Locum help please

RE: Locum help please

Gillian Davidson — Fri, 10 Aug 2018 11:35:03 GMT

Hi,

I've just sent out 10 emails an hour ago and had 2 offers of locum work...which is great.

My next thought is...how much do i charge? I'm in Scotland, I've been nursing for 11 years.

I'm testing the waters with locuming ( finished SMP and still on mat leave) , if all goes well should i be thinking about having a ltd company?

RE: Locum help please

Arlo Guthrie — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 07:59:50 GMT

Could I ask anyone who reads a post which they find helpful (whether or not you started the thread or asked the question) to press the 'Thank you' button. Not only thanks the person for helping, but also, unlike writing 'thanks' starts to increase their 'thank you' score which then appears next to their name, so other members can see how helpful they are!

(and the plan is that vetnurse will soon start rewarding people who get the most 'thanks').

RE: Locum help please

sarahkat — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 06:08:38 GMT

Thanks

RE: Locum help please

Jo Mackenzie — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 23:41:42 GMT

I think it depends on whether you want to stay within a specific area or not. When I first started out as a locum I was happy to travel anywhere in the UK (and was actively looking for jobs that would let me move around and see different parts of the country), so for me using agencies made sense, as I could easily see what opportunities were available UK-wide. The downside is that they take a cut of your earnings. When I eventually settled in one area, I wrote to all the practices within the radius that I was willing to travel from home, and was able to find more than enough work that way - most practices I've locummed for have actually preferred to book work with me directly rather than through an agency as it cuts out the middle man so is a win-win situation for both parties.

RE: Locum help please

sarahkat — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 20:08:52 GMT

Thanks, will do

RE: Locum help please

C4RLY — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 16:13:20 GMT

when I did some locum work I emailed practices and wrote to them directly. Even offered to pop in and show my face so that they can meet you prior to carrying out work, if they were local. I did create my own limited company but that was more so that I didn't have to pay a chunk of my wages to an agency. some are better than others and some practices will not accept you unless you go through an agency. I would call local practices as a starting point and go from there.

Good luck and enjoy it :-)

RE: Locum help please

Arlo Guthrie — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 16:12:02 GMT

Sarah, did you see our info page on this?

https://www.vetnurse.co.uk/working-together/w/veterinary-nursing-jobs-career-recruitment-advice/1080.locuming-guide.aspx

I know, probably not quite what you're after. Would be really helpful to hear from anyone about what kind of response they had to sending out emails, letters and cards to practices ...