Overseas Vet Surgeons
As an accredited A-rated sponsor, we can support your move to the UK and issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for Skilled Worker visas to Veterinary Surgeons.
See our Veterinary Surgeon vacanciesOverseas Veterinary Surgeons
The UK is at the forefront of the global veterinary industry and we have fantastic opportunities for experienced Veterinary Surgeons from around the world to join our progressive community.
As an accredited A-rated sponsor, we can support your move to the UK. We can issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for Skilled Worker visa to Veterinary Surgeons.
We also offer attractive relocation packages that include flights, accommodation and a vehicle to help ease the stress of moving and settling in the UK. Our dedicated teams are always there to help make everything as smooth as possible.
The UK is a great place to work as a vet but before you can do so there are two main things for you to consider: membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and the right to work in the UK.
At the front line of delivering exceptional care that’s always there, you’ll play an integral part in everything we do. From routine health checks to advanced surgeries, you’ll work directly with clients and their pets to offer care that’s bespoke to them.
In selected regions we offer vets a four-day week, which is unusual in the corporate veterinary world. Also unusual is our integrated way of working across practices, which we call our hub-and-spoke model. By connecting to our network of referral centres, you’ll share technology and expertise and get support with your cases. This model also means you’ll have the opportunity to work in a hospital setting.
We have various roles available to suit any vet at every stage of their career:
Veterinary Surgeons
Our Vets provide essential support to Lead Vets or Branch Partners in delivering care to clients and their pets. This includes covering days off, holidays and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) days, either at one practice or several practices in a local area as a Mobile Veterinary Surgeon.
Lead Veterinary Surgeons
Our Lead Vets are responsible for leading the practice and its staff in providing the very best care to clients and pets. You’ll also have an active interest in the running of the practice and be rewarded for its success.
Night Veterinary Surgeons
Our Night Vets help deliver out-of-hours care at one of our 24-hour emergency centres, providing pets with life-saving treatment and carefully monitoring them whenever they need it.
Branch Partners
As an experienced Veterinary Surgeon, you’ll also have the option of buying into an existing Medivet practice and becoming a Branch Partner. This allows you to part-own a practice and take responsibility for the day-to-day running of the business while continuing to deliver exceptional pet care.
Salary and benefits:
- Competitive salary, including London weighting
- Four-day week (in select regions) – rare in corporate vet industry
- Access to integrated systems and network of referral centres
- Generous weekend package (one half-weekend in three, or one full weekend in six)
- £1,500 CPD allowance with three days’ CPD leave
- VDS, RCVS, BVA fees paid
- Five weeks’ annual leave, plus bank holidays
- Paid sabbatical after every five years’ service
- 20% off all veterinary services and products
- Access to Employee Assistance Programme
- Additional benefits, including 100% attendance scheme and ‘peternity’ leave
Progression and development are at the heart of everything we do, and we’re dedicated to supporting you as you continue your career as a Veterinary Surgeon. Through regular performance reviews and catch-ups, we provide you with a wealth of opportunities to develop your skills in whichever way you choose.
As a Veterinary Surgeon with Medivet, you’ll receive a £1,500 CPD package, plus three days, which can be used towards external training in a wide range of areas. Certificate sponsorship is also available, allowing you to pursue a specific area of veterinary care and further your expertise.
We understand that life as a vet can be challenging, so we also offer internal courses to develop your soft skills, including personal effectiveness and handling difficult conversations with clients, ensuring you have all the tools you need to succeed.
There are several rewarding career paths available to our Veterinary Surgeons.
These include:
- Mobile Veterinary Surgeon/Assistant Veterinary Surgeon
- Lead Veterinary Surgeon
- Night Veterinary Surgeon
- Branch Partner
- Regional Director
- Deputy Head of Clinical Operations
Membership of the RCVS, who are the governing body for all vets in the UK, is a requirement for all practicing vets in the UK. As a vet who is qualified or will be qualifying outside the UK you will firstly need to check whether your veterinary degree is recognised by the RCVS. If your degree is from a European veterinary school, then your university will need to be EAEVE (European association of Establishments for Veterinary Education) accredited or approved at the time of your graduation. If your degree is not currently recognised, then you will most likely need to sit the Royal College Statutory Membership Examination.
