Our purple people rarely leave – so job openings are scarce.
Positions include Animal Attendant (Team Leader, 2iC, Reception), Trainer and Grounds Person. Regardless of position, all workers clean things – 80% of the tasks involve cleaning.
Our workers tread 10,000 steps daily, so physical fitness is important.
Chores are approached enthusiastically, no matter how repetitive or boring.
A thorough understanding of our operational style (gleaned from our website) is advantageous.
Volunteering
We do not offer volunteer work. (Only ‘not-for-profit’ organisations can accept volunteers.)
Junior & Part-Time Jobs
Currently, we do not offer ‘after school’ or weekend work.
All the young people working for us have a fabulous work ethic and a mature attitude.
You must be 15+ years old to work with us.
We always test prospective young employees via the work experience program at school. See your careers practitioner to arrange this.
Occasionally, we offer part-time school-based or full-time traineeships (depending on current staffing levels). All potential trainees must complete a placement (or two) first.
Senior Jobs
We always try to do a week (or two) of casual employment first. Then we discuss it afterwards. A three-month trial is then mandatory. Please send us your resume first. Ensure that it shows what experience you have with domestic pets.
Students
Work Experience / Placement
We like offering placements to help students realise their dreams of working in the animal industry. Occasionally, we offer a one-day-a-week placement (if the student is suitable). Sometimes, we offer school-based traineeships also.
TAFE
Students studying full-time at TAFE can make placement arrangements through the relevant channels at TAFE.
University
Your placement is organised via the official channels at your institution.
Tips & Clues
I (Fay) am a career practitioner from a past life and the contact for work experience enquiries for NBKC. So, the following tips and clues will help build your job-hunting skills – yes, asking for work experience is exactly like job-hunting:
| Helpful Clues | Things to Avoid |
|---|---|
| Always ask for work experience/placement face-to-face, if possible, or via email or phone. | Do NOT ask via social media (we don’t monitor the threads very frequently) |
| Be brave and phone or email yourself. | Your mother, aunt, or school teacher will not work for us – so they should refrain from acting on your behalf. |
| Phone Calls 1. Always prepare for the phone call. 2. Make a list of questions. 3. Have the proposed dates for placement ready. 4. Write down the introduction. eg. ‘hi, my name is _____, I am in Year 10 at ________, and I am calling to ask about the possibility of doing some work experience with you’. 5. Practising a ‘dummy phone call’ with someone else can help ease your jitters. | NEVER start the conversation with: ‘Do youse do work experience?’ The answer to that question procures an eye-roll. |
| Resumes & Letters I am more likely to pay attention to your writing if you tell me why you want to work for NBKC and what experiences you have with animals. | I am less likely to pay attention to ‘generic’ documents that don’t discuss animals or why you want to work with them. |
| Proof Reading Before sending documents to any employer, ask a friend (or teacher) to proofread them. | Employers are time-poor, so you don’t want incorrect spelling or grammar distracting them whilst trying to read your work. |
| Understand the documentation process. Numerous documents and signatures are required for school students to undertake placements. Please allow the necessary time to have the documents signed off for your placement. | Don’t contact us on Friday, expecting to work for us on the following Monday. The signed documents are a legal requirement (for placements) and must be prepared in advance. |
| Travel Arrangments Make sure that you pre-arrange travel to and from placement. | It is a waste of time to arrange the placement and realise afterwards that you cannot attend because you don’t have transport. |
Teacher Notes
There is a romantic notion that we play with and cuddle our guests all day; however, this is far from the reality. Our environment is hectic and unpredictable and involves many dirty and smelly tasks. We have very large dogs (some people are scared of) and small dogs – often more ferocious – and sharper teethed than the larger breeds. Our Purple People run from dawn to dusk to complete everything promptly. Our open-plan socialisation system for dogs, while it sets us apart from other kennels, requires a level of maturity from our workers to ensure that it remains a safe, efficient and happy environment.
When working with dogs, the potential for something to go awry is a real consideration – and we don’t want to place anyone at risk of injury. Therefore, we respectfully request that you do NOT recommend students to us for work experience whose skill sets require ‘babysitting’ or ‘hand-holding’. If a student requires intensive time management, for safety reasons, we cannot facilitate this.
If you have ‘WorkExpo’, a work experience database at your school, pre-filled forms can be generated from this program, saving the employer time filling out multiple forms. A faster turn-around is achieved if employers only have to supply a signature.
We are flexible with work experience dates and don’t mind hosting two students simultaneously. This works well as they can buddy up to achieve tasks that don’t require full supervision.
The following attributes can make a secondary school student’s experience very worthwhile.
- Able to follow instructions
- Able to ask questions
- Able to listen
- They can think on their feet and be observant
- Able to pick up on tasks and offer to do them
- Able to remember tasks
- Able to be polite to customers
- Physically fit with the stamina to work all day (very important)
- Able to organise transport to and from the workplace
The safety of our guests (including owners) and workers is paramount.
What to bring
If you are successful in securing a placement with us, here is what to bring:
- Comfy & sturdy shoes – you will walk at least 10,000 steps per day
- Lunch
- We provide morning tea – if you have special dietary requirements, please BYO
- Comfy clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty.
- Water Bottle (can be refilled from water stations)
- Broad-brimmed hat (particularly in Summer Time)
- Private medications (eg. Asthma pump, hayfever tablets, panadol)
- We strongly encourage long-leg pants/trousers to prevent scratches from excited pets
- If working during the winter months, multiple layers work well.
- Any relevant paperwork for your Animal Studies Certificate
- A copy of the work placement papers from your school.
- We supply sunscreen. We will also loan you a hat if you don’t bring one.
- Orange safety whistles are worn during the day and left on the premises overnight.
Work Times
- Generally, you will commence at 8 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. We can be flexible with these arrangements; however, if you start later, you miss one of the best parts of the day—up-time for dogs!
Dog Body Language
A basic understanding of body language is beneficial. We primarily host happy guests, although sometimes they can be uncertain and worried. Still, dogs can switch quickly to unhappy or angry regardless of their usual behaviour.
Generally speaking, dogs in our care must feel in control of their personal space, so it is best NOT to pat dogs directly on the head or grab their collar — unless they invite you.
The following RSPCA sheet provides a visual for beginners.
Whale Eye
Another tell-tale sign of an uncomfortable dog is when the whites of the eyes show. This is often called ‘whale eye’. Usually, this means that the dog requires extra time to think about its situation and decide about its feelings. If you see a dog displaying whale eyes, give it plenty of space and speak gently & calmly. Avoid eye contact.
INDUCTION
On your first morning, we will show/discuss the following:
- Introductions to staff on duty (including pronouns)
- Introduction to your Team Leader – you can can go to the Team Leader if you are feeling unsure or unsafe.
- Where the toilet facilities are.
- Where the staff room (Caravan) is.
- Where to re-fill your water bottle.
- Where to place your items (including food items).
- Where to find the sign-in/out sheet.
- Use of phones: private matters can be dealt with during breaks.
- Your buddy for the day (who you will shadow). Duties are split between staff, so we allocate you to a new staff member daily.
- Basic emergency processes. Including the use of the orange whistle (provided). Whistle remains the property of NBKC.
- Body language discussion/questions (as per the above picture).
- You might be asked not to interact with some dogs (or cats) in our care, but we will let you know who and why.