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Average Animal Trainer Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

An animal trainer in United Kingdom earns about 36,800 GBP a year. That's 47% below the national average of 69,700 GBP.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in United Kingdom sit around 17,100 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 58,500 GBP. Everything on this page is in British pound (GBP, symbol £), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in United Kingdom, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

To turn a gross salary in United Kingdom into a take-home figure, use our United Kingdom salary after tax calculator, which works the latest tax brackets and contributions through the math for you.

How much does an animal trainer make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
36,800 GBP
3,066 GBP per month
Lowest reported
17,100 GBP
1,425 GBP per month
Highest reported
58,500 GBP
4,875 GBP per month

A typical animal trainer working in United Kingdom brings home around 3,066 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 17,100 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 58,500 GBP for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior animal trainer working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around. For a cross-country comparison, see the animal trainer salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How animal trainer pay ranges in United Kingdom

A good way to think about salary in United Kingdom is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all animal trainers in United Kingdom earn less than 36,200 GBP a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 23,700 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 48,000 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of animal trainers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 17,100 GBP. The highest stretch to 58,500 GBP, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

17,100
Low
36,200
Median
58,500
High
23,700
25th
48,000
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

Animal trainer pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an animal trainer in United Kingdom, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical animal trainer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    20,000 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +37% from previous
    27,400 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +33% from previous
    36,500 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +25% from previous
    45,600 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +10% from previous
    50,000 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +11% from previous
    55,400 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 37%. That is the point at which a animal trainer typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Animal trainer pay by education in United Kingdom

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving animal trainer pay in United Kingdom. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average animal trainer salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    30,100 GBP
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +63% from previous
    49,200 GBP

Animal trainer gender pay gap in United Kingdom

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and United Kingdom is no exception. Male animal trainers in United Kingdom earn an average of 36,400 GBP a year, while female animal trainers earn around 36,200 GBP. That works out to a 1% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Animal Trainer gender pay gap

1%

Men earn this much more than women on average in United Kingdom.

Men 36,400 GBP
Women 36,200 GBP

Pay raises for an animal trainer in United Kingdom

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in United Kingdom sees a raise of about 9% every 17 months, which works out to roughly 6% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in United Kingdom, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in United Kingdom:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Animal trainer bonus rates in United Kingdom

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

32%

32% of animal trainers in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an animal trainer a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary. The remaining 68% of animal trainers reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in United Kingdom

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Animal trainer: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in United Kingdom is about 7% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in United Kingdom on average.

