Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon

If you love this profession as much as we do, look no further than Weeley Vet Centre, reigning Best Small and Best New UK Vet 2024. Our lovely team will support you to become the best vet you can be, and we will be your biggest cheerleaders every step of the way.

For me, being a vet was never just a job; it is and always will be my vocation. Two years ago, I opened Weeley Vet Centre to deliver exceptional, personalised care to every patient and client. Winning Gold at the Best Vet UK Awards in our opening year (we are the first practice to achieve this), along with Best New Start-Up, Top 25, Best in Essex and Best in England, is a testament to how much our clients trust and value us. Repeating this success in our second year was amazing and we are now reigning Best Small Vet UK 2024 and Best New Vet UK, and received an armful of trophies, including the very special Elite Award in recognition of our commitment to maintaining our exceptional standards.

I feel very lucky to have the most incredible team of people I've ever worked with, who have been with me since day one. They're not just colleagues; they're my friends and family, and I'm extremely proud of what we've accomplished together. Being independent is fundamental to this and absolutely will not change. I love listening to my team's ideas and suggestions and having the power to make changes efficiently when needed, and while we'll always strive to improve our services, I'm content with our current size and focus.

Our local community has been so supportive from the very start, and on our opening day, we already had 1000 registered clients! We closed our books at 15 weeks and have a waiting list for new clients who already trust our commitment to providing the best possible care. Our clients also appreciate the little touches that set us apart, including the birthday cards and presents we send to our VIP Club patients and how every pet gets their photo taken on their first visit. We have also built an excellent reputation for euthanasia, especially with our quiet room that has direct access to the car park, and the clients receive a rose when saying goodbye to their loved ones.

The practice is well-equipped and benefits from a great workflow. We worked hard to simplify admin processes before opening, such as pre-prepared dental estimate sheets for clients and adding the drug weight bands to our PMS, so there’s no need to look them up. We have maintained the family home aesthetic upstairs, as I wanted the team to have somewhere to relax. We even have a playroom for the team's children when they visit, which is well-used.

Our team

I graduated from the RVC in 2011, and although I have a certificate in small animal surgery and am a qualified veterinary acupuncturist, I love being a GP vet. Nadine first worked in research after graduating from Munich in 2012 and lived in Japan and Norway before settling in Essex in 2019. She is passionate about ultrasonography and has undertaken further training in this. Our incredible nursing team of 4 RVNs, 1 SVN and 1 VCA are dedicated to providing the best care, and we have the friendliest receptionists imaginable. I knew Verity was the perfect fit for Practice Manager the moment she said she wanted to take care of us so we could focus on caring for the animals. And that's exactly what she does. I’ve had many great moments starting this journey, but my favourite memory has to be sharing the magic of a caesarean with my daughter, something I’d always dreamed of. It was after school a few months after opening, and she watched me perform the surgery from Aunty Verity’s arms. It was also Verity’s first c-section, and I treasure the photos from that day.

What our team says about Weeley Vet Centre

“We have a lovely team who I really enjoy working with. For me, it is important that people help and support each other. Here, I have colleagues who come and help if I need help with surgery or listen to cases if I need advice, but also, the rest of the team is there to listen if you just have a bad day.” Nadine MRCVS

“It has been great to be part of Weeley Veterinary Centre’s first two years. Our clients have been so happy to welcome an independent practice into the community. The small team has enabled us to give the continuity of care they want, and the awards the practice has won reflect how much our clients value the work we do. I will miss the fantastic team, patients and clients at WVC. I will keep in touch and look forward to hearing how this award-winning team continues to flourish and grow.” Gemma MRCVS

“What makes our practice so awesome? It’s a tough one to answer as there are so many things... We have fabulous clients, gorgeous pets and the most amazing team, all wrapped up in a beautiful building. For me, the practice being in such a magnificent family home is the icing on the cake. Working in a lovely environment with great people is fantastic. I like being in the office above the prep room, where I can hear the team telling the animals how clever they are or laughing with each other. I can even hear April singing along to Christmas music, usually from October onwards or occasionally in June if the mood hits. So, what makes our practice awesome? Everything! Come and see us and find out.” Verity, Practice Manager

“Weeley Veterinary Centre has been my home for two years and I refer to it as that due to the family feel of the practice. Working with like-minded colleagues, whom I am lucky to now call friends, is so rewarding, and I am proud to be part of such a great team. We have such lovely clients and their pets who genuinely seemed pleased to visit. Building bonds with both owner and pet makes us the practice we are. We are a hardworking, professional team, but we will always have time to show empathy for our clients and their pets; we will treat them as if they were our own. We have had a magnificent first two years, which will continue due to our enthusiastic and passionate team.” Ness, Head RVN

“Having previously worked with April and discussed her plans to open her own practice, I was excited to see her achieve her goals and build Weeley Veterinary Centre. When she invited me to work at the practice as a regular locum, I gladly accepted and have continued to work alongside the excellent team she’s developed for the past two years. She has managed to create what so many practices lack these days: a small family feel and a supportive team that provides a high level of care to their patients. Despite not being a full-time member of staff, April is very thoughtful and makes sure to always include me still in practice outings and team-building activities. It is only my lack of childcare that prevents me from joining WVC as a permanent member of staff but I hope to continue to locum to the practice for many years to come!” Meg, Locum RVN

"Weeley Vets has a wonderful team of dedicated and caring professionals that go above and beyond for their patients. Always a friendly atmosphere; it makes coming to locum and help out a pleasure." Laura, Locum RVN

The role

Our wonderful vet, Gemma, is moving closer to home, so we are looking for a full-time vet to join us.   Ideally, you will have some experience and be comfortable with routine surgeries and consultations. The rota is a 4-day week with a fixed Tuesday off and just 1:3 Saturday mornings (9-1). You will have an early 4.30 pm finish on Fridays, and two 6.30 pm and one 7 pm finish, and we all share the operating and consulting duties. We regularly discuss cases and always have each other's back, so if you’re less experienced or there’s a surgery you’re not confident with, we will fully support you.  

Our out-of-hours are outsourced to Vets Now, who take the phones from 6.30 pm, so there are no nights, Sundays or bank holidays. We can keep stable patients in practice overnight when needed, and our RVNs handle any inpatient checks with me available as backup.

Outside of work

We love spending time together outside of work and always have something fun planned, whether it's enjoying a team lunch, trying something new like Go Ape or Bingo, or outings like theatre trips (we recently saw An Officer and a Gentleman). We're always open to new ideas, like Nadine's fantastic suggestion for a friends and family BBQ, which was such a hit that we're planning to do it again next summer.

Weeley is surrounded by beautiful countryside, just a short drive from Colchester and Clacton-on-Sea, where you can enjoy coastal walks and water sports like paddleboarding. Plus, London is just a quick 90-minute train ride away.

We offer:

• A salary of £40,000 to £70,000, with regular pay reviews
• 6.6 weeks holiday, including bank holidays
• Accommodation is available in a lovely 2-bed seaside flat in Clacton-on-Sea
• CPD encouraged with no set budget, certificates supported and funded
• Visa sponsorship
• Professional fees paid for RCVS and VDS
• Health shield, including 24/7 GP access
• Generous discount on veterinary fees

Ready to be part of our supportive, friendly team? Apply now or call us for an informal chat.