Contracts of employment
Find out more about contracts of employment, including employees' rights and employers' responsibilties
The issue
24% of our recent graduate members do not have a written contract of employment in place and over 40% have been in a job where for over 6 months they did not have one in place*. This leaves them feeling exposed and less able to defend themselves if they face problems in their employment situation.
The campaign 
As a result the British Veterinary Association's Young Vet Network has teamed up with the RCVS, SPVS and the VPMA to promote the importance of written contracts of employment for recent graduate employees and employers, and on a wider basis for all veterinary employees and employers.
How the BVA can help
- Download our campaign information leaflet - which gives information on employees' rights and employers' responsibilities
- Members can use the BVA guide to contracts of employment - which gives comprehensive guidance on contracts and a template contract to base your or your employees' contracts on
- Members can call our legal advice line for free legal advice on contracts
- Members can use our Practice Standards draft documentation - section one includes a sample staff agreement between a principle and an assistant
- We provide contact details for a mediation service - which can help deal with disputes between employees and employers
Other useful sources of advice
Partner information
SPVS and the VPMA - have produced a useful document called Managing Expectations which is available free of charge to their members. It is a framework publication that emphasises the need for employers and employees to have a partnership approach to achieving good employment practice.
RCVS Practice Standards Scheme - RCVS has comprehensive information on the Practice Standards Scheme on their website. Contracts of employment are included in the Practice Standards Scheme from Core level upwards
* Statistics from the BVA 2009 online research on the Young Vet Network