HOW TO

WORK AS A
VET IN THE UK
Steps and tips for European Vets to enter

the UK market

Andreia Dias
 HOW TO WORK AS A VET IN THE UK

Table of contents
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 1
About me.............................................................................................................................................. 1
First things first - the language barrier................................................................................................. 2
The its and bits of English ................................................................................................................ 2
Registration with the RCVS................................................................................................................... 4
What to expect from the registration appointment ........................................................................ 5
The PDP - Professional Development Phase .................................................................................... 5
CPD - Continuing Professional Development ................................................................................... 5
Looking for jobs .................................................................................................................................... 6
Online search ............................................................................................................................... 6
Recruitment agencies................................................................................................................... 7
Narrowing the options ..................................................................................................................... 7
On-call work and out-of-hours ..................................................................................................... 7
Internships.................................................................................................................................... 8
Get that job! ......................................................................................................................................... 9
Cover letters ..................................................................................................................................... 9
Writing the cover letter ................................................................................................................ 9
Curriculum Vitae ............................................................................................................................ 12
Preparing for a job interview ............................................................................................................. 13
Research, research, research! ........................................................................................................ 13
Learn about the UK market ............................................................................................................ 13
During your interview .................................................................................................................... 13
A tip about culture ......................................................................................................................... 14
Where to move in?............................................................................................................................. 15
Finding a place! .............................................................................................................................. 15
Opening a bank account ................................................................................................................ 16
Driving license ................................................................................................................................ 16
Getting a National Insurance Number - NIN .................................................................................. 16
Final remarks ...................................................................................................................................... 17
Disclaimer ........................................................................................................................................... 18

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 HOW TO WORK AS A VET IN THE UK

Introduction

Are you looking to move abroad to the United Kingdom to work as a veterinary surgeon? You
might be looking for better working conditions, gain a specialization in a specific area or just get high
quality experiences to return home with more knowledge. Either way, you might be thinking about
choosing the United Kingdom to make the move and maybe you’re a bit overwhelmed with what
you need to do… Many vets are coming from the southern and eastern European countries where
client finances are not great and the market is saturated, but starting to work in the UK can be
challenging as clinical standards are very high, as well as client expectations. However, that is
precisely one of the main reasons vets want to move to the UK and with Brexit some might be feeling
a sense of urgency! What happens after Brexit is a question mark and working in the UK after it is
likely to change (same with this guide!), so many vets are looking to do the move before those
changes kick in.

This guide is based on my experience and research and will hopefully shed some lights on the
steps you need to take to become eligible to work in the UK and how to get a job. We’ll be focusing
mainly in clinical practice although there are many other options to enter the UK market.

About me

My name is Andreia and I studied Veterinary Medicine at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,
University of Lisbon, Portugal. I graduate in 2014 after presenting my Masters and moved to Scotland
to start my veterinary career. I got a job in mixed practice in the Spring of 2015 after my first job
interview, without any clinical experience and with a pending registration with the RCVS, so you can
do it too! It’s all about how you sell yourself and how willing you are to adapt, so I’m here to help
with what I can (adaptability is up to you, I fear!). Let’s start the journey!

Overview of the steps you need to move to the United Kingdom to work as a Veterinary
Surgeon

1. Be proficient in the language

2. Register with the RCVS (otherwise you will not be able to work as a Veterinary Surgeon)
3. Look for appropriate jobs and successfully apply for the vacancy
4. Move in to the United Kingdom
• Find a place
• Open a bank account
• Get a National Insurance Number (you will need one to work)

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First things first - the language barrier

This may seem really obvious but is fundamental. You need to have a good level of English
skills. These are not just written, but also - and especially - spoken. You should be able to have basic
conversations with native speakers as well as more advanced conversations with other veterinary
surgeons and nurses. If you have formal qualifications, such as IELTS or TOEFL test scores, use them
(but bear in mind some institutions will require a minimum level). However, for most jobs this is not
a requirement - if you TALK and they UNDERSTAND you, you’re probably good to go!
My advice - practice practice practice! If you have friends that live in the UK SPEAK to them. If
you are travelling, TALK to people. Listen to music in English, watch films with English subtitles.
Writing and reading is the easy bit, talking and understanding is the hardest! The more you speak
English and hear different accents the easier it gets! Other options - watch online news for the UK
on BBC or Sky News (if you fancy challenges head to the Scottish channels).

