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Shop assistants

How to become a Pet Shop Assistant

Sells pets and all kinds of pet equipment and supplies in a pet shop, and gives advice on pet care.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say vocational college (senmon gakko) is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

No particular education or qualifications are needed to start, but it helps your job prospects to have related knowledge and skills, for example by completing a groomer, animal nursing or animal care course at an animal care senmon gakko (vocational college) and gaining qualifications such as pet care manager, groomer or certified animal nurse. Even after starting, it takes quite a long time to become a fully skilled sales assistant. Looking after the animals' health is especially hard: it takes about a year to be able to do the basics and about three years of experience to become a supervisor. You need to love animals, have experience of keeping them and treat pets with both affection and firmness. As well as plenty of product and pet care knowledge to answer customers' questions, being sociable with customers is important.

Ways in

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Pet Shop Assistant?

No particular education or qualifications are needed to start, but it helps your job prospects to have related knowledge and skills, for example by completing a groomer, animal nursing or animal care course at an animal care senmon gakko (vocational college) and gaining qualifications such as pet care manager, groomer or certified animal nurse. Even after starting, it takes quite a long time to become a fully skilled sales assistant. Looking after the animals' health is especially hard: it takes about a year to be able to do the basics and about three years of experience to become a supervisor. You need to love animals, have experience of keeping them and treat pets with both affection and firmness. As well as plenty of product and pet care knowledge to answer customers' questions, being sociable with customers is important.

How much does a Pet Shop Assistant earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥3,847,600 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Shop assistants, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Pet Shop Assistant?

Usually not. In this job's census occupation group, only 21% of workers are university graduates. Ways in include: Vocational college (専門学校) course: Animal care.

Will AI change the work of a Pet Shop Assistant?

Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026