Career · Nature and living things
Veterinarian
Treats animals and helps owners keep their pets healthy.
Career overview
What a day looks like
A vet examines the animal, asks the owner questions and makes a diagnosis. They prescribe treatment and explain how to care for the pet at home.
Try it yourself this week
30 minutes
Make a care guide for a pet or a plant
- Choose a pet or houseplant that you or people you know look after.
- Watch it for 15 minutes and write down what it's doing, what it eats or drinks and how it looks.
- Ask the owner: what does it need every day, and what once a week?
- Make a guide for someone who'll look after it while the owner is away: what to do and what to watch out for.
What you'll learn about yourself: Whether you like caring for those who depend on you and noticing small signs that something is wrong.
What you can do next
Next 3 months
Observe a pet
Do the task about a care sheet and learn to notice how healthy behaviour differs from strange behaviour.
In six months
Learn the rules for handling animals
Find a guide on staying safe around animals you don't know and go over the rules.
In a year
Talk to someone who does this job
Through people you know and together with your parents, find out what a vet's work looks like and what is hardest about it.
What it pays
Pay varies by region, experience and employer. The figures below are approximate ranges from public sources.
Notes on sources are in Russian, as in the original source.
Russia
- All levelsSaint Petersburgfrom job ads
100,000–250,000 ₽ per month
take-home · data: September 2026 · checked: September 2026
Врач-ветеринар. Ассистенты получают меньше: 40–90 тыс. ₽.
Source: spb.hh.ru (opens in a new tab)
Where to study
Notes on sources are in Russian, as in the original source.
Colleges
You can apply after grade 9 or 11 — you get a profession faster than at university.
- Евразийский аграрный колледж (opens in a new tab)
Almaty
Ветеринария · Ветеринарный фельдшер
after grade 9 or 11 - Костанайский сельскохозяйственный колледж (opens in a new tab)
Kostanay
Ветеринария · Ветеринарный фельдшер
after grade 9 or 113 г. 10 мес. (9 кл.) / 2 г. 10 мес. (11 кл.)state-funded places available
Universities
You apply after grade 11, based on your UNT results.
- ЮКГУ имени М. Ауэзова (opens in a new tab)
Shymkent
Ветеринария
after grade 11state grant places availableUNT: Biology + Chemistry - КазНАИУ (Казахский национальный аграрный исследовательский университет) (opens in a new tab)
Almaty
Ветеринарная медицина (6В09101), бакалавриат, 4 года
UNT: Biology + Chemistry - КазАТИУ имени С. Сейфуллина (opens in a new tab)
Astana
Факультет ветеринарии и технологии животноводства
UNT: Biology + Chemistry
The UNT, if you apply to university
Required subjects: History of Kazakhstan, Reading Literacy, Mathematical Literacy. Profile subjects for this career: Biology + Chemistry.
Programme group: B083 Ветеринария. Checked: September 2026.
Source: National Testing Centre list (opens in a new tab)How to get into college
College gets you a profession faster than university. You can apply after grade 9 or after grade 11.
- Colleges accept students both after grade 9 and after grade 11. After grade 9 you study longer — about 3 years 10 months; after grade 11, about 2 years 10 months. The exact length depends on the college and the specialty.
Source: kchk.edu.kz (opens in a new tab) - About 80% of students admitted to colleges in the 2024/25 school year study on a state order, which means in state-funded places (in 2023/24 it was about 70%). But each college and each specialty has its own number of state-funded places.
Source: inbusiness.kz (opens in a new tab) - There are also paid colleges. For example, training as a nurse at ADILMED costs 450,000 ₸ per year. Check the price and conditions on the college's website.
Source: adilmed.kz (opens in a new tab)
UNT: which subjects to take for university
The UNT (Unified National Testing) is Kazakhstan's national university entrance test. You need it to get into university after grade 11.
- The UNT 2026 has three compulsory subjects: History of Kazakhstan, Reading Literacy and Mathematical Literacy. On top of these, you take two profile subjects, chosen to match your specialty.
Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab) - In total, the test has 120 questions (maximum 140 points) and you get 4 hours. The format is the same as in 2025.
Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab) - Profile subjects depend on the group of specialties. For example: information technology — Mathematics and Computer Science; nursing and veterinary medicine — Biology and Chemistry; electrical engineering — Mathematics and Physics; law — World History and Fundamentals of Law. The full list is published by the National Testing Center.
Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab) - For creative specialties (for example, media and design), you take History of Kazakhstan and Reading Literacy through the UNT, and two creative exams at the university itself.
Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab) - Some universities have their own admission rules. Nazarbayev University, for example, requires a UNT score of at least 85, a GPA of 4.0 and English at IELTS 6.0 level.
Source: nu.edu.kz (opens in a new tab)
Courses and opportunities
Opportunities near this field
- ProgrammefreeAtlas of New Professions (opens in a new tab)
Минтруда РК и Центр развития трудовых ресурсов
Who it's for: everyone.
When: reference guide, always available.
Atlas of New Professions: which jobs will appear, change or disappear in the next 5–10 years. Free to read.
Checked: September 2026
Source: atlasbt.enbek.kz (opens in a new tab) - Volunteeringfreeages 16–35UNICEF youth volunteering programme (opens in a new tab)
ЮНИСЕФ Казахстан
Who it's for: ages 16 to 35.
When: recruitment in waves: summer and autumn.
UNICEF youth volunteering: about 20 hours a month. You need to speak Kazakh or Russian.
Checked: September 2026
Source: unicef.org (opens in a new tab)
Can you work before you turn 18?
Under Kazakhstan's Labour Code, teenagers can work, but with limits.
- Usually you can work from age 16. From 15 — if you are getting basic or general secondary education. From 14 — only in your free time outside school and only light work. If you are under 16, you need a signature from a parent or legal guardian.
Source: kodeksy-kz.com (opens in a new tab) - From 14 to 16 you can work no more than 24 hours a week; from 16 to 18, no more than 36 hours a week.
Source: kodeksy-kz.com (opens in a new tab) - Under-18s must not be given heavy or hazardous work, jobs with full financial liability, night work, overtime or business trips.
Source: mybuh.kz (opens in a new tab)
History of the career
No verified information is available in this section yet.
Well-known people in this field
No verified information is available in this section yet.