A zoo, museum or garden educator teaches school groups, campers and visitors with the animals, objects or plants on site. They lead field trips and camp groups, give talks at carts and stages, and handle ambassador animals, specimens or objects by the site's rules.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, museums, zoos and gardens · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $30,680, middle half $36,860 to $50,970, 90th percentile $64,310. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
Education Manager
Department
Education
Schedule
Full-time, part-time and seasonal shifts · Busiest in spring field trip season and summer camp, with some weekends, evenings, overnights and school visits.
Educators teach our school groups, campers, and visitors. You lead field trip programs, run summer camp groups, give talks and demonstrations, and handle [ambassador animals, teaching specimens, or objects] by the rules. You keep every child accounted for and tie every lesson to what students can see on site.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Teach field trip programs to school groups of different ages, using lesson plans tied to state standards.
Lead a camp group: take attendance, follow the day's schedule, and release children only to authorized adults.
Give talks, demonstrations, and hands-on cart programs to visitors on the grounds or in the galleries.
Handle [ambassador animals, teaching specimens, or objects] as you were trained and as the collection's rules require.
Teach outreach programs at schools, libraries, and community events.
Prepare and clean up program spaces and materials.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Set up the classroom or program space before groups arrive.
Meet buses, check in groups, and teach [two or three] programs.
Give a public talk or staff a hands-on cart between programs.
Report injuries or behavior issues to the Education Manager the same day.
Clean and restock materials, and return any animals or objects to their holding areas.
Bachelor's degree in [education, biology, history, art, or a related field], or equivalent teaching experience.
[1+] years teaching or leading groups of children.
Speaks clearly and keeps the attention of students and adults.
Passes a background check, as your policy and state law require for staff who work with children.
First Aid and CPR certification, or willing to earn it during training.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience at a zoo, aquarium, museum, nature center, or camp.
Animal handling or collections handling experience.
Bilingual in Spanish or another language spoken by local students.
Experience teaching students with disabilities.
7. Physical Requirements
Stand, walk, and speak for most of a shift.
Lift program bins and [animal carriers] up to [30] pounds.
Lead groups outdoors in heat, cold, and light rain.
With or without reasonable accommodation.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Full-time, part-time, and seasonal shifts. Camp weeks run [your camp hours].
Some weekends and evenings for public programs and overnights.
Local travel to schools for outreach programs.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Pay: [range and hourly or salary basis].
Additional pay: [overtime, bonus or incentive terms, or none].
Benefits: [health, dental, vision, retirement, paid time off, and when they start].
10. Company Culture and Overview
[Two or three sentences on what your company does, the area you serve, and the support a new educator gets in the first 90 days.]
11. How to Apply
[Apply link or email]. Our process: [phone interview, in-person interview, and next steps]. Contact [hiring contact] if you need an accommodation during the application process.
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
What makes teaching at a zoo, museum or garden different
A classroom teacher sees the same students all year. An educator here may meet a new group every hour, teach with a live animal or a real object, and send each child home with the right adult.
Animal programs follow federal handling rules
Some zoo animals are covered by the federal Animal Welfare Act. For those, the handling rule says a responsible staff member who knows the animal, and is easy to spot, must be there whenever the public has contact. There must also be enough distance or barriers to keep the animal and people safe. New educators learn your handling steps before they hold an animal in front of a group. Source: 9 CFR 2.131, Handling of animals (Cornell LII).
Teaching objects have their own rules
AAM's standards say a museum may have different kinds of collections, such as permanent and educational ones, and each may need different care. Keep the objects students may touch in a teaching set, apart from the permanent collection. Educators learn which pieces children may handle, how to pass them around, and what to do if one breaks. Source: American Alliance of Museums: Collections Stewardship Standards.
Hand-washing is part of every animal lesson
CDC advises washing hands right after touching animals or anything in their space. It also says children under 5 should not touch reptiles, amphibians or poultry. Build a hand-washing stop into every animal program, and plan what preschool groups will see but not touch. Source: CDC: Tips for staying healthy at animal exhibits.
A new audience every hour
The same program may go to kindergartners at nine and high school students at ten, then to a family crowd at the cart after lunch. Good educators change their words, pace and questions for each group. They tie the lesson to the standards the teacher asks about, and keep it to what students can see in front of them.
Head counts and pickup lists
Camp groups cross a big site full of other visitors. Educators count heads at every move and keep the group together at crossings and exits. They release each child only to an adult on the pickup list. Injuries and behavior problems go to the Education Manager the same day.
