Working horse owners, tell me what you do

star

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no, i have slightly more than just a student loan in terms of debt and no savings. am not in any way saying veterinary is the only poorly paid/long hours graduate job, just that it wouldn't be a good idea to go into it thinking you would make a lot of money out of it especially not with tuition fees being what they are these days and it being a 5yr course with no chance to work in the holidays because you have to spend the entire time seeing practice.
 

SpottedCat

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As I said earlier, I don't think the graduate job which lets you make loads of money and have time to play ponies in the first 10 years exists! It is a myth, everyone who is a graduate works ridiculous hours, doing all the carp that the people above them do not want to do, and some get paid well but live at their job, some get paid badly and can probably just about keep a horse, and then after about 10 years you can suddenly negotiate a bit more/know enough to set up on your own/find yourself eligible for better jobs!
 

stencilface

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really? do people on here realise the average new grad salary for a vet is only around 25k and you have to fight seriously hard for any kind of payrise in the current economic climate. you can still be on 25k several yrs in,

Grad salary in environmental jobs can be about 14k, where it will pretty much stay for a good while. I managed to hop that by working abroad for 16months (but obviously no chance of seeing my horse then!).

I am a little surprised that vets don't get paid more than that though, whilst I moan, my job is probably not as stressful as that, as much as clients can be a pita, I don't have to deal with people and their beloved poorly pets, which is likely much harder :) (not least for the poor vets dealing with me and my horse atm)
 

SpottedCat

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Grad salary in environmental jobs can be about 14k, where it will pretty much stay for a good while. I managed to hop that by working abroad for 16months (but obviously no chance of seeing my horse then!).

I am a little surprised that vets don't get paid more than that though, whilst I moan, my job is probably not as stressful as that, as much as clients can be a pita, I don't have to deal with people and their beloved poorly pets, which is likely much harder :)

I agree! Though from what I know of my friends who are vets, their first jobs were about that level but included car/accommodation etc so the actual value was quite a bit higher.

I did once get a CV across my desk when we were recruiting from a graduate who had put expected salary £26K (which was what was being quoted in the papers at the time as the average graduate salary). When I'd finished laughing (that was several K more than I was earning at the time), I dropped it in the 'can't work with morons, BIN' pile.
 

star

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then after about 10 years you can suddenly negotiate a bit more/know enough to set up on your own/find yourself eligible for better jobs!

that's the bit that doesn't really happen in veterinary. there isn't really any career progression. as Gamebird was saying she's 12yrs in and still in the same position. I have friends 20yrs qualified and on the same wage as I am. Am currently trying hard to gain extra qualifications to make myself more employable and worth more money but the number of hours in the day keeps getting in the way! I guess it's probably a common misconception that if you do a degree you'll get a nice well-paid job - sadly these days you'll be lucky to get any job at all!
 

sare_bear

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really? do people on here realise the average new grad salary for a vet is only around 25k and you have to fight seriously hard for any kind of payrise in the current economic climate.

25k? that must be small animal. I know several vets in equine starting out under 20k! And not to mention doing a residency at a uni 3 years post qualification will barely be more. I had many clients thinking that we must be rolling in money and well paid for our troubles! :rolleyes:

OP, I think if you are in no doubt about being a vet, then I would work hard, see vet practice and try and get into vet school. However, if there is any uncertainty then I would say it is not the job for you. There are so many better paid jobs out there without the stress and crazy hours of vets. My sister, did not go to uni, but started out as a PA and has worked her way up through the company. She is 7 years younger than me and earns a better salary!:eek:
 

Tempi

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Im a bookkeeper and have been doing this for 10 years now. I have a small freelance client base that i am building on and i hope to be in the position to go totally freelance next year. My pay in my current job is appauling, however times are hard and a job is a job at the moment. Unfortunately jobs just aren't coming up in the sector i am after at the moment. I was made redudant from my last job where i was on nearly 10k more a year than i am on now.

I am also a dressage trainer in my spare time and school horses (especially problem horses) for people aswell. I have a mare and foal and a 3yr old (that i bred myself). My mare and foal are at a stud and my 3yr old is on grass livery. My mare is due to come back into work at weaning and she will go out on loan as i cant afford to keep her myself but she is not worth anything to sell (and i wouldnt sell her anyway).
 

mcrobbiena

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Do you think you can't be a vet, or has someone told you that you won't get the grades? I was told the very same at school, and instead of fighting back and proving them wrong by going on to follow what I wanted, I caved and ended up doing Zoology at uni (you'll find many 'failed' vets do zoology :rolleyes: ).


