About The Role

Imagine a career where every day you help transform lives. At Guide Dogs, we don’t just train dogs - we create independence and confidence for people with sight loss. If you’re looking for a role that’s active, rewarding, and truly meaningful, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.

Guide Dogs Academy is where we train people to become our next generation of Guide Dog Trainers.

We’re recruiting three Academy Guide Dog Trainers (AGDT) to join our training programme starting in September 2026 at our office in Atherton. This is a permanent, full-time role, and once you complete training, you’ll continue to be based at Atherton.

Want to learn more? Join our online info session on Tuesday 21st April at 5pm.

Register here for the webinar: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/665ccb8a-6874-43bb-bf7f-dff8add7a0a0@cb3bcfb5-16c9-4fd2-851a-82287749c564

Why This Role Matters

As a Guide Dog Trainer, you’ll teach dogs the essential skills they need to become life-changing partners for people with sight loss. You’ll also play a key role in preparing dogs for matching with their future owners.

This isn’t a typical 9 -5. One day you’ll be training dogs outdoors rain or shine, another planning and report writing and the next working with volunteer fosterers or collaborating with specialists like Dog Wellbeing teams and Puppy Development Advisors. Every day is different - and every day makes a difference.

In this video Alex explains more about his role as a GDT:

Your Training Journey

• Duration: Around 2 years

• Learning style: Hands-on practical work, digital learning and learning for others. In your small cohort of learners you’ll be supported by one of our Technical Learning Specialists, your coach and line manager, who are experts in the role themselves

• What you’ll master includes:

• Dog training and behaviour

• Dog health and wellbeing

• Understanding visual impairment

• Working collaboratively across teams

• Assessment: As you progress through training, you’ll need to meet practical and theoretical requirements to become fully competent. You’ll be assessed and observed in practice and supported with feedback and objectives to help you become the best you can be. You need to be willing to take responsibility for your learning and to be proactive in your own development.

Salary

• Starting Salary: £24,480–£26,000, depending on relevant experience

• Progression: You’ll receive competency-based increments during training

• Fully qualified: £27,566 after approximately 2 years

Next Steps

If your application is shortlisted you’ll invited to attend an online interview with us. If successful at the interview you’ll be invited to an Assessment Day at the office – the last part of the process! Dates are below:

• Online Interview: week commencing 1st June

• Assessment Day: week commencing 15th June at the Atherton office

About You

We’re looking for people who are:

• Passionate about helping others and love working with dogs

• Resilient, adaptable, and ready for an active role (up to 20,000 steps daily)

• Problem-solvers with empathy and patience

• Experience supporting people (paid or voluntary)

• Understanding of positive training techniques

• Have a UK/EU Driving Licence including being able to drive manual cars

This role is subject to and Enhanced DBS check.

Is This Role for You?

Training to become a GDT is a big commitment but one that offers incredible rewards. Before applying, please review our ‘Keeping Things Transparent’ document attached to this advert.

About Us

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Guide Dogs Academy is a pioneering centre of learning that’s constantly enquiring, innovating, improving. There’s a culture of curiosity that runs through our whole organisation and it’s why many people have long and varied careers with us.

For the staff who train our dogs and create our Guide Dog partnerships, working life begins in our Academy.

In teams all around the country our future Guide Dog Trainers (GDTs) and Guide Dog Mobility Specialists (GDMSs) will learn the skills and knowledge needed for their roles. They learn from the best – people who have done the job themselves – including world-class dog trainers, behaviourists, and experts in working with people with vision impairment, and we combine this with a bespoke package of learning and career-development materials.

Our learning programmes are a combination of hands-on practical work with dogs and people, and a thorough grounding in the theory, practice, and reality of a job that you really can’t do anywhere else. And it’s a two-way process, as we value the experiences and talents people bring to the role from a wide variety of backgrounds. What unites them is the desire to really change lives.

This is why we’re all here.

Find out more about Guide Dogs Academy on our website: https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/about-us/careers/guide-dogs-academy/

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Guide Dogs welcomes applications from all sections of the community and actively encourages diversity to maximise achievements, creativity and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or nationality.

We encourage applications from people with disabilities as they are currently under-represented in the organisation and guarantee an invitation to interview for all applicants with disabilities who demonstrate, within their application form, sufficient evidence to meet the essential criteria for the job.

If you are successful you will need to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK via our digital ID checking supplier; in addition, we cannot offer visa sponsorship at this time.

Safeguarding

Guide Dogs is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, young people and adults at risk of harm with whom we work. We expect all our employees and volunteers to fully share this commitment.

At Guide Dogs, we believe in fair and equitable hiring practices. A criminal record will not automatically disqualify an applicant from consideration for a position. Each case will be evaluated individually, taking into account the nature of the offense, its relevance to the role, and the time that has passed since the incident. We encourage all candidates to disclose relevant information, and we assure you that it will be handled confidentially and fairly.

Guide Dogs follow Safer Recruitment practices to ensure we are safeguarding the vulnerable people we work with. As part of this, we require a full work history with any gaps accounted for & a minimum of 2 professional referee details fully covering the past 5 years. If you are applying for a disclosure role, please note that you will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check and sign up to the DBS update service.

How to apply

You may have particular needs to be able to complete your application, If you would like support please contact our Recruitment Team on 0118 3540345 or recruitment@guidedogs.org.uk

As part of your application ensure you provide evidence and examples of how your skills & experience meet the criteria as set out in the attached job description.

Guide Dogs for the Blind Association

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