If you are applying to vet school, work experience is one of the most important parts of your application, and for many applicants it is the hardest part to arrange. The various schools set different specific requirements, which we lay out school by school in our full work experience guide, but one thing is universal: a genuine variety of experience strengthens your application significantly. So how do you actually get it? It is not always easy, but here is what works.
How much work experience do you need?
As a rough guide, most UK vet schools look for somewhere between two and four weeks of experience in total, gained across a mix of settings, with five days usually counting as one week. A common shape is at least one to two weeks in veterinary practice, shadowing vets, plus a couple of weeks of hands on animal husbandry on farms, in kennels, catteries, stables or similar.
The exact requirement varies. Nottingham, for example, sets out a detailed breakdown including animal handling, customer facing and teamwork experience, while Cambridge recommends around two weeks and does not set a strict minimum. Bristol does not require veterinary work experience at all, instead asking about relevant experience in its Supplementary Assessment Questionnaire. Always check each school's current requirement on our UK vet schools hub before you plan your placements, because the numbers change between cycles.
Aim for variety, and reflect on it
What matters most is not the raw number of hours but the breadth of your experience and what you took from it. Try to see more than one species and more than one type of work, ideally including small animal practice and a farm or equine setting, and a glimpse of something different such as a laboratory, abattoir, zoo or rescue centre if you can. This variety shows you understand the profession beyond companion animals.
Keep a short diary as you go, noting what you saw and what you learned. This is invaluable later, both for your personal statement and for your interview, where reflection on your experience is exactly what admissions teams are testing.
Consider your contact method
Applying in person, or by letter, email or phone, are all valid approaches. Consider what would suit the placement. A farmer may be more likely to answer the phone, whereas a busy veterinary practice will usually prefer a short, polite email they can reply to when things quieten down. Whichever you choose, be clear about who you are, why you are getting in touch, and the dates you are hoping for.
Apply widely and early
Do not limit yourself to a handful of placements. Work experience can be competitive, so applying widely avoids wasting weeks waiting on responses that may never come. If more than one place offers you a date, simply ask the others whether you could visit at a different time. The further in advance you apply, the more likely you are to secure the placement, so start thinking about this a year or more before you apply.
Be organised and persistent
If you have not heard back, a polite follow up email or call often does the trick, as your original message may simply have been forgotten in a busy practice. Keep a simple list of where you have applied and when, so you can chase efficiently. When you do secure a placement, be punctual, helpful and engaged, ask thoughtful questions, and you will often be invited back, which is the easiest way to build the variety schools want.
Common questions
How much veterinary work experience do I need for vet school?+
Most UK vet schools look for around two to four weeks in total across a mix of settings, with five days counting as a week. The exact requirement varies by school, so always check each one's current admissions page. Bristol is the notable exception, requiring no work experience and instead asking about relevant experience in its SAQ.
What types of work experience count for vet school?+
Veterinary practice shadowing, farms, stables and equine yards, kennels and catteries, abattoirs, laboratories, zoos, wildlife parks and animal rescue centres all count. Variety across more than one species and setting is more valuable than lots of time in a single place.
When should I start arranging vet work experience?+
As early as you can, ideally a year or more before you apply. Placements are competitive and often booked well ahead, and starting early gives you time to build the variety vet schools look for and to reflect properly on what you see.
Do all vet schools require work experience?+
No. Most do, but Bristol does not require veterinary work experience and instead draws on relevant experience through its Supplementary Assessment Questionnaire. Several schools, including Liverpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow, ask you to record your experience on a specific form before or during the application, so check each school's requirements carefully.