Working Abroad - Mistakes to Avoid

If you are one of those vets who is thinking about working abroad, you will be sure to find several obstacles. One country that just  got more complicated because of Brexit is the UK, but this may still a viable option as they desperately need vets. This is still not easy... After speaking to dozens of vets that struggled to make their move into a success and many others that eventually overcame that challenge at a cost for their own well-being, I can pinpoint some common mistakes that vets make as they are trying to look for jobs to move to the UK. Pay attention to them so you can learn from them instead of repeating them!

Using only recruitment agencies for finding jobs when you plan on working abroad

It’s very common to speak to vets who are getting very frustrated with their job search. They have spoken to several recruitment agencies, sent them the CVs, told them exactly what they’re looking for and they’re waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

Here’s the thing, in countries where recruitment agencies exist, you are usually a low-value candidate for them. You live abroad, you may not even be registered to work in that country, you have little to no experience of how the profession works there… unless you have some practical experience that you managed to highlight pretty darn well on your CV, you’ll be at the bottom of the list agencies send to clinics with candidates for jobs.

You also have to pay attention to the fact that you are not the client of a recruitment agency. The clinic is. You are not paying them, the clinic is. The clinic is going to pay the recruitment agency if they send them your CV and you get hired.

This is another reason why using only recruitment agencies can be limiting for your career: if you do get some offers, you will likely get a much worse offer than if you do not use a recruitment agency. That’s because some clinics will cut down on your salary to pay the recruitment fees (yes – they are that high).

There is nothing wrong with using recruitment agencies, especially if you use reputable ones (contact us and we can put you in touch with one of those!), but if you only use recruitment agencies, you will likely become very frustrated with the lack of success.

Doing job applications the wrong way

If you are looking for working abroad, the rules of the game are different... And actually, most vets do start by applying for jobs themselves. They search for them, they send in applications, they hear crickets and stare at their inboxes that have absolutely zero replies, and then they decide to use recruitment agencies because they’re not being particularly successful.

But there are very particular reasons for your lack of success with this!

1. You’re applying for the wrong jobs

2. Your CV and cover letter are not good enough to convince clinics to give you a chance

The latter is usually the case. No one teaches you how to do a CV and you likely pay very little attention to your cover letter. Yes, most people have a CV, but after having proofread dozens of CVs, I can tell you that I can count by the fingers of one hand the amount of times I didn’t suggest major CV improvements. Most vets have no idea how to create a proper job application, even when you try to google it (the veterinary world is a specific world and much of the advice out there is specific to some markets, so it doesn't always work when you are considering working abroad in different countries. ).

There is no reason for you to leave your career in the hands of others. Learn how to do a good job application.

Looking only for new graduate programs or internships

With the institution of new graduate programs and internships by larger veterinary groups, many young vets that consider working abroad think they can only get these jobs. Many vets interested in working abroad have no experience working in the country they want to move  to and also have limited experience in their own country. And of course, they really want a supportive job and know that there are these “new graduate programmes”, which are jobs where you have a training programme. So maybe they start to look at these and forget about everything else.

However, new graduate programmes and internships are offered mostly by corporate practices and large groups (and some rare independents) and they are proper working contracts with a lot of small print on them, which most vets are completely unaware of. For instance, most new graduate programmes make you stay in the job for two years. What happens if you want to leave earlier (say, you get an internship at the university)? You have to pay to leave the new graduate programme. This is just an example of the small print that you may find, and every new graduate programme is different.

However, there are many other small clinics looking for vets that don’t have a formal new graduate programme and will still be able to offer you support. Sadly, many clinics are understaffed and don’t have this ability. Even the new graduate programmes are full of graduates that left well before they were due because they didn’t get what was promised. 

Don't think that just because you are inexperienced, the new graduate program and the internship are the only jobs you can get. If you know how to value yourself, you can aim for much higher.

Not knowing the language

Well, this is very obvious, but you'd be surprised... First of all, you must have a very good level of English if you want to work anywhere in the world, particularly in Europe, and you don't speak the language.

However, you will also find that even in countries where English is widely spoken and known by the general community, most people don't want to go to the vets to speak English. Some countries have populations that are reluctant to speak English, even when they know (for instance, Spain and France). Even in The Netherlands or Sweden, where most people speak really good English, you have minimum language requirements to be able to work. 

Investing in learning the language is, without doubt, one of the most worthy investments for anyone considering working abroad. You may also be lucky enough to find some countries where a relocation package already offers you the ability to learn the language and integrate in the profession and culture. If you are interested in knowing more about this, just say something in the comments below.

Trying to do the move without appropriate help

Working abroad means moving abroad. When I was running UK VetMove, I had a lot of vets telling me two things: “I wish I had known about UK VetMove when I was moving” and “The difficult part wasn’t so much finding the job, it was everything else”. The truth is, when you persist, when you have skills, when you get good with job applications, you will eventually find a job. Maybe not a good job, maybe not what you want, but good enough to make you accept it and move abroad. That’s when it starts… you’re worrying about the new job, but now you also have to worry about the house, getting internet, saving enough money, get a car, insurance, tax ID, bank accounts, and even where is the isle of the grocery store where you can find the milk you like. 

Doing the move to a new country with some friends cheering you on and your family calling you to ask if you’re already found a place can result in some very stressful situations during those rough few weeks. You don’t need to waste time and money trying to figure it out by trial and error, make sure you have someone that can give you appropriate advice so you can find a house quickly and settle in, or that your clinic is helping you with these. Most international employers are now aware that they need to search for vets abroad and will prepare relocation packages with support for you. If you want to know more about them, let us know in the comments below.

Trying to cope with the new job without any support (or simply not having that promised support…)

This is a massive mistake and the number one reason for vets to leave their newly found job in the first year, often in the first 6 months if they are not tied by a visa (and when they are, this is extremely frustrating and can lead to severe mental issues). Think about it, you will already get nervous in your first job anyway, but if you’re doing it in a new language, new country, completely alone, you will feel clueless. You will make mistakes and you will feel bad about them. You will try to cope with this, but you will soon realise your practice may not be very helpful – a lot of times, practices don’t know how to deal with cultural differences and help overseas vets with their adaptation. In many, the management system will provide you little clues as to what you’re doing wrong and how to improve. This quickly starts a cycle where you feel unheard and unsupported, more and more frustrated with your job. I have spoken to many vets who have said that they felt not only that they were not learning anything on their first job, but that they were actually becoming more and more insecure about their skills and knowledge.

While many companies are changing and becoming aware of this, the work is still individual within the clinic. You need support from the people there, not from a meaningless support program. You need someone to talk to and guide you, ideally outside of the clinic so they can give you external, unbiased advice. Again, some companies already have someone like this, but the vast majority doesn't. 

Now that you are familiar with these six mistakes that vets interested in working abroad make, you know how to avoid them. If you’ve already done the move, comment below which of these you’ve made!