Teaching your profession

A grooming instructor is a groomer who teaches. The same goes for a vet who lectures at a vet school, a trainer who runs puppy classes or mentors new trainers, and an advocate who visits schools. On United Pet Club, teaching is not a separate profession. It is something you say about a profession you already have on your profile.

Say that you teach

1. In the Dashboard, open My Profile → Specializations (My Business → Specializations for a business).
2. Find the specialization you teach (for example Dog under Groomer) and select Edit next to it.
3. Under Do you do this work, teach it, or both?, choose one:
   • I do this work: you practise it and don’t teach it. This is the default.
   • I do this work and teach it: you still take clients, and you teach as well.
   • I teach it (I no longer do the work): you only teach, for example a retired groomer who runs courses.
4. If you teach, tick who you teach. Pick at least one:
   • Students, apprentices or other pros: you teach the trade, such as a grooming school, vet students or trainers you mentor.
   • Pet owners: classes and workshops for owners, such as puppy class or at-home grooming.
   • The public: schools, kids and community groups, such as pet first aid or humane education.
5. Select Save changes.

You can choose the same options when you add a specialization.

On the Specializations page, the line under each entry says how you work in it, for example All breeds · Does the work and teaches pet owners.

Each specialization is set on its own. You might groom dogs and cats but teach dog grooming only.

What changes

• Your public profile shows Instructor (or Teaches, if you only teach) next to that specialization under Works with.
• Find Care → Instructors & Classes lists you, and visitors can filter by who you teach (students and pros, pet owners, or the public).
• If you only teach, you no longer appear when people look for someone to do the work. A groomer who only teaches is not listed under Groomers. Choose I do this work and teach it to appear in both.
• Courses opens in your Dashboard sidebar, so you can build courses, classes and workshops, even if your profession doesn’t include it on its own (groomers and breeders, for example).

The verified instructor badge

Anyone can say they teach. The label you set yourself is shown as Instructor. A verified instructor badge (a check mark next to Instructor) is added only after our team has reviewed an instructor credential: an instructor certificate or teaching qualification in your profession, or a letter from a school or a continuing-education body naming you as an instructor. A reviewer always checks it by hand, and it is valid for two years. A Dashboard page for sending your credential is still to come.

Teaching at a school

If you teach at a grooming school, a training school, a vet school, a vet-tech program or a continuing-education provider that has its own profile, the school can add you to its team with the Instructor role. That role lets you manage course material and class schedules for the school. It doesn’t give you access to its money, records or team settings.

Related

• Customize your dashboard: how your professions decide which sections you see.
• Breeder or kennel?: the other per-profession choice on the Specializations page.