Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon – Independent Practice
Up to £50,000 DOE + extensive benefits
Full Time | Part-time | Permanent
South Glasgow
Are you a Small Animal Vet looking for genuine clinical freedom?
Would you like to work somewhere that puts patient care ahead of targets and profit?
Looking for a close-knit independent practice where your clinical judgement is genuinely trusted?
An opportunity has arisen for a Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon to join a growing, proudly independent practice in South Glasgow.
This is a practice that has deliberately taken a different approach to the traditional corporate model. Founded just over a year ago, the team have built the practice around a simple philosophy: provide an excellent service, build a strong reputation and allow clients to come because they trust you.
There are no sales targets, no pressure to upsell unnecessary treatments and no expectation for vets to work as salespeople. Instead, you'll be trusted as a veterinary professional to make the right clinical decisions for your patients and clients.
The Practice
The practice was created by its owners after they saw an opportunity to offer something genuinely different within the veterinary market.
A previously empty building has been transformed into a modern veterinary practice with a strong focus on providing high-quality first-opinion care within a welcoming and accessible environment.
The practice is predominantly GP-focused, seeing a varied caseload of dogs and cats, with a good balance of consultations and surgical work. The team aim to keep as much work in-house as possible, referring appropriately where specialist input is required.
Facilities include:
In-house laboratory
Digital radiography
Dental radiography
Ultrasound
Dedicated surgical facilities
Separate inpatient facilities for cats, dogs and small mammals
Fully equipped clinical and diagnostic areas
The practice also takes a genuinely pragmatic approach to client care. Consultations are competitively priced, unnecessary treatments are not pushed and the team are willing to work with clients who may have financial constraints.
This isn't about maximising revenue from every patient. It's about providing a good service and building the kind of reputation that keeps clients coming back.
The Role
This is a varied first-opinion Veterinary Surgeon position, ideal for someone who enjoys having autonomy over their caseload and wants the freedom to develop their own clinical interests.
You'll be involved in both consultations and surgery, with the exact structure of the day flexible depending on the team's preferences and workload. As the team grows, there will be scope for one vet to focus on operations while colleagues manage consultations on busier surgical days.
The practice supports a broad range of first-opinion procedures, while more complex cases are referred where appropriate.
You'll have the opportunity to:
Manage a varied first-opinion caseload
Conduct routine and complex consultations
Perform routine surgical procedures
Support the ongoing development of the practice's surgical offering
Utilise in-house diagnostic facilities
Develop areas of clinical interest
Build long-term relationships with clients and their pets
Work closely with a supportive nursing team
The team are given genuine autonomy over the way they work, with the owners deliberately taking a step back from day-to-day clinical decisions and allowing the veterinary team to run the practice based on their professional expertise.
The Team & Culture
This is a small, genuinely close-knit team where people look out for one another.
The current team consists of Veterinary Surgeons, Registered Veterinary Nurses and a receptionist who also supports the clinical team when needed. The culture is strongly collaborative, with the team willing to go above and beyond for each other when required.
The owners are deliberately hands-off when it comes to clinical management. Although they oversee the business side, they recognise that the clinical team understand veterinary practice better and therefore give them the autonomy to make decisions about how the practice operates.
The practice is looking for someone who shares this independent mindset and wants to be part of a team where personality and cultural fit matter just as much as clinical ability.
Working Pattern
Monday–Friday opening
Shifts of either 8:30am–5:30pm or 9:00am–5:30pm
Flexibility for the veterinary team to arrange the rota between themselves
No out-of-hours requirement
Flexible approach to breaks, with staff encouraged to take time to decompress when needed
The Individual
The practice is looking for a Veterinary Surgeon who genuinely values independent practice and wants to work somewhere where patient care comes before commercial targets.
You'll ideally be:
RCVS Registered Veterinary Surgeon
Minimum 1 year's experience working in veterinary practice
Comfortable working across a varied first-opinion caseload
Confident with routine consultations and surgery
Passionate about high-quality patient and client care
Comfortable working independently while contributing to a close-knit team
Interested in developing your own clinical interests
Collaborative, approachable and supportive
Looking for greater clinical autonomy and flexibility
The team are particularly interested in people who are attracted to the ethos of independent practice rather than those looking to work within a traditional corporate structure.
What's in it for you?
Salary up to £50,000 depending on experience
33 days' annual leave
Four weeks' paid sick leave
3–5% pension contribution
RCVS professional fees paid
£500 annual CPD allowance
Additional CPD funding available where specific training benefits both you and the practice
Fully equipped staff kitchen and dedicated staff area
Genuine clinical autonomy
Supportive, close-knit team environment
Location
Based in South Glasgow, the practice offers a quieter setting while remaining within easy reach of Glasgow and the surrounding areas.
This could suit someone looking to step away from a large corporate environment without losing access to the wider Central Belt.
Want to apply or want more information?
Once you submit your CV, you'll be contacted within 5 working days with feedback and the option for an informal, no-obligation chat.
Feel free to call Carina Walker on 02393 877 350, though information will be limited without a CV.
Recommendations
Compass Associates Ltd are working in partnership on this position. If you're not interested but know someone who is, we offer £500 vouchers for every successful recommendation.
