What is the job outlook for a marine mammal trainer?

Kier whale trainers earn a very low wage considering what they do. It's roughly $40,000 a year. To become an animal trainer you have to be 18 years of age and have previous animal experience (large mammals or livestock preferably). You need to be able to speak confidently to the public and have good dance and drama skills. You need to be Scuba and CPR certified. You need to have a university degree in animal behaviour, psychology or zoology. Swimming skills are the main part of the interview process. The swim test includes a 200 ft. freestyle swim, an 100 ft. underwater swim and a free dive to the bottom of a 26 ft. Your physical health needs to be top form and you need to be able to life 50 lbs. Trainers typically work 8 hours a day but sometimes more if necessary. The job isn't all glamourous. 70% of the work is cleaning the pools, toys, buckets etc. etc. 10% is a 30 minute fitness session, 5 days of the week. So only 20% of the works is with the animals. Also remember that killer whale trainers don't get time off work. It's very hard to get time off since it's important you're with the animals all the time. The components of an average day are divided into the various sessions with the animals which are: learning, relationship, exercise, play, and shows. The number and frequency of these sessions vary each day to create an enriching and stimulating environment for the animals - they never know what is going to happen next. Along with these sessions are the other duties like food preparation and distribution, assisting veterinarians with medical examinations, keeping the animal habitats clean and safe, observing the animals and documenting behavior and maintaining the health and diet records. Sometimes trainers may travel to the other parks and to meetings and conferences, but it is not a large component of the position. An animal trainer's job is one of the most visible and desired jobs in a zoological park, it is also one of the most rigorous. Trainers must perform in front of large audiences, being entertaining and enthusiastic each time. They spend many hours in 55°F water and free dive regularly to 35 feet (10.7 m), they lift and move 50 lb (22.7 kg) buckets throughout the day. They must also be patient and consistent when working with the animals. They can be scheduled to work at any time and day of the week and they work outdoors in all types of weather.