The its and bits of English

Not everyone in the United Kingdom speaks the same English! People from London don’t speak
the same way people from Glasgow (trust me on this :p ), so you’ll need to learn those terms as you
go. Here are some examples of terms that are common in Scotland (possibly other places too, this
is my experience).

- “My bitch is on the break” - the bitch is in season/heat

- “My dog is in for the jags/jabs” - this typically means the client is bringing the patient down
for vaccination. Always check though! I once had a dog coming down for “the jag” and turns out it
was not a vaccination, instead she was in for an injection of proligeston (which is for chemical control
of the female cycle). Needless to say, client wasn’t impressed his bitch walked out with both
injections given…
- “She is as rescue, I don’t know if she is dressed” - people use to term “dressed” instead of
neutered, spayed or castrated

Some technical terms

- PTS - put to sleep (euthanasia)
- OOH - out-of-hours (services provided when the practices are closed/only taking
emergencies)
- SOAP - stands for “Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan” and is a method of examining
patients and recording findings
- BAR - stands for “bright, alert and responsive”
- QAR - stands for “quiet, alert and responsive”
- EOD - every other day
- TPR - temperature, pulse, respiration
- SA - small animal
- LA - large animal
- US - ultrasound
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- INB - if not better (usually written down in clinical records, for instance “will need x-ray
tomorrow inb”)
- Locum - a locum vet or nurse is not generally employed by one single practice, but instead
sells their services to one or more practices (for instance, some locums will visit once a week or cover
a maternity leave)

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Registration with the RCVS

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) is the regulator of the veterinary profession
in the United Kingdom. If you want to work as a vet in the United Kingdom you will need to be part
of the Register and pay the yearly fee. In order to get into the Register, you have to go to an interview
in London and provide them with the required documents before your interview. You also need to
have appropriate knowledge of English language, which they will assess during your appointment.
This screenshot shows you where to find the requirements for your specific country and situation:

All accepted qualifications are represented at the bottom of this RCVS page and include
European countries, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. For other qualifications,
you will generally be required to sit an examination, the RCVS Statutory Examination for
Membership.
The fees are paid yearly but the amount you need to pay depends on the time of the year, so
you might want to play with that. This fees were retrieved from the RCVS website on November
2016.

Registration fees
Registration (1 October - 31 March) £150
Registration (1 April - 30 September) £299
Registration: new graduates graduating
between 1 Jan 2016 and 30 Sept 2016 who
£150
are registering between 1 Apr 2016 and 30 Sept
2016

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What to expect from the registration appointment

You won’t be alone! Generally speaking, there are a handful of people in it for the same! Your
paperwork will be checked, you will be given an introduction on the RCVS, what they do and how to
get support, and before you leave with your MRCVS title you will declare an oath in exchange for
your RCVS membership. You should become familiar with the Code of Professional Conduct, which
sets out all the responsibilities of veterinary surgeons in the UK.

The PDP - Professional Development Phase

If you are newly qualified (regardless of the country) or have less than one year of clinical
experience you will be required to complete the PDP. You’ll be instructed on this during your RCVS
registration appointment. This is an online development program to help support those new to the
profession. There is no official time limit to complete the PDP but you’ll generally be able to do this
within the first year or so of practice, especially if you start in a busy place. The format is related to
getting a set of skills that enable you to deal with the most common problems seen and show that
you have gained such knowledge and confidence. It is based on case reports and number of
procedures done.

CPD - Continuing Professional Development

Once you are registered with the RCVS you will need to fulfil CPD requirements to be able to
continue to renew your registration. Many practices will provide a CPD allowance for you as well as
in-house CPD. Your PDP will count towards the first year of CPD. You will be required to do 105 hours
every three years, which accounts for about 35 hours per year. This is normally easily achieved, but
there are plenty of ways of getting some more hours if you find yourself struggling. You will also be
provided with more information on your login credentials during your registration appointment.
Please note - CPD is going through some changes at the moment and looks like it’ll be divided
into categories which need individual fulfilment, plus it looks like CPD time on certain modalities
(like online webinars) will be limited. It looks like it'll go through some trials and transition might be
gradual. I will update this guide as more changes are made and will try to keep the website updated.

