2014 hopefuls Work Experience stalk

Just wondering how much experience anyone has done? And what you have planned for this summer? Also I think many people have loads of experience for vet but surely it should be more about quality and how well you can explain and describe/remember what you did and the skills you gained from it which should count?

So far I have:
2 weeks SA (going back next week for another week)
3 days lambing
2 days stables
Sunday job at a kennels (started last Sunday)

This summer I also plan hopefully I'll be going to 2 different mixed practices hopefully a week each, 1 or 2 weeks at a zoo and possibly a week on dairy but I still need to send out some letters. Also possibly make those 2days at the stables into a week but I would prefer to do more at the kennels in the week.

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Reply 1

Nessie162

So far:
1 week booked at Animal Shelter

That's it :cool:

I'm far behind all of you :frown:

But I plan to book 2 weeks SA Vet for this summer too :smile:

Reply 2

zangorou

I'm crapping myself - I've done so little.

-1 week small animal vets

That's it.

But, I have some planned and am sending out letters like a crazy woman.

Planned:
-3 weeks zoo work next summer
-Farm work ~hopefully~ this summer and then again during lambing season if I manage to convince the farmer c:
-1 week kennels
and hopefully some more veterinary clinics!

I'm sending letters out to everybody and everything that relates to animals in the hope I get a placement somewhere.

I'm scared.

Reply 3

Lucilou101

Hiya,

So Far ive got:

1 week SA Vet,
2 week Stables,
Work in Pets At Home (equates to 3 weeks so far)

Planned (And Booked):
2 week SA Vets,
1 Week Stable,
1 Week Widlife Hospital,
1 Week Farm,
2 Weeks Birdworld (Farm section)
1 Week Mixed Vet including Exotics
1 day Shadowing an Equine Vet

Planned (Hopefully)
1 Week Cattery,
1 Week Wildlife Hospital,
1 Week Farm,
1/2 Weeks Bristol Zoo

And whatever else i can get! Look forward to getting to know all you 2014 applicants more :smile:

Reply 4

~*Holly*~

I know it's a pretty comprehensive list, but I thought I may be useful for you to see the type of work experience I'm trying to/have got. I also mentioned the places that rejected me, so don't worry if you get rejected from some places, it happens to everyone! :smile:

Work Experience So Far:
x3 weeks small animal practice
x1 week small animal practice
x2 weeks mixed practice
x1 week kennels/cattery
x1 week dairy/beef farm

Saturday job May - December 2011 (mixed practice)
Saturday job January 2012-present (small animal, transferred from other branch)

Booked
x1 week large animal practice
I'm also having an interview for voluntary work/work experience at my local RSPCA branch
Keeper For A Day at my local monkey sanctuary
Stables, possibly for as long as 4 weeks (to bump my weeks up to more than 10 as I know the guy who owns a livery yard)

Things that I want to book, and have emailed, but haven't got back to me yet:
Wildlife/Bird Hospital
Exotics pet shop
Equine vets

Things that I emailed about, but refused me:
Abattoir (apparently the last girl they had filmed the whole thing and they "won't be put through that again", sounded pretty rude actually)
Cattery (but already have a week at a kennels & cattery so it's fine)
Vet laboratory

Once I've started school again I'm going to ask my tutors whether they can set me up at a zoology lab at my local university. It's a long shot, and it's not essential, but I want to be able to see things through a different perspective.

Reply 5

~*Holly*~

Oh, and I know this doesn't count as work experience, but I also went to VetQuest at Bristol.

Reply 6

daniel1005

Original post by ~*Holly*~

Oh, and I know this doesn't count as work experience, but I also went to VetQuest at Bristol.

Are you a reapplicant? I am just wondering cause I should'nt of thought many 2014 first-time applicants will have gone to an event like VetQuest or Vetsim yet?

Reply 7

~*Holly*~

Nope, I'm not a reapplicant , I just went when I was in year 11 (there were quite a lot of year 11s) March just gone :smile:

Reply 8

daniel1005

Are Bristol still running vet quest next year? Which lab did you apply for? thinking of trying for VLA in Sutton Bonnington as its the closest.

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Reply 9

~*Holly*~

I think so, best check their website first though, that's how I applied (not through school). It's usually during March time, although again, best to check first.
I applied to both the Carmarthenshire and Aberystwyth labs (VLA) but they both turned me down.

Reply 10

scottstacey

Stuff I already have:
1 Week SA vet
1 Week Pig Farm
1 Week Dairy Farm
1 Week at a small zoo
1 Week Kennels and Cattery
1 Week Racing Yard ( Will this count as stables ?)

Nothing booked for summer because I'm on holiday for the whole time which although good is bloody annoying however I hope to book a poultry farm and a stud for some time soon.

Reply 11

scottstacey

Original post by ~*Holly*~

Do you know if it's possible to go to VLA because I was really hoping to ?

Reply 12

~*Holly*~

UPDATE:
I am now officially a RSPCA volunteer! And I also have an interview with a man who owns 28 alpacas, which is really exciting and unusual :biggrin:

Original post by scottstacey

Do you know if it's possible to go to VLA because I was really hoping to ?

If it was just Carmarthenshire that rejected me, then I might've said yes, it is possible, but both rejecting me seems a little more than just coincedence...however, I'm sure someone on the forum managed to get into a VLA lab, though I can't be sure.

VLA aren't the only veterinary labs in the UK, though. In fact, the vets where I work use a lab in the Midlands (don't know the name of it sorry). So if you've already done/are doing work experience with a vet, ask them who they use (although bear in mind, it may not be local - I live in South Wales yet the vets use the lab in the Midlands). Good luck, it's worth contacting them anyway, even if they do reject you, at least you've tried.

Reply 13

daniel1005

I've just finished my third week small animal and going to ask kennels tommorow if I can do more days that just every sunday. Got an interview at a zoo in a weeks time! Preparing a letter to send to VLA Sutton bonington might throw in a reference from a vet just to persuade them. Wonder what universities would think about human labs cause I can probably get experience their quite easily.

Reply 14

Milliex_x

Hi Sorry Im A Little Confused. Are you Guys in year 11 going into Year 12 September? Or Year 12 going into Year 13 in September? Thanks :smile:

Reply 15

daniel1005

Year 11 going into Year 12 September :smile:

Reply 16

Cetacea

Original post by scottstacey

Do you know if it's possible to go to VLA because I was really hoping to ?

Original post by ~*Holly*~

VLA aren't the only veterinary labs in the UK, though. In fact, the vets where I work use a lab in the Midlands (don't know the name of it sorry). So if you've already done/are doing work experience with a vet, ask them who they use (although bear in mind, it may not be local - I live in South Wales yet the vets use the lab in the Midlands). Good luck, it's worth contacting them anyway, even if they do reject you, at least you've tried.

Last year I spent a week at the VLA in the Central Laboratory in Weybridge, Surrey (relatively close to me so travelling wasn't an issue). It was a great experience and I learnt a lot. It was also a good talking point at my interviews. So I would advise you to get some laboratory experience if you can after you have done or arranged the core placements.

If you can't get the VLA you could try Axiom labs although I don't know much about them and whether or not they take work experience students.