About The Role
Guide Dogs Academy is a pioneering centre of learning that’s home to our world-class training programmes. In Academy, we recruit, train and develop our growing specialist workforce of Guide Dog Trainers (GDT) and Guide Dog Mobility Specialists (GDMS).
These roles are crucial to ensure Guide Dogs meets the needs of people living with sight loss and supports them in living the life they choose.
The Academy is recruiting for two Academy Guide Dog Mobility Specialists (AGDMS) to join our learning programme starting in October 2025 at our office in Hamilton, near Glasgow. This is a permanent, full-time position and once your training is complete, you will remain working from the Hamilton office.
Our GDMSs aim to create successful, long-lasting partnerships between guide dogs and people with sight loss. This takes a huge amount of time, skill, patience and dedication. It is also one of the most rewarding jobs you could have.
This is not your normal 9 to 5 role, and no two days are the same - one day you might be in planning meetings with your team, another day out training dogs (rain or shine!) or working with a service user to resolve challenges.
In the following video Natalie tells us more about her role as a GDMS:
What does the training involve?
Training to become a Guide Dog Mobility Specialist in Academy takes around three years. You will start off working with one of our Technical Learning Specialists – who are experts in the job themselves - in a cohort of two learners. Through a combination of hands-on practical work and a package of digital learning materials, you’ll become proficient in every aspect of the GDMS role including dog training, sight loss awareness, creating and implementing training plans and of course, making life-changing partnerships. 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
As an Academy GDMS, your starting salary will be from £25,009 to £28,000 a year, depending on your relevant experience. As you progress through your training, you will receive competency-based gradual salary increments. Once you’re fully competent and have graduated from Academy (usually within 3 years of starting training), your salary will increase to £34,805.
Assessment Dates
Should you be shortlisted, we’ll ask you to attend an initial online interview during week commencing 28th July 2025. Depending on the result of this interview, you may be invited to attend an Assessment Day during week commencing 11th August 2025 at the Hamilton office.
Online Information Session
We’ll be hosting an online information session about the role on Tuesday 17th June 2025 at 5pm, where you can find out lots more from members of the team. For more details and to register, please follow this link: Register Here for Webinar: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/1d270c32-dbb2-4284-a9c1-99b79c00ef3f@cb3bcfb5-16c9-4fd2-851a-82287749c564
About You
We’re looking for people with a determined and positive mindset who have a passion for supporting and empowering people – and of course, who love working with dogs! A GDMS is the linchpin in creating a new partnership and this requires skill, patience, problem-solving and dedication. It can be very challenging but also deeply rewarding, so you should be resilient and able to work under pressure.
You’ll need to embrace learning a new set of skills and be adaptable when things don’t go to plan. The role is very active – you’ll be walking around 20,000 steps a day and handling large dogs.
Ideally, you’ll have:
- Previous practical experience of supporting people, either in a paid role or as a volunteer.
- Experience of teaching, coaching and mentoring individuals and/or groups.
- Understanding of positive training approaches/techniques and their use with animals or humans
- Empathy and understanding of individual needs
- Resilience and adaptability
You need to have a current valid UK/EU Driving Licence before making your application. The role is also subject to an Enhanced PVG check.
Is this role for me?
Training to become a Guide Dog Mobility Specialist is a big decision. You’ll need to be committed to your learning and able to work in a changing and often challenging environment. Make sure you consider the important practical elements carefully before you apply to confirm the job is right for you. See our 'Keeping Things Transparent' document, attached to this advert, for more helpful information.
About Us
Trebuchet MS with Updated Inkey BlueIn small 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.
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.
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.
For high volumes of applications, we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than advertised.