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Looking for jobs

Ok, so you know how to register with the RCVS, maybe you even have an appointment made.
So how do you find a job?
Good news is, there are many ways and places you can go to, some of them even online.
You can look for vacancies online and apply even before you move. As a matter of fact, you
SHOULD search the vacancies and research what might interested you and WHERE you see more
offers similar to what you’re looking for. However, here’s my personal recommendation:

Why? Because you start at a very significant disadvantage if you apply for vacancies and are
not in the UK. You will be a lot less likely to be called for an interview if you’re not even in the country!
This obviously involves a lot of planning and question marks and is not to be done light-headed… If
you still want to apply for vacancies before moving, I suggest you at least have a registration
appointment made with the RCVS. That means that when you apply you can actually say something
like “I’m planning on moving to the UK and I have a registration appointment with the RCVS on such
date, I will therefore be available to arrange an interview at such dates, when I’m around, and I’m
able to start working any time after my RCVS registration”. Also keep in mind that just because you
are RCVS registered, you don’t have all that is required to actually start working in the UK! (more on
this on chapter “Move in”)

When it comes to looking for jobs I find there are two easy ways:
- Search online
- Use a recruitment agency

Online search

Many practices and corporate groups will now place online advertisements. You will always
find several ads posted on these two websites, and you have the advantage of actually using different
search methods to find these vacancies - you can choose location, type of job, salary, and so on. I
find the most useful ones are location (you can be as specific as “Glasgow” or as general as
“Scotland”) as well as type of job (mixed, small animal, farm, etc). These are the websites I’m talking
about:
http://www.vetrecordjobs.com/
https://jobs.vettimes.co.uk/

There are other websites such as http://vetgrad.com but I find the first two most useful and
will generally always have something you might be interested in. The inconvenient? Many UK vets
also search those websites, so you’ll be competing with them. Nothing you can’t do!

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Recruitment agencies

In the UK veterinary surgeons are in high demand! There are recruitment agencies looking for
vets all the time. I recommend that you create a linkedin account and update your profile. This is
where having a UK address comes in handy, because once you start to create connections to UK-
based vets and corporations you will likely get recruitment agencies asking if you are interested in
finding a job. Follow Vet Recruiters and Vet Job Plus and connect with people that work for other
recruitment agencies.
Your other approach is contact the major recruitment agencies yourself (I have not tried this).
Some of the major ones are:
CVS
BVS
Prospect Health
Pet Medic Recruitment
BrightLeaf Recruitment

Most of them, however, will place ads on the two websites I’ve mentioned before for online
search of a job.

Narrowing the options

Right, so now you’re looking for a job and there are what, over 100 ads in one single website?…
How do you choose? What do you choose?
Obviously some of this depends on your own ideas of how things are to go! Are you looking
for a job in private clinical practice? Are you looking for a job with the Government? At an academic
level? As a sales representative? Or an internship instead? What type of internship? Most people
will want to work in a clinical setting (and this guide is focused mostly on that), so then you have to
decide whether you want to focus solely on small animal or whether you want to do mixed/equine.
I personally had a passion for horses and no experience in small animal practice, which I wanted, so
I was initially looking for an “all-rounder” job to get general skills. I would be happy with a small
animal+equine position but I also applied for completely mixed jobs (small animal, farm and equine)
and that’s the one I got as many people prefer specific areas rather than being the most General
Practitioner of all.

