Imagine a career where every day you make a life-changing difference. At Guide Dogs we don’t just train dogs - we empower people with sight loss to live the life they choose. If you’re looking for a role that’s challenging, 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 Mobility Specialists.
We’re recruiting three Academy Guide Dog Mobility Specialists (AGDMS) to join our training programme starting in late November at our office in Reading. This is a permanent, full-time role, and once you complete training, you’ll be based from the Reading office. And you’ll be supporting service users across a large region so you must be prepared for lots of driving!
Want to learn more? Join our online info session on Thursday 9th July at 6pm.
If you were unable to join the information session you can email [email protected] to request a recording.
Why This Role Matters
As a Guide Dog Mobility Specialist, you’ll be the linchpin in creating successful partnerships between guide dogs and people with sight loss. It’s a role that demands skill, patience, and resilience. But the reward is knowing you’ve helped someone regain independence and confidence.
No two days are the same. One day you’ll be training dogs in all weathers, another planning and report writing at a desk and the next working closely with a service user to overcome challenges. It’s active, varied, and deeply fulfilling.
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n the following video Natalie tells us more about her role as a GDMS:
Your Training Journey
- Duration: Around 3 and a half 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
- Sight loss awareness
- Service User Assessment
- Building life-changing partnerships
- 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: £25,509–£28,000, depending on relevant experience
- Progression: You’ll receive competency-based increments during training
- Fully competent: £34,805,after approximately 3 and a half years.
Next Steps
If your application is shortlisted you’ll be 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 17th August
- Assessment Day: week commencing 31st August
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)
- Teaching, coaching, or mentoring experience
- Understanding of positive training techniques
- Have a UK/EU Driving Licence including being able to drive manual cars
The role is subject to an Enhanced DBS.
Is This Role for You?
Training to become a GDMS is a big commitment but one that offers incredible rewards. Before applying, please review our ‘Keeping Things Transparent’ document attached to this advert.
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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
[email protected]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.