Public sector 72,700 GBP
Private sector 68,200 GBP

Animal trainer salary by city and region in United Kingdom

Animal trainer pay is not even across United Kingdom. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • England
  • Scotland
  • Liverpool
  • Birmingham
  • Glasgow
  • Leeds
  • Cardiff
  • Bristol
  • Leicester
  • Belfast
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion73,100 GBP74,500 GBP33,300-112,700 GBP
ScotlandRegion52,300 GBP52,300 GBP29,900-83,700 GBP
LiverpoolCity45,600 GBP45,200 GBP21,300-69,400 GBP
BirminghamCity45,000 GBP47,400 GBP21,200-71,000 GBP
GlasgowCity44,800 GBP43,100 GBP22,600-67,300 GBP
LeedsCity44,300 GBP42,700 GBP21,200-67,200 GBP
CardiffCity43,500 GBP40,600 GBP20,100-65,800 GBP
BristolCity43,200 GBP41,500 GBP21,200-64,800 GBP
LeicesterCity43,200 GBP41,700 GBP20,100-63,800 GBP
BelfastCity43,200 GBP41,500 GBP21,200-64,800 GBP
LondonCity43,200 GBP46,300 GBP17,800-65,900 GBP
NottinghamCity42,800 GBP38,000 GBP24,400-63,700 GBP
EdinburghCity42,600 GBP39,100 GBP20,700-63,900 GBP
ManchesterCity42,500 GBP42,500 GBP20,200-63,700 GBP
BradfordCity42,300 GBP42,300 GBP23,200-67,400 GBP
NewcastleCity42,000 GBP35,600 GBP20,700-59,900 GBP
WolverhamptonCity41,300 GBP44,800 GBP17,100-62,600 GBP
SheffieldCity40,600 GBP42,300 GBP19,300-65,100 GBP
NewportCity40,300 GBP43,500 GBP17,100-63,500 GBP
SomersetCity40,300 GBP40,700 GBP23,200-63,500 GBP
CoventryCity39,800 GBP41,400 GBP17,900-61,800 GBP
DerbyCity39,600 GBP39,100 GBP18,200-60,000 GBP
PeterboroughCity39,500 GBP35,600 GBP19,100-56,900 GBP
PooleCity39,400 GBP35,600 GBP17,800-58,200 GBP
SouthamptonCity39,300 GBP38,700 GBP23,000-60,700 GBP
SwanseaCity39,100 GBP36,000 GBP21,400-58,200 GBP
ArmaghCity39,100 GBP36,000 GBP21,700-58,200 GBP
PortsmouthCity39,000 GBP44,300 GBP20,300-63,800 GBP
AberdeenCity38,900 GBP38,700 GBP23,200-63,200 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity38,700 GBP36,700 GBP21,400-60,000 GBP
YorkCity38,700 GBP38,700 GBP20,500-59,900 GBP
PlymouthCity38,700 GBP40,600 GBP20,300-61,700 GBP
ExeterCity38,100 GBP38,100 GBP20,300-59,000 GBP
LincolnCity37,800 GBP38,900 GBP16,300-61,300 GBP
ChesterCity37,300 GBP37,200 GBP18,900-58,200 GBP
OxfordCity37,100 GBP39,400 GBP18,600-58,600 GBP
CambridgeCity36,800 GBP33,000 GBP17,800-54,600 GBP
BrightonCity36,800 GBP37,200 GBP20,200-56,600 GBP
GloucesterCity36,700 GBP35,300 GBP21,100-57,200 GBP
NorwichCity36,200 GBP38,000 GBP20,300-59,500 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion36,000 GBP36,700 GBP18,800-55,200 GBP
BangorCity35,400 GBP34,900 GBP16,800-52,800 GBP
LisburnCity35,300 GBP35,500 GBP17,500-52,800 GBP
HartlepoolCity35,300 GBP35,300 GBP18,300-52,300 GBP
NewryCity35,000 GBP33,600 GBP20,200-54,200 GBP
DundeeCity34,800 GBP36,700 GBP18,000-58,100 GBP
TruroCity34,700 GBP35,000 GBP15,300-54,200 GBP
InvernessCity34,700 GBP33,500 GBP19,000-52,800 GBP
CanterburyCity34,400 GBP34,800 GBP15,300-54,100 GBP
WalesRegion34,300 GBP30,700 GBP19,200-54,600 GBP
WakefieldCity34,000 GBP30,700 GBP18,600-51,400 GBP
DurhamCity33,800 GBP39,500 GBP15,500-54,900 GBP
DerryCity33,600 GBP34,100 GBP19,000-51,900 GBP
KirkwallCity33,600 GBP37,100 GBP16,800-55,100 GBP
StirlingCity33,000 GBP33,500 GBP18,600-54,300 GBP
SalisburyCity33,000 GBP29,600 GBP19,000-49,300 GBP
WinchesterCity33,000 GBP33,500 GBP19,100-51,100 GBP
St DavidsCity32,200 GBP32,200 GBP16,300-50,800 GBP
AbingdonCity31,700 GBP36,600 GBP15,100-51,100 GBP
RiponCity31,700 GBP31,700 GBP15,500-48,300 GBP
StrontianCity30,700 GBP30,700 GBP16,400-50,700 GBP
StromnessCity30,300 GBP33,000 GBP12,900-49,300 GBP
WellsCity30,300 GBP35,300 GBP14,500-51,800 GBP

Animal Trainer in United Kingdom: FAQs

  • How much does an animal trainer make per month in United Kingdom?

    An animal trainer in United Kingdom earns about 3,066 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 36,800 GBP.

  • What's the salary range for an animal trainer in United Kingdom?

    Entry-level animal trainers in United Kingdom start near 17,100 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 58,500 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 23,700 and 48,000 GBP.

  • Is the median animal trainer salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 36,200 GBP, lower than the average of 36,800 GBP. Half of animal trainers in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for animal trainers in United Kingdom?

    Men working as an animal trainer in United Kingdom earn around 1% more than women on average (36,400 vs 36,200 GBP a year).

  • Do animal trainers in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 32% of animal trainers in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.

  • Do animal trainers earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?

    In United Kingdom, the public sector pays an animal trainer about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do animal trainers in United Kingdom get a pay raise?

    An animal trainer in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 9% every 17 months, equivalent to roughly 6% a year.