International (pre) vet experiences after undergrad?

[Lcolleary]

Wondering if anyone had any insight towards programs that offer international experience (open to any field) that are available to aspiring vet students after undergrad? As a 2024 grad who got a wave of rejections this cycle I’m looking to beef up my application. Ideally interested in programs that are open to volunteers/paid opportunities as opposed to paying for the experience, as I would funding myself the savings on my vet assistant salary Bonus points to programs that offer experiences in warmer climates lol

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[vampyrica]

My sister volunteers at a Sea Turtle Rescue center in Athens, Greece! She told me that lots of international students come to volunteer. Here’s the website for you to look more into it:

Become a Volunteer - ARCHELON - Τhe Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece

ARCHELON - Τhe Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece

archelon.gr

 

[pp9]

Loop Abroad is another. I think you'll be hard pressed to find a paid position, let alone one that pays your way (including housing) even if they don't give you a salary. Most of these programs call you a 'volunteer' even though you pay program fees.

Unsolicited advice, but I would carefully consider how much you are willing to spend for something that is not necessarily going to get you into vet school. Some of these bigger trips run participants up to $10-15k after including flights.

 

[vampyrica]

Unsolicited advice, but I would carefully consider how much you are willing to spend for something that is not necessarily going to get you into vet school. Some of these bigger trips run participants up to $10-15k after including flights.

Agreed with pp on this one. I did a travel abroad experience in the summer of 2023. 3 weeks in South Africa. It was basically "voluntourism". My flight was $1,600 USD, and the trip to go there was $4000 USD I believe. I also had to pay $1000 USD OOP for my rabies and yellow fever vaccines. Additionally, spending money. I spent maybe $300 USD while I was there? So in total, trip was around $6,500-$7,000. I paid 80% of it on my own and my parents covered the vaccines and spending money.

You honestly might be better off finding volunteer opportunities in other states versus out of the country. You'd be surprised at the diversity of animals in the United States alone!

Additonally, there is a website called "Workaway" where you basically work for an org/family in exchange for room and board. You would have to pay for your flight, and possibly meals but it is dependent on the experience. They have verified reviews, but I would still take caution if you decide to explore this route. It's kinda like an "au pair" situtation, but instead of taking care of children, you would be doing other chores. **please read the reviews of each experience you are considering!!!**

Pet-sitting and animal care with Workaway

Pet sitting jobs international ✓ Care for pets in exchange for a free stay ✓ Worldwide community ✓ Discover the world now with Workaway!

www.workaway.info

 

[pp9]

It was basically "voluntourism".

Yes, that's exactly what most of these trips are. I have many feelings about them, lol. I personally don't feel they bring that much to an application just because anyone with a checkbook can do it and they typically aren't all that in depth. There are some orgs/courses that are better than others but the majority are just supervised international travel with a sprinkling of animal stuff.

There is one organization run by someone I know personally that I would automatically put more trust in, just because she's good people. Dallas-fort Worth | Worldwide Wildlife With that said, it's really new and I don't have any info on how their previous trips (if they've actually had any, idk) have gone.

On a personal note, I got roped into teaching part of a course for a certain well-known student travel organization. The students liked the experience overall and several were on their second/third/whatever trips with the org, but I felt very strange about them paying the program $2000+ for them to tour different parts of a US zoo and sit through various lectures over 5 days, most of which were pretty basic. Seemed like there would be better uses for that money, such as not spending it at all and putting it towards vet school housing, application fees, interview costs, etc.

 

[mw1356]

I did a program last summer called Doctors in Italy. It was 2 weeks in Florence working with a vet at some equine sanctuaries out in the countryside and I think cost $5-6k usd in total (program + flights + spending while there). They have other programs with different focuses in a few other Italian cities too. I really enjoyed the vet experience and getting to see Italy but I’m not sure it would’ve been worth it to me if I was paying for it independently (parents covered a lot of the cost). I’m also not sure how much an international experience necessarily bolsters an application - I agree with vampyrica and pp that it may be just as/more worthwhile to look for opportunities in the states. If you really want to travel, it might be easier and cheaper to treat yourself to a non-vet related vacation!

 

[books_]

I was able to do a short field course through my undergrad in south africa with wildlife, if your school offers anything like this you could try reregistering as a short term student (I'm blanking on the exact term my school used but I was able to register as a non-degree student for that course). Vets without borders and doctors without borders are also awesome groups that take volunteers, the canadian VWB team allows undergrads with relevant experience to volunteer with them (canadian citizens only right now but afaik they are hoping to allow more international volunteers in the future).
One thing I will caution you on is that some schools don't accept paid volunteering as vet/animal experience. This is to ensure that it's fair for people who can't financially do these courses, so just make sure the schools you're applying to allow paid experience and if not try looking closer to home 🙂 best of luck!

 

[juggling-zebra0831]

I studied abroad through my university through CELA-Belize (same instructors/program but now through Loop Abroad) and absolutely LOVED my time abroad in Belize and opportunity to give back to local communities. Nothing like seeing a school classroom transformed into a spay/neuter clinic and then getting to realize the surrounding impact. But tbh the only way I could afford it at the time (and this was over 5 years ago) was on scholarship while I was in school. The experience was definitely worthwhile and helped shape my understanding of the profession. I mentioned it in several of my essays. At times, I considered going back to TA for the same course but ultimately wasn't going to be financially feasible after graduation with student loans entering repayment and needing stable job with benefits. Think there are lot of ways to diversify your experiences even if just locally. Small animal doesn't just have to be GP but can extend itself to ER, speciality, shelter medicine or even research. Large animal is great if you can get it but not everybody can get those experiences especially if your college doesn't have the resources (i.e., campus farm) or you live in area (i.e., more urban setting) that doesn't allow for it. I can only assume that admissions takes these things into consideration. Certainly if you can make traveling and international experience work than def go for it! If anything, your passion shining through is probably what will help sell your application to a school more than anything. What helped me too was looking at school's missions statement when reflecting on essays later on. Hope this is helpful and wishing you all the best!