AIBU to consider teaching after becoming disillusioned with veterinary work?

I've watched all three independent vets in my area change massively over 40 years. It used to be like going to see Peter on the Yorkshire Vet programme - until the big corporates became involved and took over/became greedy. I know at one of my local practices that they charge unnecessarily (receptionist confided in me) for say, Apoquel check ups - the drug itself it extortionate; 2 of my dogs are on it for life, which I accept as it's the only thing that works and they're insured, but I have to pay a percentage and the full cost up front. They used to only be required a check up twice a year. Now it's every time they need the prescription, so 4 times a year. Thats about £85 x 2 then the meds are on top. Apoquel alone is £400ish every 12 weeks for one and £110 for the smaller dog. (Atopic dermatitis) and ai have two dogs with this lifelong condition. A pet has become a luxury item these days and it breaks my heart for those being given up because of the costs. I don't blame the vets - it's the corporates. There are a few mobile vets appearing in my area now - and also vet nurses- could that be a possibility? Please don't give up your profession - you have so much to offer but maybe in a different setting.. Good luck whatever you decide.

Its the big chains, its getting to the point people are having to give up their animals and insurance is useless

Sadly I don't think the parents of your human 'babies' are going to be any less expecting and ungracious than your current furry ones. Teaching is a very thankless task.

I honestly don't know why people complain about vets (and dentists) "ripping us off". Do they not understand that these are highly qualified people who studied for 5+ years? It seems the NHS has made some people very spoilt. The same people will think nothing of spending £100+ on a trip to the hairdresser.

Noooo 😭 this is the profession my Y12 daughter dreams of getting into and is now desperately searching for vet practices that take work experience students (which is proving hard!)

I cannot speak for all PGCEs but my PGCE did not teach me my subject. It was purely about education i.e. learning styles etc.

I'd recommend teaching at a vet college rather than a school, however, be prepared as teaching salaries for FE are very low.

I meant check as in check the.misinformation out there causing some of the resentment.
If someone could give vets a platform people may understand the issues and they can correct misinformation. A vet tried today on radio 4 and the host kept talking over her.
Someone quoted this google thing and a lot of people now ask google and take it as a given. Also big chains need to be transparent

Telling someone to check Google regarding salaries in the profession they’ve been in for 20 years is a tad patronising.

I’ve never seen a vet job advertised for £150k, ever, and I work in London. The absolute max would be probably £100k and that would be only for vets who do something really specialist like spinal surgery (bringing in a large amount of income) and take significant management responsibility (I always suspect a proportion of these high salaries is actually performance related / profit share). Average for a normal GP vet of 10+ years qualified is probably about 60k, maybe a bit more if you have a postgrad qualification or if you’re a ‘clinical director/head vet’.

Ah ok

Google tells you the higher end of the market. I work in a profession that says i should be on £200k a year but the reality is most in the industry is on about £30-£50k.

I’ve had similar thoughts - I still actually really love being a vet but increasingly my favourite bits are teaching the other vets and nurses; plus the prospect of not having to juggle childcare over the school holidays is pretty appealing!

Ultimately what swung it for me was I really like having autonomy at work, and problem solving, and I’m not sure teaching these days would give much of either - you are constantly judged /pressured from above (SLT, academy trust, government, parents) and ultimately so little is in your control.

Have you considered something like working for the RCVS or VDS? Bit of a change of direction but still using your experience, and less public facing.

Well thats the first misinformation out there then
Check it out on google

I'm going against the grain here and I think teaching might be worth exploring (although other posters are right in that your frustrations with public perception of your job won't be any different in teaching!)

I think the resilience, work ethic and people skills needed to be a vet, from what I have observed over many years of having animals, probably would stand you in good stead for teaching. It might be worth looking into training for chemistry because the shortage seems more acute there now than even in physics, and I imagine you've got a decent chemistry subject knowledge and qualification to get into vetmed.

I've been teaching science for 20 years and I still enjoy it. Teenagers are (mostly) great!

What, clients who know their dog, and want better care not unnecessary treatment? Right.

Well it’s attitudes like this that make people mistrustful.

I work in a vets and it's clients like you that make people like the op want to leave the profession.

Surely, like all university lecturing jobs, you’d need to be at least studying for a PhD, or the vet equivalent. Most students would not be impressed if their lecturer only had a BSc or BA. You’d not get past the first sift.

could you get teaching post in a uni at the vet college ?

The obvious answer would be to lecture in Vet Med at a uni? I’m sure you would walk straight into a job like that with your experience

I would far rather do that than teach in a
school!

Maybe we should stick to non big chain vets in the hope they are more reasonable.
Can any vets willing to answer if a senior vet really does get 150k roughly

Everyone thinks they can do better than teachers and they come in for some serious hate online and from parents.

it won’t be an improvement in that respect

Go for it! The PGCE is a wonderful qualification. Supportive tutors, varied placements, interesting assignments, interesting peers and colleagues (of course not all!!), digging deep and learning a great set of skills (it sounds like you already have), nice kids, and if you don't like it you can return to vet

It sounds like you’re planning on teaching in schools? In which case it sounds like you may be underestimating the job which is so much more than the time stood in front of the class trying to teach.

If you don’t like the media and general public criticising your profession, kindly, teaching is not for you!