Trainee placements
We involve volunteers on a variety of placements at Blue Cross. We're here for those looking to:
- gain useful work experience
- complete your Duke of Edinburgh award
- secure a veterinary graduate placement
- get a placement for extra-mural studies (EMS)
- apply as a National Citizen Service (NCS) participant
- find a voluntary job centre placement
- enquire about a community service order
Best of all – you’ll know your time is going towards helping the many sick and homeless pets in our care.
Work experience
We offer work experience placements in lots of different areas within our charity, from charity shops to rehoming centres.
We welcome applications from:
- schools
- those studying an animal related course in college
- veterinary nurse students
If you are training to be a veterinary nurse, placements can be filled up to six months in advance, so be quick to register your interest.
Duke of Edinburgh award
Do you want to make a difference to the lives of pets while completing your Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) award? Then sign up with us to complete the volunteering section of your Bronze, Silver or Gold Duke of Edinburgh award.
We are an approved activity provider for the volunteering section of your award. This means the volunteering opportunities we provide have been approved by the DofE scheme as meeting their standards and can count towards the achievement of your award!
We have opportunities across the UK for DofE participants to help out in our fabulous charity shops, as well as some opportunities in our rehoming centres. You’ll receive all the training and support you need as well as gaining some great experience.
Veterinary graduate placements
We offer a fantastic graduate development programme for talented and hardworking graduate vets.
It will provide you with many excellent opportunities to advance your skills in small animal medicine and surgery in a friendly and professional hospital environment.
So, if you are passionate about helping pets in need, then this might be perfect for you.
Placement length: 18 months
Location: At our well-equipped Grimsby and London hospitals
Extra-mural studies
We do offer EMS placements however, due to high demand, we can only offer placements to students in their fourth and fifth year of their course.
We have three animal hospitals that can offer this placement in the UK, they are:
National Citizen Service
We are registered as a social action partner with the National Citizen Service (NCS). We welcome applications from NCS participants, whether you are hoping to volunteer with us as part of your social action project, or you are a graduate from the scheme looking for further development opportunities.
Find out more information about the sorts of opportunities available and how to apply now.
Job Centre placements
We’re happy to take volunteer applications from those looking for work experience and have been referred by their local job centre.
We can only accommodate those who are on a voluntary placement and can’t accept anyone who is signed up for a mandatory work placement, eg you risk your benefits being stopped if you don’t complete the placement.
Community service order
We can sometimes provide opportunities to those looking to complete their community service order. Our shops have the most placements on offer but we can also sometimes accommodate people in our rehoming centres, depending on location. Normally you’ll need to get the person who coordinates this for you to get in touch with us to check availability and to arrange the details.
What's the minimum age for placements?
It's always best to ask in your application as the age limit can change depending on the type of volunteer roles available and health and safety requirements at the location. For instance, our charity shops can offer placements from the age of 14. However, the minimum age for volunteers at our pet hospitals is 18 years old.
How to apply
You can apply online for any of the above opportunities.
You'll just need to:
- enter your postcode
- select a role
- click on apply
On your application you will need to make sure you make it clear that this is for a placement and the dates you are available for.
If there is nothing there that is of interest right now then please keep checking back regularly.
Find your nearest Blue Cross
If you need to find your closest Blue Cross location, just visit our find us page where you can search for this.
Get in touch
If you have any questions about the role you can find more details on our website – each role has a description available to view with more details.
For any specific questions just email us at [email protected] or call 0300 777 1980.
