Volunteering/work experience with Animals for under 16s?

I'm 15 and looking to study vetmed at university. I live in Surrey and every vet/animal charity I've contacted will not take me for volunteering/work experience until I'm 16. Is that the same with all vets/animal charities etc.?

Reply 1

ellieHA

I don't know specifically for animal charities and vets, but I know you can't do medicine work experience until you're 16 and I know it's hard to find work experience anywhere else when you're younger than 16. I think it's something to do with health and safety and their licensing and all that.

Reply 2

harrietx123x

I had a friend who got a work experience placement at a farm looking after the animals (it wasn't just a normal farm, it was part of university research) and another who got a work placement for a charity for animals. They were both 15.

Reply 3

battycatlady

The only places that wouldn't take me before a certain age was large animal vets/abattoir/RSPCA, but I got in everywhere else fine. You definitely won't find an abattoir that will take you and for RSPCA you have to be 18; you might be an LA vets, but it's unlikely.

Small animal vets are usually fine with young work experience people.

Farmers in general tend to be more lax. I worked at a dairy farm when I was 14 and went lambing at 15.

So yeah, my advice would be try farms and do animal charities when you're older.

Just sell yourself and convince them you are worth the risk! :biggrin: