those who are UK zookeepers - what experience did you have before applying to stand out?
i know this is probably a really common question on here, but i am a 2nd yr zoology student in the UK looking to one day become a zookeeper.
i've tried applying for a volunteering opportunity at a zoo near enough to my university, but i haven't heard anything back and i'm not really hopeful. their page is very outdated so i'm not even sure if they take applicants anymore.
a lot of people on my course all have a lot of background experience, a lot of them lived on farms growing up, did animal management courses at college.
i feel as though i am already behind - i am from a large city and i did a levels.
i have no idea what to do or where to go. i'm on track to get a 2:1, hoping i can boost this to a 1:1 next year, but i've heard that the difference is basically negligible when applying for keeper roles. they want hands on work experience.
i don't know where to look ! or who would be open to taking me on as an apprentice. i have one absolute dream apprenticeship in mind, but i know they are so competitive. i don't know what to do to make my application stand out when applying for these roles after my degree.
are there any paths that i might not have considered? did anybody do any 'weird' / uncommon volunteering that was valuable for their zoo keeping application?
thank you so much for your time