Grazing Assistant Career Profile
- Career Name - Grazing Assistant
- Category - Animal Care / Farming & Livestock Management / Business
- Skills Required - Life skills 40% - Career skills 60%
- Basic School Subjects - Language, Biology, Science
- Minimum Required Education - High School Certificate
- Species Worked With - Farm Animal
- Kind of Interaction with Animals - Direct
Do you want to work as a Grazing Assistant?
READ: This page helps you to read about the career and the info you need to decide on whether this is indeed the career you want to follow.
RESEARCH: ​Learn about the skills required and minimum subjects to enter this career, as well as the places where you can study further after school.
PREPARE: If you want to plan and prepare for the career, then join the OZT Community! Members have access to tools, while chatting with other students and experts from around the world. Prepare to be amazed!
CAREER MENTOR
UPDATED: 29 May 2023
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What is a Grazing Assistant?
The Grazing Assistant helps in the day to day management, shepherding and transporting of grazing animals while within chosen grazing areas.
Managed grazing is a way to move livestock around in a specific area to help eradicate problem plants or help with rotating grazing areas.
They can work closely with officials that help in grazing practices. They are called:
Alternative Names
The career might be called something else in other countries:
- Herder
- Grazier
Career Categories
The Grazing Assistant career can be found in the following career categories:
- Animal Care
- Farming and Livestock Management
- Business
What does a Grazing Assistant do?
Groups of animals a Grazing Assistant works with
What is the level of Interaction with the Animals?
- Directly - A person works directly with the animals with some form of physical contact at least once every few days
- Indirectly - The career doesn't require direct or physical contact at all.
What does a Grazing Assistant focus on?
The main function of a grazing assistant is to help look after grazing animals (sheep, goats, cattle) while they move around and graze.
What are the daily tasks of a Grazing Assistant?
- Monitor and look after the livestock
- Help with feeding and medical check-ups
- Transport herds to specific grazing areas
- Research new grazing methods
- Work with senior staff
- Liaise with clients
- Administration and marketing
The working Environment of a Grazing Assistant
Where does a Grazing Assistant work?
Environment –
Grazing Assistants will mainly work outdoors, tending and transporting the animals.
Places of Employment –
They can be employed by large farms or government.
They can also start their own grazing management businesses where they help small farmers to find grazing areas and then transport the livestock there and back.
What is the average annual salary of a Grazing Assistant?
They can earn a yearly average of US$36,000 per year. The income will be different according to experience and country.
Can a Grazing Assistant be promoted?
Most Grazing Assistants can be employed where there is an existing hierarchical structure.
Possible Promotion:
Grazing Assistant > Grazing or Pasture Manager
What difficulties can a Grazing Assistant face?
Transporting animals can always become a bit tricky with bite and kicks causing injuries.
The work might entail long hours and working over weekends and holidays.
Future Growth and Possibilities
Overall employment is projected to grow steady at around 3%.
Which Skills are required by a Grazing Assistant?
The skills required for a career as a Grazing Assistant can be divided into two very important groups. The first is the group containing life skills, which are the core skills that are necessary or desirable for full participation in everyday life. The second group is career skills, or the specific skills required to allow a person to enter and operate effectively within a specific career. Some or maybe even all of the life skills can assist in strengthening the career skills, and they might even be the same for specific careers.
Life Skills
- Self-awareness
- Empathy
- Critical thinking
- Creative thinking
- Decision making
- Problem Solving
- Effective communication
- Interpersonal relationship
Career Skills
- Animal Handling
- Animal Care
- Good health and physical fitness
- Computer literacy
Which Subjects must I have at School to prepare for this career?
Language as a subject is key for you to understand more about farming and agricultural terminology.
It is a good idea to learn about the business side of managing livestock
A basic biological or physiological knowledge of the animals worked with is important.
The subjects you choose at school are important as they lay the foundation for further studies at college or university. While still at school, it’s also important to learn more about the animals you will work with, as well as gain some experience.
OZT has a list of various tertiary institutions where you can study further, after school. Each of these institutions also have their own Group page on OZT where you will find the exact subjects they require of you to have passed in school. Keep these requirements in mind, and discuss it with your school, guidance counselor and parents to ensure that you are prepared!
What will I need to Study to become a Grazing Assistant
Minimum Requirements
The minimum qualifications to become a Grazing Assistant is a High School Certificate. It is also possible to study further (College Diploma) to focus on larger grazing herds and modern methods.
Study Focus
Majors –
You can follow a degree with majors in agricultural safety, livestock management, land management.
Short Courses –
Short Courses in animal husbandry and handling.
Study Duration
The duration of a College Diploma is between 2 and 3 years. Short Courses are usually between a few weeks and a year.
Possible Career Preparation Paths
If this is your dream career that you want to pursue, then it’s important to plan the way forward.
Why is planning important?
​To ensure that you understand the requirements for your career, and that you are always prepared for the next step on the road towards your dream. A Preparation Path is like your road map to where you want to be.
Possible Paths:
Possible Combined Career Paths
It is possible to sometimes combine two or more related careers. This normally happens when you study and practice a specific main career, but the knowledge and experience gained also help you to have a paying hobby or secondary income career.
Possible Alternatives (there are a lot more):
Average level of education of all the people who enter the career
Licenses, Certificate, Registration and Professional Associations
Learn more about requirements by joining the OZT Community.
Professional Associations
- Please add info
Where can I study further?
All of the above information will help you understand more about the Career, including the fact that there are different paths to take to reach it. But if you are almost done with High School (Grades 11 or 12), you also need to start thinking about further studies, and WHERE you will study.
See the List of Universities, Colleges and Online Training Academies who offer courses towards the field of farming and engineering.
Join the OZT community and Career Group
Join us as a special member and learn more about becoming a Grazing Assistant.
Members of the Platform have special access to:
- Info on the best places where you can study (colleges, universities and online)
- Expertly designed advice to prepare you for the career, and links to places where you can gain valuable experience. For some career experience is necessary, otherwise you wont get the job!
- Top notch info on each of the different species you will work with
- Make friends around the world and share knowledge
- Compete and win points, badges, games, prizes and certificates. Be the best of the best, while you learn and prepare!
If you have decided on being a Grazing Assistant, please click on the JOIN GROUP button. Members will be directed to the Group, while non-members will be assisted to register first.
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