Placements, student jobs, and internships
Are you a student looking for extra experience or an enriching placement? Then we have the perfect spot for you!
From advanced veterinary clinics to welcoming veterinary practices, our network is sure to have a team and a practice with a personality that suits you.
Within our network, you can turn to us for:
Internships for veterinarians
Just graduated as a veterinarian? Start your career with an internship as a veterinarian in a clinic within our network. This way you keep learning in a professional environment and discover where your talent lies.
As an intern, you take part in the daily work of the practice and receive guidance from experienced colleagues. Whether you choose small animals or horses, you build practical experience in a safe learning environment. Our internships are there to deepen your knowledge, build your confidence, and help you find your way within the profession. Take a look at our internships here!
An internship is an intensive postgraduate programme of up to one year for newly graduated veterinarians. In a rotating internship, you get to know different disciplines such as surgery, internal medicine, and emergency care. You work under the direct supervision of specialists to take your clinical skills to a higher level. In a specialist internship, you focus in depth on one particular discipline. Within the Nesto network, we offer internships for small animals at Dierenkliniek Orion (both rotating and specialist). For horses, we offer internships at Het Bokt, De Septon, and Aan de Watergang.
A standard clinical internship lasts one year. This period is essential for bridging the gap between university theory and the complex reality of a veterinary hospital. After this, you are optimally prepared for a residency or a role as a specialised veterinarian. An equine internship may in certain cases have a shorter duration.
Certainly not. Although training to become a veterinarian takes several years, Nesto welcomes motivated career changers and trainees of all ages. In short, Nesto looks for veterinarians with the right mindset, ambitions, and experience, regardless of age, gender, and other secondary factors.
The pay of a veterinarian in Belgium varies depending on experience and type of practice, just as pay varies in other companies and sectors. We naturally apply a pay policy that is in line with the market and guarantees fair compensation. An internship can significantly increase your market value. At Nesto, you can rely on a fair and transparent policy.
The profession can be physically and mentally demanding due to the medical responsibility and emotional aspects involved. At Nesto, we therefore place strong emphasis on wellbeing and team spirit, so that you keep your passion for the profession without losing yourself in the workload.
Specialists (diplomates) and veterinarians in management roles or highly advanced clinics generally have the highest earning potential. An internship is often the first step towards such a lucrative and intellectually challenging specialisation.
Looking for an internship?
Placements at Nesto
Are you a veterinarian, veterinary nurse, or animal care assistant in training and looking for a placement? With more than 70 practices and clinics in our network, we are happy to help you find a place where you feel at home and can grow.
At Nesto, we welcome trainees for both mandatory and voluntary placements. As a trainee you are not paid, but you do get the chance to observe and assist in a practice, centre, or clinic that truly matches you and your ambitions. Can’t find your dream placement among our vacancies? Apply on an open basis! Together we will find the best placement for you.
No, you need to be enrolled in a recognised programme. Nesto has official partnerships with universities and colleges to guarantee quality placements for future veterinarians, veterinary nurses, and animal care assistants alike.
To do a clinical placement as a veterinarian, you need to be following a Master’s programme in Veterinary Medicine. For a placement as a veterinary nurse, a Bachelor’s in Animal Care is required, and for a placement as an animal care assistant, a secondary school programme in animal care is required.
You are fully integrated into the team. You learn everything about consultations, diagnostics, surgical assistance, and the care of hospitalised patients. We tailor the placement plan to the requirements of your programme and your personal goals.
Since Nesto is active in three countries, we offer unique opportunities for international experience. You can experience veterinary culture in Belgium, the Netherlands, or Germany, which gives a huge boost to your CV and your language skills.
For Bachelor’s students in animal care, placements are scheduled in both the second and third year. For veterinary students, most clinical placements take place during the Master’s years (years 4 to 6), once you have the theoretical foundation needed to contribute safely and effectively to patient care.
Yes, we regularly offer placements at our head office in Leuven or in the area of practice management. This is ideal for students who want to explore the business and organisational side of the veterinary sector. Can’t find a vacancy for this type of placement right away? You are welcome to apply on an open basis as well.
Looking for a placement?
Student jobs at Nesto
Are you a student in the veterinary sector who wants to gain hands on experience alongside your studies? Then a student job is just right for you! As a student employee at Nesto you take on weekend work and/or holiday work. Your tasks will depend on the practice where you work. As a student employee training to become a veterinarian, you support the vets by carrying out medical or supporting tasks. As a student employee training to become a veterinary nurse or animal care assistant, you carry out only supporting tasks that are not medical in nature. Curious what is possible for you within our network? Find the student job that suits you right here!
Yes, as a student employee you support the team with tasks that are not medical. This includes caring for the animals, keeping the practice clean and hygienic, and supporting reception. It is the perfect place to learn while you study.
As a student employee you receive an hourly wage in line with the market, following the applicable scales for student work in our sector. Alongside your pay, you gain invaluable practical experience that you simply cannot get from books.
Certainly. We regularly welcome students who want to help out during holidays or on weekends. You help with admitting patients and support experienced colleagues, giving you valuable practical experience right away.
Most student employees are studying veterinary medicine, veterinary nursing, or animal care. However, we are also open to motivated students from other fields who have a heart for animals and want to help with hospitalisation and administration.
No, the programme takes at least six years. But with a student job at Nesto, you already build solid practical experience after four years, giving you a head start as soon as you begin your career.
Studying comes with costs, such as books and enrolment fees. A student job at Nesto not only helps cover those costs but also helps you learn faster and more effectively thanks to the direct link with practical experience.