On-call work and out-of-hours

Once you know your area (small animal only? Fine, look for SA only jobs, there are plenty of
them!), then you have to decide whether you are considering jobs that include on-call and out-of-
hours. These are often not part of your weekly hours, so you’ll be doing this on top of your normal
hours, although you will generally have time off to make up for the extra work.
Doing on-call means you will be taking calls from clients or called to work to attend
emergencies. This can be quite challenging for a foreigner if you are taking the calls yourself instead
of having a nurse/receptionist at premises taking calls and then calling you in if needed. The other

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thing about on-call is how much support you have… are you gonna have to do a bitch caesarean on
your own with an on-call nurse, or will you have more staff available, especially a senior staff
member? I found that the on-call is the hardest bit because I take the calls myself and at first I was
always concerned that I wasn’t going to understand what the client was saying (and to be honest,
sometimes I actually don’t…). On the other hand if you are on-call you’re not necessarily at your
working place, but you have to be very close to it and ready to go there at any time. This means that
jobs that require on-call normally also require you to move to the area where you’ll be working and
many of these practices will provide accommodation or help you find it, which can be very nice if
you're just renting a room. Some, however, will provide accommodation on site (at the
clinic/hospital), which might not be desirable.

With out-of-hours you don’t necessarily deal with clients. An out-of-hours rota might just be
related to you looking after inpatients or attending to emergencies, or require you to actually stay
at your working place. Normally practices that do their own out-of-hours instead of redirecting them
to other practices will have an on-call rota.
It’s likely easier to get a job that does include out-of-hours and on-call, especially in remote
locations, but I would advise you to get a good rota, at the very least 1:3 (that means you will be
doing OOH/on-call every three days, or equivalent to such on a rotational basis). I have done 1:2 and
that can be very overwhelming (but each person is different). If you are planning on looking into jobs
that require you to do OOH/on-call, make sure you will have good support. That includes at the very
least a senior vet that you can call in if you are struggling, and ideally nursing staff available to help
you.
Finding a job with on-call that provides accommodation can be a good way to upgrade from a
rented room without the hassle of looking for an appropriate and affordable place via agencies.

Even though OOH and on-call basically mean you will be working more, they can provide an
invaluable opportunity, as with the right support you will see a lot more cases and gain more
experience.

Internships

Even though internships are great for learning, they are often positions in referral centres and
are highly contested. If you want to get an internship (because, for instance, you want to apply for a
residency later on), be prepared to gain experience in the UK BEFORE applying, as that will
strengthen your application in the vast majority of cases. There are internships dedicated to specific
areas, such as anaesthesia or neurology, as well as rotating internships. Expect internship positions
to have a lot of other applicants, including native vets, and offer a lower salary rate compared to
general practice.

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Get that job!

Cover letters

With any advertisement, you will be required to send a CV or resume. However, you should
always aim for a killer cover letter, especially if you’re applying online. This is your introduction to
your CV, shows your personality and basically tells the employer why they should be hiring you. Your
cover letter will be your e-mail message if you’re applying online, and your CV is your attachment.
Therefore, cover letters are often more important than your CV. That’s what you should use to sell
yourself as a candidate to be seriously considered for the position, while the CV will provide
information on your skills. The cover letter is also an amazing way to showcase your language skills.
ALWAYS READ-PROOF YOUR COVER LETTER. If you can, get someone native or with very high levels
of English to read it. Run it through an online grammar checker. Do ALL you can to avoid typos and
grammar mistakes while sounding as professional as possible.

Before starting your cover letter - Research! Look into the place offering the job. Small practice,
large practice? Only small animals? Look at the team and the focus of the practice (most of the times
you are able to find their own website). Have an idea of what they value. Tailor your letter to the
vacancy.

Writing the cover letter

Start by addressing the letter to the person that is going to receive it. First impressions count!
Avoid “To whomever it may concern”! Try “Dear…” And next? Well that might be hard. That’s where
research comes in handy. If you’re sending it by e-mail, you might know the name of the person. For
instance, if it requests you to apply by emailing helen.mathews@vet.co.uk, you know Helen
Mathews is the one likely to receive your e-mail, so address it to her. You don’t know if she is Miss
or Mrs.? Use Ms. So you’d start:
“Dear Ms. Mathews,”
If you don’t know, look in the website for the HR (Human Resources) team and address the
cover letter to the person in charge.
If you really don’t find anyone or are not told, stick to “Dear Sir/Madam”. It’s better to get the
wrong person than to start with “To whomever it may concern”… at least you tried!!!

First paragraph - state the vacancy you are applying for and where you found it, and make it
clear you would like to be considered for that position. Keep it short and to the point.

