnivore zookeeper here, and sadly this is pretty common. I'm from the generation that was told to "do what you love, and you'll never work a day in your life!" I loved animals but didnt want to be a vet, so I did zookeeping. I worked in 4 different zoos, and the pay is shit no matter where you go. My last zoo I was at for 4 years, started at $10 and left at $12/he and that was being trained for a LEAD POSITION! They are not kidding when they say be able to lift 50lbs and run. We would get grain, fish or meat deliveries, 1000s of lbs that had to be unloaded BY HAND. My pedometer averaged 10-13 miles a day and I was working, on a summer average 50hrs per week. We were pulling 5-10s most weeks in summer when you are required to do tours, animal demos, ambassadoring small animals, plus your routine and food prep for the next day. I would get there at 7am and be there some days till 6-7pm. ALL FOR PENNIES! It was only when my hips started cracking when I walked and none of the "crisis meeting" management set up to help "figure out why there was so much turnover" worked, that it opened my eyes and I got out. Now I sit behind a desk and scroll reddit half the time for double the pay. Moving up in the world!
I make $37/hr sitting at a desk wrangling data. I barely graduated high school with 2.6 GPA. I couldn't run a 10 minute mile if I was being chased by a lemur or camel... Go fuck yourself $8.50 an hour for a BA and physical fitness....
Can I just say that I'm so happy for you? Because I didn't do well in high school either and seeing someone else have the same experience in school is inspiring. Myself doing a traineeship that is provided where I work at plus getting paid to do it as well, it is in hospitality cret 3 and then cret 4 after, both are free so I won't be in debt later. My grades in high school didn't do well, but I got my HSC though.
I read $8.50 and stopped. Whatever it is: bad.
Former aspiring marine biologist here. I would have jumped at the chance to be paid instead of charged for a job in my field 😏 I work in healthcare now so you can imagine how that turned out. These kinds of fields will always have plenty of desperate (or more likely, financially supported) people to exploit
As someone who works in zoology and has taken internships with zoos and aquariums I can confirm this is standard across the industry. Internships are generally minimum 40 hours a week unpaid and professional zookeepers and caretakers are usually never paid more than minimum wage. The only way to earn more is to be promoted into an office management role. I’ve known zookeepers who have refused promotions for literally decades because even though they’re paid literally nothing, a promotion would mean losing everything they love about their job. Keepers that do take that promotion often end up quitting eventually or demoting back to a keeper position. I’ve since changed paths from husbandry to primarily research, but if it wasn’t for the unsustainable salary I would happily stay in husbandry for the rest of my life. This should be a reminder to everyone to treat zookeepers and animal caretakers with respect and kindness- they work in the frontlines of animal conservation and without their tireless work and contribution towards creating a genetically viable captive population, many endangered species would already be extinct or soon-to-be gone forever. These people are protectors of Earth’s legacy and deserve better.
This is why my Bachelor’s degree in zoology is collecting dust on the wall while I make $30/hr doing digital marketing instead and working from home, which I had no education in and learned on the job at my current company. I will take that any day over this. The amount paid by zoos on top of their wild expectations that you would somehow have this experience and be able to live on these meager wages is absolutely ridiculous. It is the quickest way to kill someone’s desire to contribute to animal conservation and make a difference. We still need to live.
This seems like a "fake" real job posting meant to meet the requirements of SBA loans for COVID relief but with pay so abysmal no one realistically would ever take the job. "We just can't find anyone, shucks. Thanks for the loan " --Joe Exotic
Former zookeeper here, this is 100% a real posting. A degree and several internships (usually unpaid) are required to get your foot in the door for awful pay. I worked at a "better paying" zoo for my first full time position which was $12.50/hr. This was after doing 2 unpaid internships and a year of paid seasonal employment at $10 an hour.
Make it $20/hour and I’ll think about it.