becoming a vet

[walesjackmaa]

i have a girl of 13 and when she leaves school she want,s to become a vet she has been told that she will have to pay to become a vet can any one tell me about this and if so how much.

[Eels]

What country are you in?

[Eels]

Oops ... maybe Wales?!!?

If so, you need to check with your local education authority. It's a 5 year (6 in Cambridge) university course which will have tuition fees like any other course. You might be eligible to pay a reduced or no fee, depending on your income. There will also be a need to meet the cost of living over these years. The Student Loans Company will be able to advise you.

There aren't many Universities offering the course - Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cambridge, London, Nottingham and Liverpool are the only ones in the British Isles.

There's serious competition for places (a few years ago it was quoted by one University that 14 applications were received per available place), and students are expected to have extremely high grades (AAB minimum at A-Level), and very broad experience of working with animals. If she's serious about this, she's going to need to work very, very hard at school, and to spend her free time as much as possible gaining experience with a broad range of enterprises.

Spending time helping at kennels, stables, dairy and beef farms, helping on a sheep farm at lambing time, and visiting slaughterhouses and laboratories will stand her in good stead. She may wish to approach a local vet to arrange work experience (although her young age may make it difficult). That's definitely worth doing, because she needs to be sure it's the job for her. On the downside it's dirty, smelly, upsetting, and very challenging on a daily basis, the hours are long (social life is going to take a back seat) and the pay isn't as good as some might think. On the good side it's rewarding to the extreme.

[clair3934]

you forgot Bristol uni at langford they run the course, and yes it is very hard and very expensive around 13,000 a year I think but you can get a student loan like any other student, she may also want to think about vet nursing the money is not all that great but It is a very rewarding job

[Eels]

Oops, bit of an oversight there clair3934! Just shows how little TV I have time to watch, huh? <grin>

[Noweia]

Further to the previous very good replies:

The fees for a course are, per year, about �15-16,000 per year for postgraduates and up to around �3000 per year for undergraduates. Plus costs of living in student halls/rented accomodation/travel if you attend a school away from home!

[clair3934]

Eels, I didnt watch the series on tv I acutally work at langford as an animal career I do the cleaning out and feeding and watering work very rewarding work but not great pay!