vet nurse courses

falabo

hi all

I've done some reserach and it seems all very confusing, some College claim it's a 2 year course, some are doing in 3 years and some in 4 years!!


also if I leave my job now , do I get the Jobseeker allowance >? I could cope with that for a few years. i am desperate to do the course (mature student) but don't even know where to start. is it too late to apply for courses starting in september 2012 ?

any advice would be of a huge help. Thanks

SillyMangoX

The reason they are all different durations is because you get a different award at the end.

St John's is 2 years and is a diploma course.
Athlone, Letterkenny and Dundalk are 3 years as they are a B.Sc in Veterinary Nursing, a degree.
UCD is 4 years as this is also a B.Sc but is a higher degree.
Athlone also offers a fourth year to bump the degree up to a higher degree.

I'm afriad I can't help with much else as I got in through CAO but if it's a course you are sure about doing, it's great. I know I really enjoy it

falabo

Thnaks for your reply did find a job easily after graduation ?

SillyMangoX

I'm still in the middle of doing the course but from what I hear job prospects are good at the moment.

falabo

where are you studying ?

SillyMangoX

Athlone!

Odysseus

falabo wrote: »

hi all



also if I leave my job now , do I get the Jobseeker allowance >? I could cope with that for a few years. i am desperate to do the course (mature student) but don't even know where to start. is it too late to apply for courses starting in september 2012 ?

any advice would be of a huge help. Thanks

You need to be out of work 6 months to avail of back to education schemes. Leaving a job would not be seem in a good light.

Whistlejacket

In relation to applying as a mature applicant you need to apply via the CAO to the colleges. The deadline for this is Feb 1st each year. Mature applications are then processed by the individual colleges and a selection of candidates are interviewed in April/May to start the following September.

You can make a late application but these are generally only considered if the college in question has not filled their mature student places from the first round of interviews. Veterinary nursing is a very popular course so it's probably unlikely that late applications would be looked at in most cases.

This is a general overview of the process - you should contact the admissions office of the college(s) you wish to apply to for the specific details in each case.

Best of luck with it.

JustAThought

JobSEEKER allowance is just that; a support for sOmeone who is actively seeking a job. It is not a lifestyle supplement fir people who choose to leave their jobs & not work, or study.
Doubtless there will be a Q of people on telling you how to cheat the system but there are active checks in place to ensure that this type of cheating by people is caught; particularly by students .
If you think you have a case go down to your social welfare office and discuss it with them.

Social Welfare cheats are being reported & increasingly caught & made repay the money's ghet have illigitematly taken. Not a route I'm sure you want to go down.

Doubtless since you already have a job you could save for it.

lubie76

It is notoriously difficult to get into vet nursing as a mature student as places are extremely limited. For example there is only one place in the Letterkenny course for mature applicants, maybe 2 in Athlone and none of these courses will take you as a mature student unless you have experience of working in a vet practice.
If possible use your leaving cert results to get into these courses or otherwise start getting the hours experience now for next year as its unlikely you will get into one this year.
Sorry if I sound negative but I have a friend going through the process at the moment so I know how difficult it is.

falabo

JustAThought wrote: »

JobSEEKER allowance is just that; a support for sOmeone who is actively seeking a job. It is not a lifestyle supplement fir people who choose to leave their jobs & not work, or study.
Doubtless there will be a Q of people on telling you how to cheat the system but there are active checks in place to ensure that this type of cheating by people is caught; particularly by students .
If you think you have a case go down to your social welfare office and discuss it with them.

Social Welfare cheats are being reported & increasingly caught & made repay the money's ghet have illigitematly taken. Not a route I'm sure you want to go down.

Doubtless since you already have a job you could save for it.

How very dare you call me a tax cheater. I have always worked, never been on the dole for the day in my life. I will get whatever I can get and have no shame, as long as it's legal but I will not cheat.

Zapperzy

JustAThought I don't think he/she is trying to cheat the system in any way, they asked a genuine question if they would be entitled to something, they didn't ask looking for ways to cheat it. Not everyone knows how it works, I for one don't and also looked into it last year without any desire to cheat anyone out of money.

Lubie is right, there is only 1 mature place in letterkenny and there is a lot of competition for it. I know a woman who applied for it having worked as a kennel assistant in a vets for many years and didn't get in so there is obviously very strict requirements. I presume it's much the same story with all the other colleges. If your dead set on this is what you want to do then contact all the colleges now and ask what the procedure is and what you need to do. There might be some sort of a part time animal care type course you could do outside of work hours and use that to get a job in a vets as a kennel assistant or receptionist, and go from there.

If you've any specific questions about the letterkenny course (I'm not a mature student, got in the regular cao way so don't know anything about mature entry) pm me.

SillyMangoX

Sorry but who ever said theres only 2 places in Athlone for mature students clearly hasnt been there. Out of 42 in my class think there is only 3 of us who got in from the CAO. Everyone else are mature students or plc students.

falabo

ok so if I understand correctly, would my best plan of action be :

- offer FREE help every saturday to a vet surgery so that I gain some experience
- then in February apply for a course as a mature student
- hoping to get in for september 2013 and then deal with grants

Thanks

Sparkie93

falabo wrote: »

ok so if I understand correctly, would my best plan of action be :

- offer FREE help every saturday to a vet surgery so that I gain some experience
- then in February apply for a course as a mature student
- hoping to get in for september 2013 and then deal with grants

Thanks

id also suggest in working in a few places so you have varied experience and more references to show,try ringng some of the local animal shelters too as they are always looking for help

JustAThought

falabo wrote: »

JustAThought wrote: »

JobSEEKER allowance is just that; a support for sOmeone who is actively seeking a job. It is not a lifestyle supplement fir people who choose to leave their jobs & not work, or study.
Doubtless there will be a Q of people on telling you how to cheat the system but there are active checks in place to ensure that this type of cheating by people is caught; particularly by students .
If you think you have a case go down to your social welfare office and discuss it with them.

Social Welfare cheats are being reported & increasingly caught & made repay the money's ghet have illigitematly taken. Not a route I'm sure you want to go down.

Doubtless since you already have a job you could save for it.

How very dare you call me a tax cheater. I have always worked, never been on the dole for the day in my life. I will get whatever I can get and have no shame, as long as it's legal but I will not cheat.

That's good to hear ; to clarify I spoke about social welfare & benefit cheats; I did not call you one. But you should know that a JobSEEKERS benefit is just that; one for someone who is SEEKING a job; not a lifestyle income for a student doing a two or three or four year course; who is not actively seeking work on a weekly basis; as the terms of this payment specifies.