Employment Opportunities

Puppy Class Instructor

Part-Time – Turramurra Veterinary Hospital, Sydney, NSW

The Role

We are looking for a new Puppy Class Instructor to join our team!

Are you a qualified dog trainer with a vibrant and engaging personality who would like to run our popular puppy classes at the only ASAV accredited Hospital of Excellence in Sydney’s North Shore?

Turramurra Veterinary Hospital is an independent family-owned practice with a supportive team who respect each other and collaborate to ensure that we provide the best care possible for our patients and their owners on a daily basis.

Our team consists of a team of around 30 animal-lovers, including 8 experienced veterinarians. We aim for the gold-standard of care for our patients with a strong focus on creating a positive client and patient experience that is low stress.

We are seeking a highly motivated qualified Puppy Class Instructor to replace our current trainer, who has (after being with the practice for over 15 years), decided to explore another opportunity.

 This is a fantastic opportunity for a newly qualified or experienced trainer to teach puppies and their parents in a well-established Puppy Preschool and K9 Kindy, without the hassle of running your own business.

Classes are held on-site downstairs in a dedicated ‘puppy training room’ at Turramurra Veterinary Hospital, located in Sydney’s Upper North Shore.

About Your Role

We are looking for a qualified dog trainer with a keen interest in running group classes for dogs ranging from 8 to 16 weeks in our Puppy Preschool and 4 to 6 months in our K9 Kindy class.

For the right candidate and dependent on demand, there is scope to perform one-on-one behaviour consultations with dogs of all ages that are either seeking further guidance on managing problem behaviours or have been referred from our veterinary team after a veterinary behaviour consultation for environmental modification.

As our weekend classes are most popular with our clients, we need someone who can commit to working either Saturdays (8.30am – 2.30pm) and Sunday mornings (9am – 12 noon) or a longer Saturday (7.30am – 4pm) with no Sunday work.

Additionally, one week day afternoon/evening in peak periods where there is an increased demand for puppy school and/or behaviour consultations.

Our puppy classes include a private orientation consultation, group classes (up to 6 participants per class) for 4 weeks and a private follow up consultation.

There are training videos available to assist in class structure and content delivery, as well as one-on-one training with our current Delta Institute qualified trainer, Katie Bedrossian. Initial handover for the role will be held on Friday mornings, as Katie will still be working casually.

Regular behaviour meetings with a member of the Customer Care Team and one of our behaviour-focussed vets to discuss ideas, provide two-way feedback and improvement in the client experience and our behaviour services.

Working hours would be a minimum of 8 hours per week, subject to negotiation, scaling up when required to meet practice demand.

Duties will include but are not limited to:

• Independently running 2-4 group classes a week
• Conducting private orientation and follow up consultations as part of the group classes
• Performing 15-minute complimentary phone calls for new puppy owners after their first veterinary consultation
• Keeping the training room clean, organised and stocked
• Processing payments for puppy supplies purchased (food/training aids)

About you:

• Delta Institute or Karen Pryor Academy Graduate (or current student of Delta Institute Cert IV in Dog Training and Behaviour-completed Module 4)
• Membership to either APDT Australia or PPGA (or both)
• Commitment to positive reinforcement methods of training
• Commitment to professional development with a passion for keeping up to date with the latest training and behaviour research and application
• Ability to work Saturdays
• Ability to follow directions carefully and have a willingness to learn with a positive attitude
• Dedicated, enthusiastic, highly motivated and self-directed initiative
• Team player
• The ability to bring a positive attitude to the workplace
• Physically fit for standing for an hour during class times, and lifting/carrying equipment to set up/pack up the room
• Excellent communication skills with both colleagues and clients
• Confident and capable handling skills when working with dogs of different sizes, breeds and temperaments
• Australian or New Zealand resident or citizen living in Sydney and able to work in Australia

What We Offer:

• Collaborative, diverse and supportive team environment
• Regular team lunches and social events
• Regular performance evaluation and professional development reviews

Remuneration:

Salary package is negotiable and will depend on qualifications, experience and availability, as well as including superannuation of 11.5%.

Annual leave entitlements are pro-rata as per permanent part-time Award requirements.

Application:

We will be interviewing for this position in February/March 2025.

Your application should include the following:

• Cover letter
• Resume/CV
• A short 2-minute video introducing yourself to a virtual a puppy class
• References

We are looking forward to meet a talented, motivated and qualified dog trainer interested in joining our team.