Stencil face, my brother did zooligy as he didnt get the grades for vetinary but having got a 2-1 in zooligy he is now doing vetinary! he only has to do 4 years. but it is blooming expensive. he makes a bit of cash backing and breaking horses (which pays really well up in scotland as noone seems to want to do it)
 

squiz22

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I think I am glad I didn't become a vet!

I am an Engineer working in the private sector. I am transport based and work primarily on assessing the impacts of new developments on the transport infrastructure. I then work on redesigning improvements, making networks more efficient and encouraging travel by sustainable modes such as by train, bike and by bike/foot. Its ok its not paid fabulously but I have some good private sector perks like bupa/denplan/good pension (Yawn!) and I also don't have to work passed 5 usually unless I have deadlines or a meeting up in town.
I studied at Southampton University for 3 years to get my undergraduate then studied part time between Imperial and UCL whilst working as a Graduate to get my MSc & DIC which was tough with the horses. By doing all of this I have had to take some serious time out with the horses which sometimes I regret but then I have to remember that I am probably earning an awful lot more than I would be working with horses... I say that as I am currently looking to get back into it.
Don't give up on the dream though - if you want it you can make it happen. You could always re-take if you wanted too. Education doesn't stop after uni at all so you certainly would feel left behind! If you want it - go for it!
 

NW-K

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I echo the fact all graduate jobs are rubbish to start with. I've been qualified as a doctor just over a year and whilst probably earnt a few grand more than a vet on graduation due to job allocation was based in 2 hospitals 30 miles apart so all of that was taken up by fuel. We have rubbish on calls - I've got 4 days of 8-8.30 over the weekend with my normal 8-6 every day apart from that so a run of 12 days and runs of 7 night shifts in a row. I'm very lucky as since I've moved in with my boyfriend and moved to a much cheaper yarder have been able to put my 2 on full as I'm not paying rent however still can't afford to buy any transport at the moment. I second what everyone says and if you want a job that will pay well it will be really tough for the first 10 or so years.
 

woodtiger

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I work in student recruitment and marketing for a University. Whilst I don't get academic holidays, it is a great environment. I travel to places I would never have dreamt of: Azerbaijan and Istanbul for ten days this October. Tokyo, Seoul and Dubai in November, Vietnam, China, Nigeria, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan... so amazing places.

I sold my horse three years ago to focus upon my career, but missed smelling like a yard and stubby fingernails with ingrained mud so much I have just bought an eight year old who knows his job and so far, I have the best of both worlds: he is on DIY while I am office based and will go on full livery while I am travelling.

Pay is good... if you go down the academic route, the ultimate salary could be £250,000 - however you are talking Vice Chancellor of a Russell Group university for that level. More average salary is £20-£40k for professional services. The downside is that it is public sector, and there is huge bureaucracy (arranging a meeting in order to discuss a meeting etc).

I got into this business as a result of whenever I phoned my friend, she was on the beach. I couldn't figure it out, until she said that she was using her Time Off In Lieu. She did a lot of recruitment events in local schools and colleges, UCAS fairs which ran late into the evening, open days on Saturdays, and consequently took her time back. I quite fancied this idea, and whilst I was doing the UK market, it worked well with having a horse.

What is your favourite subject at school? what are you really good at and really interested in? This should give you direction as to what you should study. I wanted to be an equine chiropractor, but science was never a strong point and I don't think I really had the heart to go through six years of studying something that I was not utterly absorbed in. Instead, I did a very generic business studies course.

I chose business as I figured that I couldn't go wrong with this. True, however in hindsight, I should have deferred higher education for a couple of years whilse I figured out what I really wanted to do (which was literature). I still advise students to do this if they are not 100% sure or are being pushed by their parents into something that they are not positive about.

You are welcome to PM me if you would like any further university advice/suggestions.
 

Gamebird

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Am currently trying hard to gain extra qualifications to make myself more employable and worth more money but the number of hours in the day keeps getting in the way!

I have so far asked my boss whether I can do a CertGP(Equine) (the Improve one), an RCVS Equine Practice Cert and a BVDA/BEVA Dentistry qualification. Unfortunately have been turned down on all three on a cost basis. I would self-fund but haven't enough annual leave to cover doing them and can't afford to pay for the courses when there's little to no chance of a wage rise at the end.
 

SpottedCat

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Gosh what is wrong with you all!? Listen, you just need to marry well - problem solved. Honestly girls come on!

I told my husband I had planned to marry a millionaire and he needed to get a move on. He just looked at me and said 'well so had I'. Rubbish. :( ;)
 

stencilface

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I have married well, but not for money ;) Having said that, without OH helping with the little joint things, I wouldn't be able to do some things as well as have a horse, but unless he wants to holiday by himself.....
 

millimoo

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Gosh what is wrong with you all!? Listen, you just need to marry well - problem solved. Honestly girls come on!

