How to Begin a Career in Wildlife Management in Ireland

Taking care of Irish wildlife is an important vocation, and a fantastic career for people passionate about the animals that inhabit the local environment. 

There are many essential wildlife management careers you could pursue from a wildlife biologist to a conservationist, so see how you can begin your career in wildlife management right here.

Wildlife Management is the process of managing local wildlife, their habitats, their interactions, the environment and the people within the local environment. 

This is done for the benefit of biodiversity and ecology, and a wildlife management professional would often conduct research and observations to then create and implement strategies to improve the local ecosystems.

Wildlife management requires several skills which may vary depending on the type of career you decide to pursue. However, the key skills in a wildlife management career include: 

As a wildlife management professional, you will be working in the natural world and need to be familiar with the environment and the animals within it. Therefore knowledge of biodiversity, forestry, endangered species, zoology and environmental science are also going to be needed.

Gaining a certification in Wildlife Management is key to opening up career opportunities in this area. Taking an online course in wildlife management can help you develop the key skills, knowledge and experience you need to pursue this career and you can gain a qualification that employers will recognise. 

The Certificate in Wildlife Management is the best option as it is accredited by the International Council for Online Educational Standards (ICOES) and is conducted entirely online by The Career Academy. This means that you can study anywhere, any time and you have access to a variety of online materials for a full 6 months.

This course is also available without any entry requirements, so you can enrol on wildlife management courses in Ireland without the worry that you need previous qualifications or experience.

The wildlife management course is broken down into weekly modules (although you can study at your own pace), and the course covers a variety of topics to help you gain a broad, foundational understanding of wildlife management. This includes topics such as wildlife administration, wildlife observation, collecting data in the field, research skills, running national parks and nature reserves, pest control and wildlife rehabilitation. 

Due to the flexible nature of study, you can work full time or part time alongside your course. You can also gain hands-on work experience in relevant areas such as wildlife conservation, environmental science and sustainability. Gaining practical experience can be done through a placement, apprenticeship or entry-level role, and places such as sanctuaries and wildlife centres, national parks and nature reserves are great places to seek out work experience.

Gaining a wildlife management qualification is a fantastic way to gain confidence, expand your job opportunities and develop your career. 

Whether you want to work as an ecologist, a conservation officer or an environmental consultant, a qualification in wildlife management such as the Wildlife Management Certificate can provide a perfect foundational base of skills and knowledge to kick-start your career. 

Some of the knowledge and skills you will learn include:

Observational and research skills: These are practical skills which you will put into practice to build on your theoretical knowledge. You will be given relevant assignments to conduct your own field research project and conservation projects to develop these skills. 

Wildlife Knowledge: You will learn about categorisation strategies and identification methodologies for various wild animals. For example, the difference between K and R species and how they fit into the wider ecosystem.

Global Knowledge and Transferable Skills: Finally, you will gain knowledge and expertise which will be applicable to the management, observation, categorisation and welfare of animals around the world. Alongside this transferable information, you will also gain transferable skills which can be used for other careers in ecology and beyond. 

Animal careers such as wildlife management encompass so many skills from a variety of areas that further study can also increase your employability in this field. 

For example if you study a Vet Assistant course, then you can gain expertise in the healthcare aspects of wildlife care. This is ideal if you want to go into wildlife rehabilitation, as you will already be knowledgeable about animal health, medical care and working in a clinical setting. Even in other wildlife management careers, skills developed through a vet assistant course can help you develop skills such as communication and animal care. 

Animal Care courses can also be relevant to the field of wildlife management, particularly if you are exploring a wildlife rehabilitation role or working in conservation or a reserve. You will gain knowledge about animal care, including animal needs and how to look after an animal’s well-being. This includes animal habitat and behaviour, as well as animal welfare. You could use this expertise to become a wildlife manager or another role in the wildlife service sector.

Although they will require further study, both of the above courses also teach transferable skills for career options outside of wildlife management and conservation jobs, such as a zookeeper or marine biologist. They also develop skills needed for jobs separate from the animal kingdom all together such as healthcare or research positions, and with further study you can pivot into these career paths.