How much cultural attraction educators make
The closest BLS group for cultural attraction educators is Self-Enrichment teachers. Self-Enrichment teachers who work for museums, zoos, gardens, and historic sites earned a median of $20.87 an hour ($43,410 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $46,800 median for Self-Enrichment teachers in all industries. About 7,400 of the 332,110 Self-Enrichment teachers in that survey work for museums, zoos and gardens.
Usually hourly, with extra seasonal staff for camp. If outreach means driving to schools, say who supplies the car and whether mileage is paid.
Museums, zoos and gardens
$43,410$43,410 median Middle half $36,860–$50,970 10th–90th $30,680–$64,310
All industries
$46,800$46,800 median Middle half $36,380–$63,210 10th–90th $30,050–$92,840
$0k$25k$50k$75k$100k$125k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Museums, zoos and gardens
$30,680
$36,860
$43,410
$50,970
$64,310
All industries
$30,050
$36,380
$46,800
$63,210
$92,840
BLS groups museums, zoos, botanical gardens and historic sites together. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Holds the attention of a class, a camp group or a crowd at a cart
Changes the lesson on the spot for a different age or mood
Counts heads at every move without being reminded
Follows handling rules exactly, even when a child begs to touch
Arrives before the buses on every program day
Teach these on the job
Your program scripts and the standards each one meets
Handling your ambassador animals, specimens or objects
Your check-in, pickup and incident report steps
First Aid and CPR, if the hire doesn't hold it yet
Packing and running outreach kits for school visits
Educators teach with discovery carts, skulls, shells and casts, touch tables and puppets. At zoos and aquariums they also use ambassador animals in carriers. Outreach means loading kits into a van, so say whether the job needs a driver's license.
Cultural attraction educator interview questions
They have their own page: 6 questions that test this job, what strong and weak answers sound like, and a work exercise to run with your finalists.
Pick targets after a full season of teacher ratings and camp surveys. Go over them with the Education Manager at the end of each season.
Teacher program ratings
Pull the scores teachers gave this educator's programs, sorted by grade. A low score on one program usually points to a lesson that needs work.
Programs delivered as scheduled
Count booked programs the educator taught on time and in full, against those cut short, moved or canceled for staffing or setup reasons.
Camp family satisfaction
Use the end-of-week family survey for the educator's camp group. Look at answers about updates, safety and whether the child wants to come back.
Child safety procedure checks passed
The Education Manager spot-checks attendance sheets, head counts, pickup ID checks and incident reports during camp. Count the checks passed against the checks done.
Career path
Camp counselor, docent or classroom teacherBrings group teaching experience from camp, volunteering or school.
EducatorTeaches field trips, camps and public programs.
Lead educator or animal programs coordinatorTrains new educators or runs the ambassador animal program.
Education managerRuns the department, its budget and seasonal hiring.
An educator teaches field trip programs to school groups, leads a camp group through the day, and gives talks, demonstrations and cart programs to visitors. Some days include outreach at a school or library. Between programs they set up and clean the space and return animals or objects to where they belong.
How much does a cultural attraction educator make?
Self-Enrichment teachers who work for museums, zoos, gardens, and historic sites earned a median of $20.87 an hour ($43,410 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $36,860 and $50,970 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Do educators need animal handling experience?
Animal handling is on the template's preferred list, not the required one. AZA requires accredited zoos and aquariums that keep ambassador animals to have a written policy for them, and educators follow it. Federal Animal Welfare Act rules don't reach reptiles, amphibians or fish, so for a snake or a sea star, your own policy and any state rules set the bar. Hire calm, careful people and let animal staff train each handler.
Are museum and zoo educators mandated reporters?
It depends on the state. Every state names in law who must report suspected child abuse or neglect, and in some states that duty covers everyone. Even where educators aren't named, train them on your reporting steps and on who to tell first. Write the steps down and review them before camp starts.
Can educator jobs be part-time or seasonal?
Yes. The template covers full-time, part-time and seasonal shifts. One way to staff it is a small year-round team, plus camp staff added each summer. Invite your best camp staff back before the school year ends. They already know the site, the pickup routine and the animals or objects.
What should an educator job ad include?
List the age groups taught, the season the job covers, the camp hours, and any weekend, evening or overnight shifts. Say whether the job handles animals or objects, drives to schools, or needs First Aid and CPR before the start date. A second language spoken by local students is worth naming too.
