Veterinary Recruitment Agencies is a Veterinary Link Directory, We provide link services to Veterinary Recruitment Agencies and Veterinary Employment Services.

Services Offered by Veterinary Recruitment Agencies

Many unemployed vets use veterinary recruitment agencies to find them a job. Veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses or technicians can be unemployed for a number of reasons:

a)  They have recently graduated and have no position awaiting them.

b)  They may be veterinary nurses who have just qualified and are seeking their first job

c)  They have emigrated from overseas, and are now seeking work in the UK.

d)  They had given up work to raise their family until school age.

e)  They are veterinary locums between jobs.

Each of these is a legitimate reason for a veterinary surgeon or nurse to be seeking employment, and they have a number of potential sources of jobs. These may include the employment services offered by profession publications that merely advertise vacancies, word of mouth if they are lucky, the national employment services or online veterinary recruitment agencies.

Why online veterinary recruitment agencies? The answer to that is simple, because only online agencies are available to veterinary surgeries, surgeons and nurses throughout the entire world, not just the UK. No other form of media enables employers and employees to interface worldwide as effectively as the internet does, and that is the reason for the success of online employment agencies in any field of work. However, some of these are more progressive that others.

Veterinary recruitment involves veterinary surgeries, zoos, safari parks, government agencies and more who are seeking both newly graduated or qualified and experienced veterinary staff to meet their needs. These are just a few examples of the fields in which veterinary recruitment might be an important annual event (in the case of government agencies) or occasional when needed (veterinary surgeries, zoos, etc.) - but where does a newly qualified vet, or veterinary nurse, go to find these jobs advertised.

Where does a vet from overseas go to find veterinary job vacancies in the UK? Perhaps such vets have come to the UK to find work, or maybe they have come with their families. Whatever the reason, there is a body of highly qualified and trained people within the UK that is seeking work in the veterinary field, yet have little knowledge of where to look for such work.

Veterinary recruitment agencies can meet that need, particularly those online agencies that can offer work from all over the UK to potential vets all over the world, but particularly to the EU whose citizens have  a right to work in the UK if they so choose. What services are offered by such agencies, and what is their attraction to those in the UK and from abroad?

Here are some of them, and the main reasons why so many veterinary surgeons and nurses, but particularly locum vets and locum veterinary nurses, use them whenever they are seeking new work.

1.  Veterinary Recruitment: Jobs

The principal function of an online veterinary recruitment agency is to put those seeking jobs in touch with those that have vacancies.  Some of the better agencies offer an interface between the veterinary employers and suitably qualified employees that have registered with the agency. So, for example, a large racing stable seeking a resident vet will not be offered a veterinary surgeon unless experienced and qualified in equine surgery.

Locum vets will be offered vacancies that have to be filled immediately after providing contact details so that the employer and potential employee can get in touch with each other as quickly as possible. The veterinary recruitment agency will have the details of every registered vet or vet nurse, including their CV, degree information and any visa or ID card information appertaining to non-EU nationals.

2.  Veterinary Recruitment: Information

Foreign Nationals

A secondary, but very important service offered by online recruitment agencies, is the information that they offer.  Overseas vets are provided with full details of the requirements for working in the UK with respect to registration with the RCVS, any work or entry visas  needed and any other information that foreign nationals need to know before seeking employment in the UK.

Locum Veterinary Work and Income Tax

Locum vets often have problems with respect to income tax and insurance issues. A good online veterinary recruitment agency will offer information to UK, EU and non-EU nationals on income tax law and how you can arrange to pay your tax when working as a locum: there are many options open to you such as becoming self employed, working as a limited company or using an umbrella company- that is one that pays you and your tax, and in turn is paid by the practice.

Veterinary Recruitment: Insurance Issues

Personal Liability Insurance can be a problem with some locum vets, and it is very likely that the practice you work for will expect you to look after both your own income tax and also your own liability insurance to cover you and the practice in the event of a professional error.  

These are just a few of the benefits you get if you register with an online veterinary recruitment agency rather than try to find your own work as a full time or locum vet.

Finding Work as a Locum Vet Nurse

If you are seeking work as a locum vet nurse, there are certain aspects of the job you should be aware of. Working as a locum presents a different set of problems than working for a practice permanently. A locum does not generally enjoy the benefits of permanent employment, and such benefits are not generally appreciated until you are working for yourself rather than for an employer.

Locum Vet Nurse Issues

Here are some of these issues of which you should be aware, and how to overcome them.

1. Income Tax

As a locum veterinary nurse you are responsible for paying your own income tax. You can do so in a number of ways, including declaring yourself self-employed, becoming a limited company or working for an umbrella company that pays you and your taxes from the practice's payment to them. You are best not to use an umbrella, but to become either self-employed or a limited company. here is the link to the IRD

The latter is the better option if you intend working as a locum nurse as a career, because as a limited company you are not personally responsible for any debts you incur in the course of your work. You can also buy a car and other equipment and declare it against tax. You can pay yourself a wage, pay for your personal indemnity insurance and also pay your personal pension payments from the company.

2. Insurance

You have to pay your own personal indemnity insurance, but as stated above, the company will pay that for you if you are a limited company.  If you are self-employed, you can also pay it and claim it against tax. Indemnity insurance is essential for any vet, since you never know when a mistake can be made and when you will face an uncontestable claim against you.

3.  Travel and Accommodation

Working as a locum vet nurse means that you will likely have to travel to work, and not always within commuting distance of your home. Some placements can last almost a year, particularly in the case of pregnancy and maternity leave, and you will need accommodation during that period.  If you are lucky, the practice will provide it - either free or rented. However, you will have to provide your own transport.

Variety of Work

There are a few other minor issues, but many veterinary nurses thrive on locum work and wouldn't accept a permanent position if it was offered. That's because they love the variety of work, both in terms of the geographic area and of the type of animals they help care for. In one job you could be dealing with cats and dogs and in the next with cattle and sheep. Then perhaps horses and you may even be asked to do some zoo work.

The more vet nurse jobs you do, the better chance you will have of being offered a permanent job. Veterinary surgeries seek experienced nurses with experience with a wide range of animals and procedures. If you are trained in radiography, all the better. The more you can do, the easier you will find it to get work - on a permanent or locum basis.

Never consider locum veterinary nursing to be a backward step, because it certainly is not. Who has the greatest breadth of experience - nurses that have worked in the same practice their entire career, or those that have traveled around and worked in a wide range of different practices dealing with a wide range of animals and procedures? The answer is obvious, and many veterinary surgeons or practice managers take the same view when it comes to job offers.   

Veterinary nursing is exciting and satisfying work, which why so many young people of both genders train to become a vet nurse. Permanent work is great of you can get it, but often temporary work is all you can get. However, a locum vet nurse has a great job, and the sky's the limit as far as advancement goes.

You don’t have to work permanently to eventually run your own clinic.  Locum work is well paid and many vet nurses have eventually started up their own veterinary clinics. You might start your own business up one day - how about an animal convalescent hospital? It can be very expensive for owners to have their pets kept on the vet's premises after an operation, and you could offer that service yourself.

That's just one idea that any locum veterinary nurse could put into reality after a few years working as a locum around the country and getting her or his own contacts among vets and pet owners. You can likely think of a few more ideas, but first you must get the experience. If you can get permanent position then work as a locum vet nurse and save up - realize your dream! Many have and have never looked back.