The way you organize the rest of your cover letter changes from person to person and you
should try to make it individual to you.
Mention why you are a nice fit for the job. Go through your skills and make sure you go through
the ones that they ask for in the job description.
Share a bit of your experience and how that contributes to the practice.
Mention career plans and your goals.
If you need to, show your weaknesses (for instance, pending RCVS registration) - some people
will rule you out based on this, but others will praise you for your honesty!

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Finally provide ways to be contacted - online, phone number, and mention your availability for
sending your application in a different format (posting your application instead, for instance).

Let’s look at an example.

Picture this online advertisement:

You know they are preferably looking for someone with experience, so if you don’t have any
UK experience you might not even be considered. If they have no one else quite as skilled as you
(even if your experience is from a different country), chances are they will at least call you back to
know a bit more. Just keep trying and showcase yourself in the best possible way. Imagine you have
1-2 years of experience in your own country and you’re not yet registered with the RCVS, you can
still try to make this work for you. Your letter could be something like this (feel free to use this as a
model):

“Dear Ms. Jones,

I’d like to express my interest in the vacancy for a full-time veterinary surgeon you have
available at Vet UK (short and to the point). Your small animal practice attracted me as it provides
the opportunity to develop my technical skills further and still engage in top quality client care. I have
a keen interest in surgery and am looking for a job that will allow my skills in this area to grow. Your
practice presents the perfect environment as I also value client interaction and creating meaningful
connections with the clients. (why I want to work there and what I value)

I graduated in Spain in 2013 and have since then worked in a local practice dealing with
patients and clients in a very individual way (showcase your ability to communicate with owners).
In this position I gained communication skills, as well as general surgical and medical skills. I am
confident in basic surgery (neutering, lump removal, laparotomy), emergency surgery (gastric
dilation-volvus, caesareans) and have some experience in orthopaedic surgery (fracture
management, cruciate ligament repair). I have also performed basic ocular surgery (entropion,
reconstruction, ablation). Even though I have a keen interest in surgery and am looking to develop
my skills in the area, I have also dealt with medical cases and I’m confident dealing with first-opinion
problems. I have also worked night rotas and dealt with emergencies. I have been responsible for
client communication with my own cases and have received positive reviews from several of my
clients, who specifically ask to see me when they come down to the practice. I lack experience in the

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UK clinical setting but I’m a quick learner and very adaptable, therefore I believe I would be a valuable
asset to improve the services in your practice. (personal experience and what you can bring in for
the employer)

I’m currently looking into positions in the United Kingdom that would allow me to progress in
my surgical career and even though my main residency is still in Spain, I have an appointment made
with the RCVS in two weeks time to finish my registration and be able to start my career in the United
Kingdom (this is your weakness and limitation - now you make it work for you and for the
employer). I will therefore be available for a personal interview at that time. I’m proficient in English
and would be happy to have a verbal discussion about this role, my skills and your needs at any time,
which would also allow you to assess my linguist skills. I’m available for this conversation over phone
(phone number) or skype, but would appreciate if we can arrange this in advance by e-mail so that I
can guarantee my availability. You can contact me by e-mail on: (e-mail address).

You can find my CV attached to this message to provide further information about my skills and
qualifications, as well as contact details. If you prefer, I can send my application in a different format.
I can be contacted most immediately by e-mail (provide e-mail) or phone (phone number) (direct
employer to CV, provide contact details and show availability).

I appreciate your time to read through my application.

Yours sincerely,
Full name”

You can see this looks ok for the most part even for someone that is not in the UK. It would be
stronger if you already have an RCVS registration and UK experience. This is the type of job you
probably will not be able to get if you have zero experience (new grad) and are not in the UK, so you
do need to choose the jobs you’re applying for. Keep this in mind for your cover letters:
- BE HONEST. Don’t lie about your skills or confidence. Your potential employer will be able to
tell that during the interview!!!
- If you’ve not done something, don’t showcase a weakness (if you’ve not done any night work,
for instance, don’t mention it - unless it seems an important focus of the position) or try to turn it
into an advantage (you’ve not done night work since you graduated, but you spent 12-hour night
shifts working with the in-patients and attending to emergencies with a qualified vet when you were
on your final year)
- If you have foreign experience (even if it’s not in the UK), mention that! For instance you
participated in the Erasums program when you were a student and spent 4 months in Germany,
where you have seen a different aspect of veterinary care that fascinated you (this will also hint that
you have language skills)

