PDSA Careers and Employment

My colleagues were lovely and my manager was very supportive. There was flexibility to swap shifts and duties and I learnt a lot about animal welfare. It could get very hectic but everyone worked together and it was rewarding to know you are helping animals.

Retail Assistant (Volunteer) in Leeds

on 23 March 2021

Amazing

If anyone’s thinking of volunteering with the PDSA charity I would 100% recommend it. It’s helped me build my confidence and gain extremely valuable skills which can be used when apply for future jobs.

Night Shift Worker in Scotland

on 23 March 2021

Rewarding but lacking progression and support

While this job may be rewarding at times it must be understood that working night shift for the PDSA you will either be working alone or with an entirely different team meaning that communication with your PDSA colleagues/management can be difficult.Furthermore, there are no opportunities for progression in an Out of Hours post and due to the nature of the job you will consistently encounter unpleasant people that will abuse the charities kindness and services; there will be very little enforcement of rules and regulations made by the organisation and the policies are filled with loopholes allowing abuse of the system, this in turn makes an independent, lone working, out of hours role incredibly difficult as you have no managerial support while on shift and when support is requested it is often not upheld.Moreover, due to the PDSA being a non government funded charity they rely solely on support from the general public. While this may be admirable it does in turn make the organisation very afraid of bad publicity. This, and the presence of GDPR, means that welfare/abuse cases will often go unresolved.You also do not get typical Annual Leave/Holiday; I would best describe what you get not as Annual Leave but instead as "convoluted shift swaps".You may be requested to attend unpaid staff meetings on your days off work simply in order to communicate as a team due to the fact that in an out of hours role there is no way to have a "staff meeting" as you are the only PDSA staff member present.Lastly, due to Covid-19, methods of working have drastically changed, understandably, meaning interaction with pets and the care of them is currently somewhat non-existent; as a result of this you are essentially an emergency call handler/cleaner.In saying this, if you are strong willed, very prioritised and wanting to try and make a positive impact on the welfare of pets in the UK then you may be well suited to a role such as this.

Receptionist/Administrator in Cardiff

on 19 March 2021

Very busy and stressful

Very stressful, busy and demanding job. Colleagues all lovely but some management not so good. If your face fits you’ll be ok. Loved the job, just not management. If on reception no area to progress anywhere and no flexibility with the hours.

Veterinary Care Assistant (Bank) in Portsmouth, Hampshire

on 17 March 2021

Fast paced but professional and fun

I've not been working for the PDSA for long but I am enjoying myself. The staff are nice and have made me feel welcome. I have learned a lot already and everyone has been very patient. My roles and responsibilities are what I expected and I am enjoying each role. I enjoy my shifts meeting the clients and their animals.

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