Please follow the link to the Royal College website for further information on the degrees recognised from around the world as well as on the Membership Examination should you require it:
If you are not from an English-speaking country or your course was not in English, you will also need to take a test to show you have the necessary language skills. This can either be an IELTS test or the OET test. You will need to have passed this test before you can apply to the RCVS and it may also be needed for a visa application (see below). You should allow up to four weeks from booking the test to getting the results. To reduce delays with your application, we advise taking the test as soon as you apply just in case a retake is needed.
Details of these requirements can be also found by following the link to the RCVS website:
You can also find on the RCVS website what further documentation you may need to make your application, e.g. degree certificate and/ or a letter of good standing from your governing body. This can depend on the country in which you graduate, and the time passed since graduation. These documents will need to be translated if they are not already in English. From the time the RCVS receives your documentation it normally takes 3 -4 weeks before being given a registration interview. Therefore, we advise again to gather the necessary paperwork and submitting it as soon as possible to avoid delay.
Since 1st of January 2021 any vet who wishes to work in the UK who does not currently hold the right to work in the UK, you will need to apply for a skilled worker visa. We can support you with this process as an accredited A rated sponsor. There is also a ‘graduate route’ visa for non-UK citizens who graduate from a UK veterinary school whilst on a tier 4 visa.
In order to qualify for a skilled worker visa, in addition to a veterinary degree, you will need a certificate of sponsorship from your UK employer. If the native language of your country of origin is not English, you will also need to pass either the IELTS or OET language test as above.
Any employer recruiting overseas vets requires a licence to sponsor. Medivet has an A-rated licence and can therefore issue a certificate of sponsorship (COS) for vets from outside the UK. This COS can then be used to apply for the skilled worker visa. Not only do we help with relocation costs, but we also contribute to the initial costs of getting a visa and guide you through the process. This process does take time and therefore we advise applicants to take a language test and get all necessary documentation at the earliest opportunity.
Working hours can vary, but it’s generally a nine-hour working day for Veterinary Surgeons and a 14-hour shift for Night Veterinary Surgeons. We have a growing number of 24-hour practices that operate on a shift pattern. All working hours will be discussed with you at your interview.
Our annual leave varies depending on location, but on average we offer 22 days (pro-rata for a four-day week) for full-time Veterinary Surgeons, plus bank holidays with time off in lieu and a share of the rota. Annual leave is on a pro-rata basis for part-time roles.
Yes, we do. Please visit our graduate vet page for more information on our Graduate Development Programme.
Most of our practices have parking facilities for our clients. When attending an interview, please feel free to use one of the available spaces.
Unfortunately, we’re unable to cover any costs incurred when attending an interview.
You’ll be asked questions about your previous experience relating to the role you’re applying for. These questions are usually scenario-based, and we may ask about a time you were involved in a similar situation.
You’ll be advised what documents and/or items to bring with you to your interview; this can vary depending on the role you’re applying for. If you’re unsure, our recruitment team will be happy to help.
We recommend you dress smartly unless you’re advised otherwise in the invitation.
If you’re seeing a practice, you’re likely to be involved in some manual tasks. Therefore, we recommend you wear something comfortable that you don’t mind getting dirty. You should also wear flat, closed-toe shoes, as you may be invited into the kennels and theatre areas.
We recommend smart dress for your induction.
You’ll have an opportunity at your induction to try on various sizes before ordering your uniform. This will be sent direct to your practice in the first week of your employment.
If you can’t find a role you want to apply for, please register your interest here and we’ll let you know when a vacancy becomes available.
Of course. Please register your interest here and we’ll let you know when a vacancy that matches your criteria becomes available.
Of course. Once you’ve applied for one role, you can select the ‘reuse application’ option on the application form for another role. There may be different questions associated with that vacancy which will need to be answered, but we’ll advise you which these may be.
Our vacancies page is updated daily, so check back regularly to find rewarding opportunities. You can also register your interest in a role to be notified of future vacancies.
Of course. We only ask that, if you’ve been invited to an interview that was unsuccessful, you wait three to six months before re-applying for the same or a similar role.
Why join us as a vet?
Our Veterinary Surgeons play an integral part in everything we do. From routine health checks to advanced surgeries, you’ll work directly with clients and their pets to offer care that’s bespoke to them.
Play our video to hear from some of our vets about life at Medivet and their personal journeys.