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Curriculum Vitae

This is your skills list. It should be ideally no more than 2 pages unless you have a lot of
experience. Avoid unnecessary information. Here are some other tips:

- Don’t send a photo of you. Even though this is a bit controversial, I don’t have a photo on my
CV. It helps employers avoid discrimination. If you want to use a photo, choose a professional one
(ideally wear scrubs).
- Mention your gender. If you don’t have a photo and are foreigner, many potential employers
will have the question in their minds… he or she? Make sure to answer that question by mentioning
your gender.
- State your nationality. This is something your potential employer definitely wants to know.
- If you’re a new grad… mention any useful experience for the job! For instance, mention that
you went to a local small animal clinic every weekend to help during appointments. Mention you did
fertility work in dairy cows when you were out in farm visits with your university teachers. Mention
you volunteered to spend the afternoons after class in the University Hospital. Mention you helped
with Trap-Neuter-Release programs with your local cat shelter. Even new grads have experience!
Bear in mind you will always be at a disadvantage when compared to a UK new grad, as they all go
through a period of “EMS - Extra Mural Studies” while students that generally guarantees them much
more experience (some will even be doing surgery on their EMS placements before completing
university). So you need to beat them with your personality, adaptability and impress with your cover
letter.
- After your details, write a short personal statement. This basically introduces you, your
interests and your goals.
- Focus on something that is easily readable – every bit of information has to do something for
you, but don't say everything, leave room for questions during your interview.
- Start with Education, then any employment history and other extra qualifications and useful
courses/CPD.
- If you have space, write down your skills and interests.
- When listing previews employments, start with the most recent and try to not only mention
the tasks, but also the achievements you have reached (for instance, “mixed position - position that
has consolidated first-opinion skills “).

If you want a free template for a beginner's CV (little experience), follow this link.

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Preparing for a job interview

All the steps you took resulted in you being contacted to arrange an interview, hooray! Now
this is where you can shine above any other candidates! How?

Research, research, research!

Research the company. Research the venue. Try to know the team before you have your
interview. See the services they offer. Note down any questions you have while doing your research.
Is the prep room connected to the theatres? Do they have a dedicated theatre for specific
operations? Is there an endoscope? Any member of the team that holds a Certificate or Diploma?

Learn about the UK market

This can be very tricky. Try to know a bit about insurance and charity programs. For instance,
some practices are part of a PDSA scheme (PDSA is a charity), and that allows the practice to receive
a certain amount of money for those clients, while the clients donate something to the PDSA when
they are seen instead of paying the full cost of treatment. Other practices are involved with Cats
Protection which means that clients are not charged for cat neutering. You can ask about this during
your interview, which shows you know a bit about some schemes.
Ask about how many clients are insured. Clients that are insured are likely to request very high
standards of care. If their dog comes in suddenly non-weight bearing in one of the front legs but you
don’t think there is a fracture, you might still be recommending an x-ray as soon as possible instead
of sending the dog home with pain killers to be x-rayed the following day. If your client is not insured
and has financial constraints, he might very well deny that you do an x-ray that same day and even
in three days time without trying pain killers first.
Also bear in mind some places are quite sales-directed when it comes to wormer treatment,
vaccinations, health plans and so on. Normally they will have target-values and you will be strongly
encouraged to be able to match the expectations.

During your interview

Try to be relaxed (easier said than done, I know!) and formal (no need for fancy makeup and a
suit, but dress work smart, avoid a lot of jewellery, painted nails and strong perfumes or aftershaves).
I would suggest you take scrubs with you in case you spend the day at the practice. You will likely be
asked some technical questions, but bear in mind you’re also assessing your potential employer! If
something doesn’t feel right, trust your guts! Be prepared with questions and be prepared for
questions.
Some common questions you will be asked will be related to how you deal with specific cases
(do you put a blocked cat on fluids or not? Before or after unblocking? Do you immediately scan a
non-spayed bitch that has been in season 4 weeks ago and is now drinking a lot of water and being
sick? Do you dispense tramadol without seeing a patient? How do you triage your patients? What
do you do if a patient goes into cardiac arrest? What surgical technique do you use for a specific

