Training

Re: Training

Stella Skelton RVN — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 14:28:05 GMT

no - sorry...there's nowhere to live on site! x

Re: Training

Nicola Russell — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 14:26:23 GMT

would there be any accommodation available?

Re: Training

Stella Skelton RVN — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 13:47:21 GMT

There is currently a 1st year student and a 2nd year student placement at my place...see the jobs place...Companion Care, Cardiff...

Re: Training

kahleigh castell — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 10:45:07 GMT

I have just recently managed to get a student placement within a TP and I have been searching for 3 years. The best advice is don't give up looking!!! Also get plently of work experience in any field of animal care but mostly try and aim for vets. The best experience that I got was from working as a Nursing Assistant as this gave me the chance to learn valuable skills I will now be taking on to my next job. I hope you find somewhere soon, good luck!!!

Re: Training

ginny — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 10:37:10 GMT

As i have a job which involves replying to such letters i would suggest the following:

White paper, excellent english - spelling, grammar etc. Use a sensible font. Keep your covering letter to the point - put emphasis on dog/cat work if you are applying to S/A practice - don't write loads about horses or wildlife unless they are part of the job, just mention them in your CV.

Don't put that you intend to move onto pastures new as soon as qualified even if you do have a set career path in mind. Don't put you want to work ultimately with wildlife/tigers/lions/dolphins/gorillas when applying to a S/A orthopedic referral practice!

Apply for a job not a training placement and don't write anything about funding - certainly don't put (as a recent letter did) that there "was a small cost to practices to train nurses" - you could see the steam coming from our senior staff!! The boss pays for training and it is not cheap.

Be mindful that you may not be able to train straight away - you might be more suited to animal care initially if you have limited practice experience but have done kennel or cattery work.

Keep your CV neat, tidy and reasonable detailed - i would rather dump the "CV must be one page" rule as i would rather be able to read it (sometimes tiny font is used to get everything in!) and get some information.

Keep trying - some places (we do) will keep good potential employees on file but if your experience increases then update the practice. There is a shortage of places to train, as already mentioned. There are many reasons for this and it is a topic for much debate. ( I think the cost of the new course is going to be a huge spanner in the works).

Good luck!!

Re: Training

Rachel Jayne — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 21:31:52 GMT

I wrote to 32 practices within a 50 mile radius for 2 years before I got offered a place as a weekend assistant at one where I eventually then ended up progressing through at being employed & doing my training & qualifying at.

Be prepared to get lots of generic "thanks for your interest, will keep your CV on file for a while" responses, but you just have to keep trying.

Re: Training

albatross — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:40:19 GMT

as mentioned, there are loads of posts on the subject but briefly:

someone recently got a place after 10 years of trying
I've been trying off and on for 6 years, seriously for 4, and had a place for 3 months but lost it due to lack of funds by the practice
you need plenty of experience in other vet practices to be able to make your CV attractive
age, they say they prefer mature students but I have found many young people employed instead (the minimum wage doesn't help here)
the new rules this year have made a lot of practices stop taking on students even though they are still listed as TPs
there are meant to be ATP's you can train in but I haven't yet seen any practice defined as such
expect low wages
expect to have to move away for a job - Midlands area is better for places, south east is terrible (for instance in Kent where I live, there's only been one advert for a trainee in a year!)
it's often a case of getting your CV to land on the desk at just the right time
I have asked on numbers of applicants and have been told sometimes up to 200 apply - and often practices don't read them all, but pick the required selection until they have say 6 or 8 applicants (you might be more suited but further down the pile and don't get a chance - this is fact, as I was told by two different people who do the selection process, however some do read every CV)
think about doing the degree course but you won't be paid for placements

Re: Training

Maisy — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:22:03 GMT

There are loads of other threads on this subject and it will be worth having a read to find out how others have found their placement. Competition is high though and getting some experience in practice in the meantime is invaluable.

Re: Training

zalenski81 — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:08:19 GMT

Send out loads and don't be afraid to move around the country. Don't worry if you don't like your first practice as by the time you want to move at least you'll have that elusive experience that so many practices want. Above don't lose your enthusiasm-it's the most important thing you have in this job.

Good luck