Someone who loves animals and does not mind taking care of them. Someone who is sensitive to trends. A person with good communication skills as he/she will be in contact with the owners.

The job is to clean pets (mainly dogs and cats) for their beauty and health. Usually, this includes brushing, shampooing and rinsing, drying with a hair dryer, ear cleaning, claw clipping, and cutting. All of this takes about three hours of work. Since the pets are non-verbal animals, the work is more demanding on the nerves and stamina than one might imagine. In addition, since I am often consulted by pet owners regarding their pets, I need to have a broad knowledge of animal health care and husbandry.

There are two ways to become a trimmer: one is to enter a pet salon as an apprentice and acquire skills, and the other is to learn knowledge and skills at a vocational school and find a job. The latter is the most common way nowadays. Although qualifications are not always required, there are several private qualifications available, and you should aim to obtain one to advance your career. The Japan Kennel Club's (JKC) "Certified Trimmer Certification" is a well-known example, and studying at a JKC-accredited trimmer training school is advantageous for acquiring the certification. There are five levels of certification, starting with the C level, and each step up in level will prove your ability when you become an independent trimmer, start your own business, or become an instructor.

Trimming is a relatively new profession. Not long ago, pet salons were concentrated in urban areas, but recently they have spread to rural areas. As the pet boom continues and the birthrate declines, more and more people are spending money on their pets in the same way they spend money on their own children. The pet industry as a whole is expanding, and trimmers are likely to become a stable occupation.

If you find a job at a pet salon, the starting salary is about 100,000 yen per month. If you gain experience, develop your skills, and own your own store, your monthly income will be around 400,000-500,000 yen.

The pet salon is closed once or twice a week. Overtime work is not expected to be very frequent, but if you want to advance your career, you will need to study after closing.

Pet stores, pet salons, breeder facilities specializing in breeding dogs and cats, kennel facilities for breeding and training dogs, veterinary hospitals, and theme parks with animals.

It's a chart that shows at a glance the main routes to a job as a trimmer!