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problem?). Others will be related to how you deal with clients (normally angry, dissatisfied clients),
how do you perform a euthanasia? Bear in mind many of these questions will not have a right or
wrong answer (with some exceptions!), so don’t be afraid! Ask back if that’s how they do it or how
would they recommend doing it (they might have more facilities than you’re used to or different
drugs that you don’t know of).
Make sure you do ask some important questions (try to bring a list with you):
- How much support is available and in which form? Senior vet? Will you be following the vet
for a week or two before starting appointments? Will you have someone experienced to scrub in
with you the first times you do surgery?
- How long will you have for a standard appointment? Will you be pushed to do 15 minutes
consults the first day you start? Will there be some more help for you at the beginning?
- Is the job mostly surgery, mostly appointments or a bit of both?
- How do the rotas look like and how do the holidays works?
- Do they provide accommodation?
- Do they provide a car?
- How does your insurance work? (against negligence and what happens if you have a work
accident, like being bitten by a dog)
- Any other question that might pop to your head!

Don’t be afraid to ask any questions at all!!! You’re not the only one being considered for the
place but you’re also assessing whether you WANT to work in a place like that with the conditions
that you’re offered!

If possible, ask other members of the team what they think of the place. This can be especially
valuable if you manage to speak with other vets. Have a feel for the environment and decide whether
you’d fit in nicely or not.

After the interview, discuss what happens next. Basically, whether you should wait for them
to call you and when, or they would like you to call them back, and if they will have a second
interview or not.

A tip about culture

My personal experience tells me that most people in Scotland (and I would suspect in the UK)
are friendly, warm but very professional and not very keen on direct confrontation. That means that
people considered more “direct” on their approaches might find it hard to deal with the “soft”
approach from native people. This is not always the case, but it’s something that I’ve noticed to be
more prominent here than back home. Sometimes talking about money is considered a taboo, but
it's essential for you to know what you’re in for! Some people suggest you leave that question for a
second interview. I would first find out if they have that many candidates that they are having more
than one round of interviews! If no, try to leave the money question for the end of the interview,
when they have warmed to you a bit more (from experience and speaking to other vets, a general
full-time small animal role can start at anything like 20-25 000 pounds per year (20-25k per annum),
mixed slightly more, some small animal new grad programs will start at 30k per year. Internships are
normally around half of that).
Oh. And if you like it, accept the tea!

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Where to move in?

I suggested that moving into the UK is likely going to make it easier for you to get a job. This is
what I would advise provided you have done some research and have a good enough budget to
support you for several months without a job.
The place you actually move to is a very personal question. You can either chose the place and
look for the jobs or follow the jobs. If you don’t have a big budget for the move, consider places with
lower rents, good connections to your home country and close-ish to major cities. Cities like London
can be expensive to live in when you don’t have a job, and although they offer a lot of opportunities,
there is also a lot more competition. The wider your range, the more jobs you will find. If, however,
you like a specific place, for instance you think Wales is wonderful, look for jobs in Wales. Sometimes
you need to follow your job instead - there are far more equine positions in the South of England
than in Scotland, for instance.
For me it was easy because I already had a place in Glasgow to move to and I had done
undergraduate training in Glasgow University, so I knew the area. But to actually take the leap can
be frightening!

Finding a place!

You will need a place to stay in while you look for jobs, and if you have a friend in the UK that's
a great way to start, but most of you won't be that lucky. I suggest you do some research before
thinking about the move - investigate in which areas you will be more likely to find the jobs that you
WANT to apply for. Then investigate the rent prices and consider how easy it is to commute to those
areas and around them… will you be needing a car and a driving license, or can you travel to different
practices for interviews by bus or train?

