8 Tips On Accommodation For Veterinary Locums And Locum Vet Nurses

Advice on accommodation for veterinary locums is not easy to find online. Yes, there are plenty jobs to be found, some of them also offering accommodation, but even if it is offered there are still some potential issues that could be raised. If accommodation is not mentioned, what then?

Here are eight tips on veterinary locum accommodation and what questions you should be asking prior to accepting a locum vet position, whether you are a veterinary surgeon or a veterinary nurse.

1. Check out the veterinary locum job being offered, particularly with regard to any accommodation. If no accommodation is mentioned, and the work being offered attracts you, then contact the practice or the agency involved and ask about it. Is locum vet accommodation available, and so is it also available to veterinary locum nurses if you are a nurse?

2. If possible you should negotiate your accommodation prior to accepting the job. Many practices have locum accommodation available that they may offer if you request it. Make sure that it is fully furnished, because as a veterinary locum you cannot be expected to travel around with your furniture!

3. Suitable accommodation for veterinary locums should be well maintained and have at least a single bedroom. The furniture should be serviceable and clean, and the accommodation itself should have been cleaned before you move in.

4. If you have a pet, or are travelling with a partner and/or children, make sure in advance that the accommodation is suitable, and that pets or children are permitted. Sometimes they are not and you will either have to make separate arrangements or turn down the position.

5. What rental do you have to pay? Some practices may offer veterinary locum accommodation free of charge as part of the job, although most will charge a standard rate. Make sure you understand what the rental charge covers. Does it include power consumption, are crockery and cutlery included, how about the bedding and how is the kitchen fitted: does it have a washer/dryer for example? This is of particular importance if you are responsible for cleaning your own work clothes, tunics and scrubs.

6. Are consumables provided, even if only for the initial period of your occupancy? The majority of accommodation for veterinary locums will provide, initially at least, such consumables as toilet paper, cleaning fluids, soap and also coffee and tea. You will likely be expected to maintain these supplies yourself. In fact, the locum accommodation offered by many veterinary practices will be as the previous veterinary locum left it other than for it being cleaned along with the bedding and kitchenware.

7. Make sure you understand how the power works: coin slot, prepayment card or included in the rent. You should also be provided with written details of garbage collection and any recycling requirements, location of fuses or circuit breakers, emergency telephone numbers, alarm codes and instructions and so on.

8. Keep in mind that you have a responsibility to the practice for the cleanliness and state in which you leave the accommodation at the end of your contract. You should report any breakages or other damage: do not try to repair these yourself because the practice may have its own arrangements. Make sure to leave it clean and tidy for the next veterinary locum when you leave.

It will also help if you ask the veterinary practice or agency for directions to the accommodation and where and when you can collect the keys. It is important for your own peace of mind that you have most of the above details attended to and questions answered before you accept the veterinary locum position being offered.

Accommodation should be a very important factor in whether or not you accept a locum vet job offer, although if you are able to arrange your own accommodation that should not prevent you from accepting a job that interests you. You can generally come to some arrangement with the practice if the veterinary locum accommodation is substandard or inconveniently located.

Accommodation is not the only issue you may have to resolve, either before accepting a veterinary locum position or before arriving for your first day of work. There are others such as transport, and if you are expected to travel in connection with the job, such as with a rural practice, then you would expect to be either provided with a car or offered a good travel or mileage allowance.

Working hours and the need to work overtime are others, and you should negotiate good overtime pay if you are expected to work weekends. However, these are other issues, and for now, if you attend to the eight items above regarding accommodation for veterinary locums you should have a comfortable stay during your new temporary job.