Love it...... however I can't even find a man, let alone a minted one!!!

Still, I have my own home, and a good job as a Project Manager for a Mobile phone company.
Work from home 70% of the time, have a £5k car allowance, and a final salary pension (Zzzzzz). Been in the job 10yrs and worked my way up - thats the great thing about Project Management. Fundamentally the job remains the same, but the budgets and responsibility just get bigger. I will admit it can be hard graft in the run up to the launch of a product too.

Would give it all up tomorrow if I could snare a nice man with a big wallett ;-)
That, or win the lottery!!!
 

HammieHamlet

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As I said earlier, I don't think the graduate job which lets you make loads of money and have time to play ponies in the first 10 years exists! It is a myth, everyone who is a graduate works ridiculous hours, doing all the carp that the people above them do not want to do, and some get paid well but live at their job, some get paid badly and can probably just about keep a horse, and then after about 10 years you can suddenly negotiate a bit more/know enough to set up on your own/find yourself eligible for better jobs!


Sorry, but I don't agree with this! You just need to look around and find something where you can work short hours and earn more than the average graduate wage... I found it!

I also had a place at vet school, but in the end decided that I didn't want to graduate in 5 years time and earn £18k, or whatever it was at the time. I also knew that I wanted a horse, and time to ride it. So much to my parents disgust, I decided not to go to university and instead took a loan out and bought my first horse. I had just a part time admin job straight from leaving school, but within 6 months started working for for biotech company in the lab, doing science stuff. Pay was equivalent to vet wages, and I soon got promoted in to roles that were at least graduate level.

However, I quickly cottoned on to the fact that if I came out of the labs and started selling the products, I could earn more and have a company car / bonus payments etc. Within 2 years of doing that I was earning double the wage of a vet at the age of 21. From there onwards I worked for various other healthcare / pharma companies, working my way up and within 8 years I had quadrupled my salary.

And the best part of it? I worked from home, scheduling my appointments around my riding and mucking out (as I had 2 on DIY), and quite often would be found on a hack doing a conference call (but just on mute!). I'm certainly not a natural sales person, but found a way to enjoy it and make it stimulating. The last job I had was directly involved with finding savings for the NHS and I loved it.

I don't regret for an instant about not going to vet school, as I had so much time on my hands to be with the horses, which is what I loved the most - I worked to live, not the other way around.

So perhaps you need to decide how you want your life to be, and therefore what job you need to achieve that balance.
 

ihatework

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OP if you want to be a vet then go for it. But do take on board what Gamebird and Star are saying, it echo’s exactly the feelings of a good friend of mine who is a small animal vet.
She is highly intelligent, very committed to her vocation, and works her ass off. Yet she is paid a pittance for the level of qualification and work responsibility she has. She wants to buy into a practice but can’t and there is little career progression.

I set out originally to be a vet but didn’t quite get the grades I needed, thank god I didn’t!!!! By default I went and did a Biology degree, fell into the pharmaceutical industry and although my initial few years would mirror the work all hours under the sun and get paid pretty poorly, I have emerged from there to good prospects. I currently work freelance/contract through choice and as jobs go I am one of the lucky ones.
 

now_loves_mares

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I'm a chartered accountant. I left uni with a law degree, onto a 3 year CA qualification with a whopping £9.5k salary...it was £25k by the end. 10 years down the line, it's a lot more. Final salary pension, bla bla. I don't work long hours, and take home a chunky pay packet. Yet somehow I'm still always broke, and there is the small detail of hating my job with a passion. But there's no way back with our mortgage.

Moral of the story? Be pretty sure that whatever you choose, you are doing it for more than the money. That way, you won't spend every Sunday night in a bad mood, for ever and ever.

Oh and FWIW I think Vets are massively underpaid, but someone's getting rich out of me this year...??!
 

jellybaby2

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I went into real estate/surveying on the commercial property side of things after graduating with a Real Estate Management degree in 2004. When I went to Uni, I had notions of being a land agent, driving round in a Land Rover and wearing tweed. Soon gave that idea up when I realised I'd be earning about 12k a year and with glass ceilings for women.

I was very lucky and gained employment with one of the top firms in the UK - and my starting salary was £17k, which then steadily increased to £22k when I then qualified. I immediately went up to £35k and had a car allowance, pension, phone, private health care together with an annual bonus - the last one I had from them was around 5k. I was 25 when I qualified as a Chartered Surveyor.

From then on, the wage steadily increased, but I was under a fair bit of pressure, but thats what I like. By 25 I was a home owner.