You will find it hard to rent a house or go to a real estate agency if you
don’t already have a UK address, and you can’t get a UK bank account
without a UK address… puzzling! So, here’s what you do… you go to gumtree
and look for rooms to rent in the area you’re searching for a job. You will
find everything - including scams!!! - in gumtree, so you do have to be very
very careful. Renting a room instead of a house means you will likely be
sharing, but will make the rent cost cheaper and might include bills and
internet access. Second options, look for private properties for rent or share in websites like
openrent. Your other option is look in comparison websites for “student accommodation”, which
again generally means you're sharing (you can check websites like zoopla, rightmove and s1homes).
If you are searching for student accommodation the best places will be around universities, so see
if there are any around the place you'd like to move to. The first place you'll rent will generally be
for short-term stay, unless you are confident you will get a job (you've had a first interview over the
phone) and can afford something high quality and long-term. Once you get a job you can then look
for a house to rent close to where you will be working or you might apply for a job that provides
accommodation, saving you the hassle of finding another house. I would suggest that you plan your
move by having several potential rooms or flats/houses with previously arranged viewings, so you
can limit the amount of time you spend in hotels. You can also look for more affordable hostels in
the area, but finding something affordable in the long term can be hard.
Look at the pricing! “pw” means per week and “pm” means “per month” - so £150pw is more

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expensive than £400pm!

A note about agencies: most agencies require references and normally at least one previous
UK address. Unless you have a secured job, I would think you are not very likely to be able to let a
property through an agency.

Opening a bank account

Sooner or later you will need a UK bank account. In most banks you can open them for free
and without maintenance costs but they will generally require you to have a UK address and,
therefore, you need to have a contract in place with your landlord (this might be hard to do if you
look for “shady” rooms in gumtree). Alternatively, you can use a bill, like water or electricity (for
which you kinda need to rent a house...). If you do have a UK address and some money to put in the
account, you will likely be able to open one in any bank. However, I've been recently told that some
banks are requesting that people have a UK address for at least 6 months! That's a long time to not
have a UK bank account! You might be lucky enough that your native bank is an international bank
and is also present in the UK, or that there are so many people from your country in the area that
you move to, they have a branch there. In Scotland, the most commonly seen bank societies are TSB,
RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland), Clydesdale Bank and HSBC, and then branches from other banks
like Barclays and Lloyds Bank (which used to be merged with TSB).

Driving license

In some cases, you will be required to have a “clean” UK driving license. It’s fairly easy to trade
your European driving license for a UK one as long as you are considered a resident (you need to
have a UK address for at least 185 days). You can find out how to it here. If you don’t get a UK driving
license, you can drive for 12 months with your non-UK driving license. Some jobs, normally large
animal and farm, require you to have a driving license and some will even require you to have your
own car. This is unlikely to be doable as a first job unless you actually have a car or the employers
compromise to pay for the car (by taking money from your salary for instance).

Getting a National Insurance Number - NIN

This is a personal number that is used for contributions and tax and you need to have one of
these if you want to work. It’s quite easy to get one but it does require you to be in the UK, book in
an appointment at the local JobCentre Plus and bring in some paperwork, namely ID (passport,
driving license, etc.) and proof or residence. In here you’ll be able to see the requirements as well
as finding out the contact number to book in your application. You will normally be able to go to the
closest JobCentre Plus but check that when you call in to make your appointment (you can find them
through this website). You should get a letter explaining what you need to bring, but in my case I
actually received it after I had had my appointment… When you receive your NIN you should keep
it private. You will likely be able to start working if you’ve not received one yet, but have already
applied.

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Final remarks

My final advice is the following: if you want to work in the UK, commit to it. Establish a budget,
do your research and follow through regardless of whether you want a short stay or are planning to
move for good. Learn as much as you can and get as much practice with the language as you can.
Learn the best Medicine you can.

If you are committed and hard-working you will be able to do the move.

Find our page and our community on facebook (you will need to ask to be added to the
group as it's a secret group).

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Disclaimer

All the information written ins this guide is for informational purposes only, all the advice
provided is based on my own experience and research.
Some of the material in this guide may include information, products or services by “third
parties”. I do not assume any responsibility or liability for any Third Party material or opinions. The
use of the Third Party Materials is a recommendation based on my own opinion, therefore users of
this guide are advised to use due care when researching and using those materials. By reading this
guide, you agree that I'm not responsible for the success or failure of your decisions relating to any
information presented in this guide.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted or sold in any form without prior
written consent of the author.

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