Other Benefits.
Veterinary Locum Jobs UK
From one of my previous posts you will have some idea what the current locum fees are in the UK, of course there are other benefits as well. The two main benefits which spring to mind are accommodation and cars.
Accommodation: This is almost always provided and can vary from a small flat in the practice [ read converted cupboard ! ] to a nice house away from the surgery. I had a house in the next town which was for locum use but sometimes it was occupied, when that happened I put up the locums in a local bed and breakfast or a small hotel.
Transport: I will be covering the tax position of locums in depth in forthcoming articles but the use of the car is a bit of a minefield. If a car is provided then it is understood it is for use in the course of the business of the of the veterinary surgery concerned. If a locum uses a practice car for personal use such as taking in the local tourist attractions or visiting friends then it could affect their self employed status. Having said this some practices turn a blind eye to a moderate amount of personal use of practice vehicles. If you are working for a large animal or mixed practice then a car is likely to be provided for your use during the locum, small animal practices may have an ambulance to be used for the odd house visit or emergency so in that case a car would not be provided. The trend over the last ten years or so has been for a great reduction in house visits.
It would be normal to be paid a mileage allowance if you use your own car on practice business.
Tip: If you drive a car provided by the practice always make sure that you are covered by the practice car insurance. Some policies exclude people under twenty five years of age for example.
admin @ May 18, 2008