Animal rescue officer requirements and FAQs

Once the ARO vacancies are live you'll be asked to complete an online application form which will be linked on the job vacancies web page. The form will take between 10-20 minutes to complete and will need to be completed in one session. The form is available in different formats upon request from the resourcing team, email resourcingteam@rspca.org.uk.

To be considered for this role, you must live within a reasonable travelling distance (30 minutes) of the group area you are applying to.

When completing the application form you will only be able to select one location. We recommend you apply where you are currently based or very local to (within 30 minutes or less). If you're close to multiple vacancies, the resourcing team may take your application into consideration for these too.

In line with the requirements of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 you must be eligible to live and work in the United Kingdom to become an RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer, with no restrictions on your stay. We are currently unable to provide visa sponsorship.

Your criminal conviction doesn't automatically mean your application will be rejected.

We're committed to equality of opportunity for all job applicants and aims to select people for employment on the basis of their individual skills, abilities, experience, knowledge and, where appropriate, qualifications and training.

All cases will be examined on an individual basis, taking the following into consideration:

• Whether the conviction is relevant to the position applied for
• The seriousness of any offence revealed
• The age of the applicant at the time of the offence(s)
• The length of time since the offence(s) occurred
• Whether the applicant has a pattern of offending behaviour
• The circumstances surrounding the offence(s), and the explanation(s) offered by the person concerned
• Whether the application circumstances have changed since the offending behaviour

If you're successful throughout the selection process, all of the facts will be considered and discussed with you before an offer of employment is confirmed.

It's important, to be honest. Failure to disclose information could result in the withdrawal of an offer of employment.

£22,620 rising to £23,660 on successful completion of training course (inclusive of 4% shift allowance) - plus London Weighting Allowance where applicable.

You'll regularly be required to work at weekends on bank holidays and in the evenings, and should carefully consider any interests or arrangements you may have that would be affected by working unsociable hours. We operate a roster which includes a shift pattern that operates 7 days a week, from 7am to 10pm. Each officer will be allocated to a roster line which will equate to a 8hr working day (1hr unpaid break), averaged over a normal 35 hour working week. The shift pattern includes rostered days off but may not always be a weekend.

You'll have an opportunity to work for the largest animal welfare charity in England and Wales. An Animal Rescue Officer is an incredibly important and rewarding role.

No two days are ever the same and there's no better feeling knowing you've made a real difference to the lives of animals. We value and recognise our employees' contribution and are proud to offer an extensive benefits package including:

• 35 hours standard working week
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays increasing to 30 days with service 
• full uniform and vehicle
• a generous pension scheme with associated life assurance and group income protection scheme access to a private healthcare scheme
• 24/7 employee assistance programme
• support for professional development after qualifying period

You need to be 17 or over to apply, and 18 by the time you start the course. There's no upper age limit.

Animal Rescue Officers will be trained and equipped to rescue animals in a variety of situations. The work can involve ladders against trees or at the roof level of properties. You will be called upon to work on cliff or quarry ledges. You may be called upon to rescue animals in confined positions, for example roof spaces, under floors, from drains.

You will need the ability to swim 50 metres fully clothed within 2.5 minutes by the start of the training course. If you're currently unable to swim or in the process of learning, your application will not be affected by this - as long as you are able to meet the swimming requirement detailed above by the start of the training course.

You can visit our frontline Twitter for examples of what our Inspectorate deal with on a daily basis.

You'll need a Level 2 qualification in English Language at GCSE grade C or above, or Grades 4-9. If you have a qualification that was awarded outside of England or Wales, you can check whether your qualifications are equivalent on gov.uk.

The role is highly rewarding but the psychological demands are challenging. Animal Rescue Officers work alone, in unfamiliar areas night and day, and manage aggressive, confrontational and emotionally disturbing situations. 

You will be working as part of a regional group although you will be primarily home based. This will require you to undertake extensive travelling both within your designated area and outside for the proper performance of your duties. You will not be required to work outside of the UK.

Appointed candidates will be required to attend an occupational health and functional assessment in London where we will determine your suitability for the needs of the role.

We strongly believe in being an innovative, diverse, and inclusive organisation and are proud to be Disability Confident Employer. As part of the application process, we will invite you to apply for the role under the Disability Confident Scheme if you are eligible. If you are likely to require any adjustments for the recruitment process, we ask that you mention this when completing the form. 

You must hold a full UK driving licence when you complete your application and be a confident driver (AROs annually drive in excess of 25,000 business miles in a manual transmission van in both urban and rural conditions). An external assessor will measure your driving ability early in the course. An inability to pass the assessment will result in the termination of employment. 

AROs need to have a full manual license by the time the training course begins on 25 April 2022. The nature of the role will require you to drive a van to respond to calls in various locations within your region (and sometimes further afield). If you pass your test and obtain your licence by the start of the training course, we would be able to accept an application from you. If by 25 April 2022, you still only had a provisional licence we unfortunately would not be able to take your application any further and would encourage you to apply for the next round of recruitment.

As the role will involve transporting animals and carrying equipment, you will be allocated an RSPCA manual transmission van.

Please refer to the vacancies page for the current campaign's projected start date. Technical training modules run consecutively over a period of 16 weeks. Accommodation will be provided during your training. This allows for centralised training, including workshops and tutorials at appropriate venues in England and Wales. It is estimated that approximately 6 of the 16 weeks will involve being away from home for all or some of the week.

The training programme is designed to support you in your development to becoming an Animal Rescue Officer. There will be an opportunity for anyone to retake an assessment where necessary.

Due to the high volume of applications received, we are unable to offer second attempts once selection processes have been completed. We would invite you to apply again to the next round of recruitment for this role - keep your eyes peeled!

Early applications are encouraged for the Animal Rescue Officer position. The role is highly competitive and we anticipate receiving a high volume of applications again this year. As such, we'll be closing advertised positions as soon as sufficient applications have been received. Apply now to avoid disappointment!

Due to the anticipated high volume of applications, we are asking for this as a minimum qualification. Unfortunately we are unable to make any exceptions to this essential shortlisting criteria. If you were able to attain the qualification in future we would absolutely welcome you to apply for the next round of recruitment. 

If you're unsure whether your qualifications meet the criteria, you can check on the government website or contact resourcingteam@rspca.org.uk - we'll be happy to help.

We currently only have the course scheduled for this campaign (please refer to the vacancies page) and any successful candidates must be available for commencement on the advertised start date. We will be happy to keep your details and remain in touch with you should we have any further courses scheduled later in the year. Please note you may have to complete all or some of the application and recruitment processes to be considered.

Due to the intensity of the training course, no leave will be permitted during the 16 weeks, aside from exceptional circumstances. Any pre-booked leave will need to be cancelled or amended.