Website Cockburn Vets
Vet Job Vacancy at Cockburn Vets in Coalville
Join a practice where your voice will be heard and your opinion valued, with lovely clients who voted us Best UK Vets 2021, 2022, and a special Elite Club award in 2023, 2024 and 2025!!!
We’re looking for an additional vet to join our team at Cockburn Vets. We’re an independent, 9-vet, family-run, RCVS-accredited small animal practice in the heart of the National Forest. So, if you want to join a practice where your voice will be heard and your opinion valued, please read on.
We can support new graduates, and three of our team have the RCVS VetGDP advisor qualification. Our most recent new graduate, Alex, is off to a flying start under their mentorship. We are also part of Vet Dynamics and Vetsure’s Graduate Friendly Scheme. For more experienced vets, we are happy to support someone looking to start a certificate in their area of interest.
Our team are amazing – and we are really proud of them. We support and play to each other’s strengths, allowing us to deliver the best possible care to our patients and their owners. We believe this incredible teamwork led us to win The Elite Club Award at the 2023, 2024 and 2025 Best UK Vet Awards. The Elite Award is for practices that have won the Gold Best UK Vet Award multiple times (we were Best UK Vets in both 2021 and 2022), and we were the first recipients of this special award.
Work-life balance is essential to us, and the whole team collaborated to design our full-time rota. Team members can either work a 5-day week with a mix of early finishes and late starts, or a 4-day week with a fixed day off each week. Time during the working day is allocated for phone calls to ensure everyone finishes on time, and we introduced a rule to support this – no calls to be made to clients after 7pm.
Vets work 2 consecutive Saturday mornings in 6 weeks, followed by 4 completely free weekends. Saturday mornings finish at 1.30pm (last appointment at 12.30pm), with phones transferring at 1pm. There are no Sunday or bank holiday surgeries, and out-of-hours are covered by a local OOH provider. We are flexible and happy to consider both full-time and part-time applicants.
This is how Kostas, one of our vets, described his time working as part of our team:
“For me, working at Cockburn Vets could (even) be described as a #vetlife-changing experience!
If you are looking for a place to mould you as a Vet, strengthen your fundamentals and take you
a step (or two) further, work with a (really!) wide variety of cases in a supportive and friendly,
almost home-like environment… well then Cockburn is definitely the right place for you!
In my six years of working at Cockburn Vets, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the
experience made me a better, stronger and more equipped veterinary professional.”
Kostas
Veterinary Surgeon
Kostas completed his orthopaedics certificate while with us and now owns and runs an orthopaedic practice in Greece.
Kian has also loved his time here; this is what he had to say about working with Diane and the team:
“I joined Cockburn Vets as a second chance to my clinical career, being on the brink of giving it up
for the foreseeable future. The opportunities to re-learn and develop my clinical skills have been
endless, and the team are incredibly supportive.
Working alongside you, discussing veterinary leadership in our one-to-ones and becoming a
VetGDP advisor opened my eyes to the non-clinical aspects of the profession.
If I can even emulate a small part of your leadership style – with its drive for progress, fairness
and high standards – I hope to make a positive impact on others in the same way you have done
for me.”
Kian
Veterinary Surgeon
Professional development & facilities
We believe personal and professional development are crucial and build CPD time into our rota. We hold regular vet meetings and clinical clubs to discuss cases and share knowledge from external CPD. Our team regularly attend BSAVA, BVA Live, London Vet Show, and other CPD of their choice. Certificates are encouraged and supported.
We are a Gold Standard Cat Friendly and Dog Friendly clinic, as well as a Veterinary Nurse Training Practice. Our experienced team treats most cases in-house, including innovative procedures such as laparoscopic spays.
Facilities include:
- Blood pressure monitors in every consultation room
- In-house laboratory (blood and urine analysers)
- Ultrasound with Doppler, linear and cardiac probes
- Rhino-, broncho- and gastroscopes
- Dedicated dental theatre with dental generator
We also have excellent relationships with local referral centres. We are launching a new chronic pain clinic, alongside our established in-house acupuncture service.
We operate a continuous improvement (CI) board where all team members can suggest ideas (no idea is too small). Vets have a budget to purchase equipment they feel will enhance clinical services. Our team includes:
- Nyika – Master’s in Clinical Animal Behaviour
- Mihaela – working towards a Medicine Certificate
- Diane – Advanced Practitioner, Diploma in Veterinary Professional Services, and Certificate in Veterinary Business Management
Sustainability & location
Sustainability matters to us. We are reducing our environmental impact through initiatives such as using Tuffies mattresses to reduce washing and working towards Investors in the Environment accreditation.
We are based in a rural location in the heart of the National Forest, close to the Peak District, with Birmingham, Nottingham, Leicester and Derby nearby. London is just 90 minutes by train, with East Midlands and Birmingham airports close by. A brand-new leisure centre has also recently opened near the practice.
The package includes
- Salary from £35,000 (new graduate) up to £70,000, depending on experience and qualifications
- Pay review after six months
- Certificates encouraged and funded
- Weekly in-house CPD (equivalent to 12 hours CPD)
- 5 weeks holiday, with buy-back option up to 7 weeks
- Visa sponsorship available
- Company sick pay
- Workplace pension
- VDS fees covered
- Generous staff pet discount
Brilliant colleagues, lots of support, flexibility, and beautiful countryside.
Please don’t hesitate to call for an informal chat with any of our vet team, or apply now.
How to apply
Apply in writing to Cockburn@vetscoalville.co.uk; or contact us by phone on 01530 836654 for an initial discovery chat.