For Non-European Union nurses

Work Permits and visas

In the UK, there is a significant shortage of Doctors, Nurses and associated professionals!

The most important thing to understand in obtaining a UK work permit is that in the UK the employer applies for the work permit and the the work permit is granted for a particular employee. If you are an individual hoping to work in the UK, you cannot apply for a work permit yourself. Once you have a work permit for the UK, you can't change jobs without getting a new work permit. If the employee is currently outside the UK and wishes to take up a new job in the UK:

• A new work permit application will need to be made by an employer to Work Permits UK
• Once the work permit is approved, a visa application will need to be made at the British Embassy or Consulate where the employee is resident. The visa is endorsed in the employee's passport.

Once the visa is approved at a British Embassy or Consulate it gives the employer permission to employ a specific person in a specific job at a specific location.

Specific Nursing Information

Overseas nurses must be registered with the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in order to practice nursing in the UK. In order to obtain registration, you will be required to fulfil certain requirements.

1. You must already have an acceptable nursing qualification. Here are a few examples of the kind of 'first level' qualifications that the NMC can accept:

• Registered Nurse
• Registered Midwife
• State Registered Nurse

2. In order to be considered for registration applicants must comply with the following minimum education and training requirements and post registration experience:

• Your program of education and training must have been of three years or 4600 hours in length, all of which must have been study relevant to nursing. Any additional general areas of study will not be considered as part of a nursing program.
• This program must have been carried out at a post-secondary school level of education. Your program must have demonstrated a balance of theoretical and practical.
• Instruction of not less than one third theoretical training and not less than one half clinical/practical training.

3. The program must have included theoretical and clinical/practical training in the following areas:

• General and specialist medicine
• General and specialist surgery
• Child care and pediatrics
• Maternity care (Obstetrics)
• Mental Health and Psychiatry
• Care of the elderly (Geriatrics)
• Community (Home) Nursing.

4. You will be required to have undertaken at least twelve months continuous post-registration experience within the last five years before you are able to be considered for registration.

5. You must have a reasonable command of the English language. This would be demonstrated by obtaining the relevant scores in the IELTS test (a minimum of 6.5 as an overall score). You should contact the British Council in your country of residence for further information as it is they who administer this test.

If you believe that you satisfy all the above requirements, then you should be eligible to apply for a visa to allow you to enter the UK and work as a Nurse, provided you have already registered with the NMC and have a firm offer of employment.

Registration time line

Apply well in advance! Whilst the NMC aims to process applications in approximately 135 days, it can and often does take longer. Apply at least six months in advance if you can. Sometimes, applications from nurses and midwives in certain countries may be processed faster than others. Qualifications and experience of nurses from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa are well regarded and do help your application.

Where nurses work

Jobs for registered Nurses are located in London and UK wide in the following work environments:

• National Health Service hospitals
• London Clinics
• Private hospitals
• Private companies
• GP Practices
• Health screening clinics
• Care homes
• Occupational health units
• Learning disability homes
• Private home care

Types of jobs

Both short and longer term contract and permanent UK nursing positions are available in the UK through recruitment agencies.

Pay

Grading of Nurses in the UK and associated pay rates:

NHS (Public) hospitals pay nurses on a fixed nation-wide structure based on their grade and on how many years they have been in that grade. The pay rates are reviewed yearly and if changes are to be made, they come into effect 1st April of that year. It is true that pay rates do tend to be slightly higher in private hospitals as compared to public NHS hospitals.

Nurses are graded in seniority from level A to Level I. Levels A, B and C are for health assistants, students and non-registered nurses.
Registered Nurses are graded starting at Level D up to the highest and most senior, Level I.

Pay rates can range from 15,000 pounds per annum for your first year as a registered nurse and go up to 30,000 pounds at the most senior level. Working in London also usually means an extra allowance is added to the nursing salary due to higher cost of living. The allowance can be in the range of 3,000 to 4,000 pounds more per annum than salaries outside of London.