Locum agents/agencies.

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Jonathan Kirby — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 21:06:14 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]

Perhaps next time I have a holiday all the money will go to the locum and not to an agency as is happening this time!

[/quote]

That sounds like a great idea, Bob. I was horrified when I learned how much some agencies charge for 'providing' a locum. I had a bit of a heated exchange with one agency who thought that me wanting £220 per day (for a full day of hard graft) was a bit steep only to learn how much they charge the practice extra per day... for simply holding my name on their database and occasionally e-mailing me a list of available jobs! Viva Vetsurgeon.org!

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Bob Russell — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 12:51:51 GMT

I have had several locums contacting me through VetSurgeon so it does work!

Perhaps next time I have a holiday all the money will go to the locum and not to an agency as is happening this time!

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

salome2001 — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 22:17:00 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]

By far the best locum I've ever had is my current regular one-locally based mother whodoesn't want to work full time She wrote around when she started locuming

Wynne

[/quote]

Why Hannah, you employ my doppelganger :)

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

gorbi — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 08:08:44 GMT

Dear Clive,

I acame across your post and looked at your web page. I am currently working as a small animal vet in hong kong but might be moving to europe soon. I am thinking of working as a locum which gives one more flexibility . Also it will hopefully allow me more time with my partner. I do hope you can answer my question of how to set one selves up in the uk and not to pay a lot of taxes, etc. do you have a company set up? how do you keep track with expenses? what insurances do you use?

I would very much appreciate your help or guidance.

regards

claudia

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

gorbi — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 07:41:42 GMT

Hi Russell

I came across your posting while looking for more information about locum work in the Uk, I am currently working as a small animal vet in Hong Kong. I graduted 6 years ago from University of Pretoria, and am holding a german passport. My partner is about to be posted to Paris in the middle of this year . I would be looking from october 2011 onwards, for regular locum work in a small animal practise, while my partner will be travelling half of the month, being a pilot.

In case you want my CV, I would be delighted to send it to you. My email is vet2pet@yahoo.com

many regards

claudia

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Arlo Guthrie — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:13:04 GMT

[quote user="Ana Marques"]I think only the person who created the profile should be allowed to make changes...[/quote]

Only the person that created the Locum Register entry is allowed to change the entry. Technically anyone can change it, but we can see if they do, and will revert to the creator's version.

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Arlo Guthrie — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:09:50 GMT

[quote user="Martin Jones"] Bl**dy agencies on the phone this morning, canvassing. Have now updated to ask them to desist. Is it just me, or are they missing the point somewhat?[/quote]

Can you let me know via private message which agencies contacted you. I will have a word.

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Bob Russell — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:01:19 GMT

You will be lucky if you can get them to desist1 We have been contacted by one agency in particular to the point of it bordering on harassment but they have finally got the message.

One aside but if a locum is registered through an agency but is employed through VetSurgeon I bet the agency will still want a fee! Is this covered in the agency contract?

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Ana Marques — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 11:35:30 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]

The history tab shows previous edits of the page - which isn't that important for this application, but could be useful if someone tried to change someone else's listing (we'd know who did it, and what they changed!)

[/quote]

I think only the person who created the profile should be allowed to make changes...

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Martin Jones — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 11:08:47 GMT

Added my details yesterday, and guess what?

Bl**dy agencies on the phone this morning, canvassing. Have now updated to ask them to desist. Is it just me, or are they missing the point somewhat?

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Arlo Guthrie — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 09:43:04 GMT

[quote user="Ana Marques"]Not sure of the "history" relevance though...[/quote]

[quote user="Ana Marques"] Thank you Arlo, for creating this great service![/quote]

The pleasure is all mine!

[quote user="Tim Mainland"] Arlo.....the register seems to be working! Excellent! [/quote]

Yes it does - in a small way. About a dozen locums registered so far. I'd like to see a lot more (I don'ty know how many locums there are in the country!). As I said in my email, the more you use it and spread the word, the more effective it will become.

[quote user="Anthony Todd"] How do you get the red stripe on only half of the text; just never seen it before?[/quote]

Nor had I, now you mention it. I selected the text, and then pressed the button above the text entry box which has a couple of letters and what looks like a marker pen. If you don't see that button, you may need to visit your profile > Display Options tab > Content Editor = Select Enhanced.

It seems to display the stripe on half the text in some browsers, but not others. I think the half text is accidental!

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Anthony Todd — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 13:50:08 GMT

How do you get the red stripe on only half of the text; just never seen it before?

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Arlo Guthrie — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 06:54:16 GMT

[quote user="Anthony Todd"]

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"] SCREAMINGLY OBVIOUS[/quote]

bloody technoshowoff, from one who can't get rid of the big page......

[/quote]Uh? I don't understand.

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Anthony Todd — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 06:51:21 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]I have had feedback from others who have had a good response to ads placed on VetSurgeon. [/quote]

The VR is colonial vets' only reference source, or it used to be; vetsurgeon.org needs an ad in the VR.