The the bubble burst and I was made redundant. Husband to the rescue (we werent living together at the time, as I wasn't going to give up that salary to become a cake baking RAF Wife)! He was posted to north wales where we now live on a base frequented by a certain HRH and although I took a pay cut to do the same job as I was doing, I am now phenomenally better off as I dont pay any rent/mortgage/bills, and I just lob a couple of hundred quid into the joint account for grub. Therefore I am easily able to pay £1,000 a month plus into a savings account.

My OH is a pilot in the RAF, his salary and mine together mean we bring in a really good amount of £ a month for between the two of us.

Horse wise, I have one retired event mare, and I wont have any more competing horses until I get my own land and stables - which we have, back in Cornwall, but we cant go there for 6 years when OH can leave the RAF. I cannot justify spending £35/£40 a week on livery - thats a lesson a week/money into the competition fund pot!

Job satisfaction is good - but I do get a buzz out of my work, but I always keep in my mind that I dont live to work - I work to live. Whoever it was earlier who said to 'marry well' had it about spot on - I know it goes against the grain of 'career girl' life, but frankly - it does help!!! My OH is brilliantly shrewd with £. We should be able to move home to Cornwall, and have a nice farmhouse, land, stables etc, due to some pretty shrewd investment decisions on his part.

JB xx
 

teapot

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Whilst I may not have horses, I'm battling to get into the 'proper' job sector post finishing university and as Star & Gamebird have pointed out with regards to vets not actually earning that much, please OP be aware that most starting salaries are under £20K for graduates, unless you're incredibly lucky.

I've had interviews for 'proper' jobs on the bottom rung of the ladder, even as a grad as there's no other way in and some actually pay less per hour than what I'm currently on in retail (and without the perks of a free clothing allowance etc). I'm applying for them, despite the limitations salary wise because I'm interest in the job, not the pay.

So figure out your interests first :)
 

wench

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I was just going to suggest teaching - if you can hack it. Choose a subject you enjoy.

I went to secondary school near the east coast of Lincolnshire. When talking to staff, they always commented how hard it was to get good teachers to a fairly remote part of the country (ie not near a large city), mainly as it wasnt so easy to get promoted.

You could use something like this to your advantage. Show your going to be a good teacher, and want to work in a rural school. What will you then get in return: nicer children for a start, cheaper housing, and chance of being able to get to your horse within ten minutes from work?
 

only_me

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Well, I'm not actually working yet (in final year) but am training to be a physio.
Starting salary is 21k, working 8.30-4.30 with one weekend on call a month and a couple of normal nights on call if you are working in a big hospital.

But then that's if you can get a job ;) :(
 

Holidays_are_coming

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I did a degree in Equine Science, wanted to be a vet but didnt get the grades. I managed to slip into the Pharmaceutical sales sector, very flexible job and good money, just brought a house (had been living at home to save a deposit)! Its not easy to get into anymore as most comapanies have down sized there sales force.

Good luck what ever you decide
 

MegaBeast

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If you want a well paid job from the moment you graduate then look into being a pharmacist. Four years in uni, then one year pre-reg (working full time, earning 18500) then the moment you qualify you can expect your pay to double providing you work in community not hospital. However hours in community are long, 45-47 with alternate saturdays is the norm but it's certainly well paid even if there's no real career structure.
 

sw123

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Well, I'm not actually working yet (in final year) but am training to be a physio.
Starting salary is 21k, working 8.30-4.30 with one weekend on call a month and a couple of normal nights on call if you are working in a big hospital.

But then that's if you can get a job ;) :(

Thats what I qualified as and there are very few jobs out there unless you're very flexible (or were a few years ago) and there are plenty of my friends who qualified and are still on the rubbish pay bands - not sure of any who started over £20k but there are some now that have managed to get senior II posts and gradually climbing up.

I never went into physio as wasnt dedicated enough to go anywhere for a job and after a few things in offices got my current job and started my masters which I love. I work for a Chartered Surveyors practice which is combined with a Letting Agency whilst doing my Masters in Surveying evenings and weekends.

It pays reasonably well and there is scope for it grow as I get more qualified. Like Jellybelly the rural land agent is a lovely thought but commercial is where the money is and i'm quite into residential which isnt too bad either. Just finding the opportunities and going with them.

I wish prior to doing my degree I knew about what I do now as i wouldnt have "wasted" three years qualifying as a physio. That said it proves that it doesnt matter if you don't know what oyu want to do as its never too late and if you find something you really want you'll always manage it.

I've got 2 horses in full work, 3 in the field, an event horse with a professional rider, am on various committees, seem to work ridiculous hours and have coursework to hand in but somehow stay sane and solvent.

Horses are at home with parents so live livery free and OH is a farmer so could have them with him (apart from he has no stables or school!!) but he does make hay - it helps!!
 
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