zookeeper

guest service agent

groundskeeper

housekeeper

director of technology

Houston Zoo

I cant speak for other deparments but Grounds and House Keeping have it bad. A typical day is long and hard. Constant walking and bending which isnt bad but its outdoors so the heat and cold will eventually get to you as well as the low pay for the amount of work you do.I learned not to trust anyone I work with because like everyoine knows, people are not your friends and will do what they can to hold you back so that they can move forward. there is a major problem with gossiping and it makes everyone uncomfortable. Management is poor, being the reason I left. The coworkers are alright so long as they have that good work ethic and willing to work as a team, I was surrounded by lazy people who would go hide and get a free check due to others hard work. The hardest part of the job was not being able to be with family. Most people are off on weekends and holidays but we are not. we get days off but that in the middle of the week. Aside from that we are there everyday but Christmas. The most enjoyable part of the day is when you interact with a guest and help make a memorable moment, by doing something that they will never for get, and the Zoo is all about memorable moments.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Exposure to opportunities that were very unique. Opportunities to work with several different departments.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The lack of true transparency, the check boxing of DEIA, the culture of serving the loudest mouth in the room (will bend over backwards to accommodate people who shouldn’t be accommodated), lack of true leadership/direction in the industry. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It varies greatly depending on what team you are working on. There isn’t an overall culture that actually defines/uplifts each department and how they should interact with others. Some departments have good harmony and others do not and that can be easily felt from team to team. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
It varied too greatly to give a typical day. My role could be teaching a program to interacting with guests to helping with an animal training/emergency.

Do not recommend. A lot favoritism and double standards in the department you can make an error or miss a day and they will bash you for it, if a favorite employee does it, it goes over their heads. They try to make you buy into the whole teamwork family propaganda when they dont even pay enough for that. Every lead who is already of old age there has a high school mentality like as if they are a popular crowd and if you dont fall in line they shun you and they treat you like a pariah. Same thing goes towards the supervisors, individuals who have peaked and try there best to assert some sort of dominance towards the employees who keep to themselves to feel some sort of control in their lives. A lot of clique like behavior over i dont reccomend this department you wont be appreciated by the higher ups or your department since all you are is the help they look at you less then they are.

The keepers and other animal people are great.

You can tell that they really love the animals and what they do.

The management, however, is another story.

Too often people are trying to get ahead in management and will not hesitate to stab you in the back!

I had been there 6 years and lasted through 3 administration changes but was caught up in the last one and my manager; of just a few months, told me, "We think you make too much money." 

I had never asked for a raise and only received what they had given me on their own accord. I had always received "above average" performance evaluations; the basis for pay increases.

With no reason or explanation,  they reduced my salary by close to 25%...This is why I left and would never encourage working, visiting, or donating to the Houston Zoo!

Had such high hopes but was really let down.  The Houston zoo was supposed to be one of the best in the nation of my experience was heartbreaking .  Animals died due to lack of proper care and others lived traumatic lives that lead to neurotic tendencies .  management had no concern for their employees as there was a line of fresh zookeepers waiting to fill the position for anyone that dared challenge anything they said .  Changes in upper management meant even less concern for the employees and animals and the focus was shifted to individual notoriety. who has the best toys .  I worked my entire life to get to Houston zoo but after five years I couldn’t wait to get out .  Morally and ethically I couldn’t deal with the lack of attention for the animals,  out right discrimination and bigotry coupled with low salaries and overwhelming workload made this the worst job I’ve ever had .

A typical work day is leading your camp group through the lessons and activities and taking them on a tour of the zoo. Coworkers and management are wonderful and team-oriented. Everyone is helpful and encouraging. One difficult part of the job is that the summer weather can be very hot, as is expected of Houston, so this may not be the job for you if you're not an outdoorsy person or can't stand the heat, but everyone constantly reminds each other to stay hydrated. The most enjoyable part of the job is seeing the campers have a fun time at the zoo and helping the kids learn more about animals and conservation. 

Overall, it's a very fun and rewarding job! A perfect seasonal job for the summer if you're a college student or school teacher who loves the zoo. I wish the zoo did camp or other educational programs like school field trip tours year-round.

As a lower level zookeeper at previous facilities in the past, I have felt the ostracizing toxic environments that make you feel small, but nothing like working here at Houston Zoo. Other employees in other areas are so nice, but most zookeepers here are are arrogant and think they are better than anyone, to the point of keeping people from progressing while providing their favorites with more attention and support. This is while the zoo promotes equality and diversity. The vets do whatever they please with little to no input from the animals’ caretakers. And personally, Houston TX is not worth it for anyone that likes peaceful driving conditions or the outdoors. The zoo is towered over by the hospital and smack right in the middle of downtown with a very busy park wrapped around it. High turnover and lots of unhappy employees pretending it’s great. 

The zoo was great in the sense that you learned so much about the hard work the conservation team would do. Every “small” department had an impact on the events happening at the zoo. Teamwork was not always 100% but there were departments that understood that if one fails both do, which made it a great to work with those individuals. Management was average like in every work place, you have those that can help you learn and you have those that are there for the pay and don’t contribute to the zoo statement. I had many great opportunities, and learned a great deal about, sales, advertising, administrative work and positive conservation learning. I hope their marketing department learns more about the Houston culture and conservation culture to be able to get the zoo to higher merits. 

Everyday is different and brings opportunities to learn technical skills as well as develop professional experience. Most staff are approachable and interdepartmental cooperation is challenging but overall a good experience.

Life/Work balance is tough but it's the nature of the business with late night events and very early mornings to prep the grounds for opening. Expect to work all weekends and holidays.

Management is fair and brutally honest, a welcome change from other people who dance around sensitive issues. With that fairness and accountability comes great opportunity for advancement if you are willing to work hard everyday.

Wouldn’t recommend. Working for the housekeeping department is like being thrown into a sea of toxicity & chaos. Hours are long, the weather is extreme, & the coworkers are extremely catty & full of drama. This includes management as well. Do not fall for the “family” environment act that is put on in the beginning. Managers will gossip about you and make you the problem if you come to them with a problem. The burnout will come quickly.This was the worst job i’ve ever worked in my entire life. I am still traumatized by my experience working in this department. Do NOT work in this department if you plan on working at the zoo. Favoritism runs RAMPANT as well.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Zookeeper 5 salaries reported	$18.80 per hour
Guest service agent 1 salary reported	$15.00 per hour
Groundskeeper 1 salary reported	$15.00 per hour
Housekeeper 2 salaries reported	$15.00 per hour
Director of technology 2 salaries reported	$145,000 per year

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