With straight informational ads size doesn't matter! and they don't need to be that often, vets have memories, if short at times.

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Anthony Todd — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 06:46:26 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"] SCREAMINGLY OBVIOUS[/quote]

bloody technoshowoff, from one who can't get rid of the big page......

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Tim Mainland — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 10:09:17 GMT

Arlo.....the register seems to be working! Excellent!

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Ana Marques — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 15:51:37 GMT

I have also registered!

Found it really easy, no problems whatsoever. Not sure of the "history" relevance though...

Thank you Arlo, for creating this great service!

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:53:49 GMT

Talking of facebook, look what I found yesterday!

I genuinely have no idea who set this page up, but it put a smile on my face ...

http://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/Veterinary-locums-without-the-agency-fees/169036936454201

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Bob Russell — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 09:27:02 GMT

The real pleasure about VetSurgeon is that it is not overtly commercial. Everything about it is informal and relaxed (even with heated arguments!) and clearly many of us treat it as a sort of 'Facebook' for vets as well as a 'HELP' source.

I would have thought targeting students would be ideal as it can give them a vets eye view of the profession (even though more than a few of us have a somewhat jaundiced view!).

I agree that the locums page is likely to be clearer if it is only a register of locums by region. We already have a jobs section.

How good would it be to remove the locum agencies from the equation?

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Arlo Guthrie — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 08:34:06 GMT

[quote user="Tim Mainland"] I'm presuming that practice owners can put their locum requirements under the relevant geographic areas too?[/quote]

No! It's a register of locums, not a register of employers / jobs.

Practice owners should advertise jobs, permanent or locum, in the main job listings. So I'm deleting your ad for Churchview Vets. You can put it in the main job listings if it's not already there.

[quote user="Tim Mainland"] Our recent advertising (for a part time vet) has brought a very small number of responses. We've had an ad on here, and a parallel one in the Vet Rec. So far, sadly all applicants have responded to the Vet Rec ad.[/quote]

I have had feedback from others who have had a good response to ads placed on VetSurgeon. But it doesn't altogether surprise me that in some cases, advertisers may still get a better response somewhere like the Vet Record. You have to remember that they have been around a lot longer than we have! Still, as membership and use of this site grows (as it continues to do, I'm delighted to say), so I would expect the performance of our job section to improve. Meantime, nothing to lose because it is and will remain a free resource.

No, I don't advertise in the Vet Record. I'm not planning to in the immediate future (other uses for available budget). However, I have been thinking about Google advertising our job section.

Yes - absolutely agree, regarding final year students. I did start talking to unis some time ago, and funnily enough I had something from Nottingham the other day, and was just thinking how I need to push on with the Notts section on VetSurgeon. Hadn't heard of a 'lunch 'n learn - like the sound of it!

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Tim Mainland — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 23:32:21 GMT

Arlo,

Our recent advertising (for a part time vet) has brought a very small number of responses. We've had an ad on here, and a parallel one in the Vet Rec. So far, sadly all applicants have responded to the Vet Rec ad.

A couple of suggestions-

1. Do you advertise vetsurgeon.org in the Vet Rec, as the agencies do? Sorry, I'm just too lazy to go and look!

2. As the Grand Master of Marketing and Promotion, how about a campaign to promote vetsurgeon.org in general, and more specifically its jobs areas, to the final years at the Uni's? They seem to like any "real world" input. We ourselves can sometimes manage to get an ad onto the notice board in Leahurst, but something grander may well be more appropriate and productive for this purpose. ?A lunch 'n' learn that went on for most of the day, so students could pop in when free on their rotations?

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Tim Mainland — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 23:07:36 GMT

Arlo,

I'm presuming that practice owners can put their locum requirements under the relevant geographic areas too?

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Arlo Guthrie — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:48:05 GMT

[quote user="Mark Holmes"]I may be stupid but my only critisism is that it is not easy to find from the home page. [/quote]

No you're not stupid - it is currently deliberately difficult to find. I wanted just those discussing it in the forum to look at it for the moment, and give me feedback.

I will be making it SCREAMINGLY OBVIOUS in due course!

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Mark Holmes — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:33:50 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]

Yes, I will be doing that Tim. Just wanted to get a few initial names on there first, and see how easy people find it, both to post their details, and to search for a locum.

Do you think it is reasonably intuitive when looking for a locum - i.e. I've broken it down by broad area, then county, and asked locums to register according to where they are based (with the thinking that an employer will probably want to look for someone local first, and then broaden the search).

[/quote]

I may be stupid but my only critisism is that it is not easy to find from the home page. I looked under jobs but struggled to find the locum register there either. Found it under Wikis which might be obvious for some but means nothing to me and considering your average practice owner is computer illiterate might not be intuitive to them either. (They really are - some have only just progressed beyond putting tipex on the monitor)

Re: Locum agents/agencies.

Bob Russell — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:13:45 GMT

Surely there must be some Hampshire based locums!!! This will be a great resource for practices!