Definition: "Conditioning and maintaining animal behaviors, performing in shows for both private and education groups.; maintaining a healthy environment for the animals by cleaning performance and holding areas, preparing food, making records of diet and behaviors, etc."

Required qualifications: Requirements vary depending on where you apply, and experience with animals is often regarded as highly as academic qualifications, but an Associate's of Bachelor's degree in a biological science, behavioral science, psychology, or drama, greatly improves your chances of a job.

Other skills: Previous experience with animals - whether whales, horses or cats! - is important. Public speaking skills are essential, since trainers have the most prominent and public jobs in a zoological park. They have to be able to speak and act confidently and clearly in shows, and be able to talk with members of the public. Patience is another necessity - teaching behaviors to animals takes a lot of time and repetition, and a strong relationship with the animals must be built up over a period of time.

Salary: £12,000 - £20,000 approximately ($18,000 - $30,000)

Working with whales and dolphins in aquariums can be extremely rewarding but, as you may expect, competition for jobs like that is fierce! Most trainers say that the keys things you need to be a good trainer are
excellent swimming skills - candidates have to undergo a rigorous swim test which includes diving to the bottom of the tank and swimming the length of the tank underwater - good communication skills, and, of course, a love for the water and the animals. A degree is not essential but will vastly improve your chance of getting a place - zoology or psychology are good choices.

All parts of the swim test are done without the help of oxygen tanks. During shows, trainers entering the water with marine mammals have to do all 'water work' using their own lungs, so their employers have to be sure they are capable of performing the strenuous tasks that will regularly be asked of them. SCUBA certification is, however, a must if you want to be a trainer at Sea World, and I should think it is a necessity at most other dolphin facilities.

When employers are looking for new trainers, experience with animals is one of, if not *the* most important factor. Some trainers have been employed without any degrees at all - although it is not advised to pursue this
career without one! - so experience is of enormous benefit. Experience with any animal is an excellent start, be it dolphins, cats, dogs and horses - it doesn't matter what animal, so long as you have had experience of caring
for and working with members of the animal kingdom. Companies also tend to employ trainers using internal recruitment - that is, they like to employ a trainer for whom they already know the personality and character traits, such as how hard-working the person is and how passionate they are about the animals. So it's good to get a foot in the door - whether it be working in another area of the park, or picking litter, it all helps!