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Nursing Jobs in the U.K. (cont.)
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The NHS has a grading system in place for nurses. Broadly speaking
the grading runs alphabetically from ‘A’ onwards, with
‘A’ being the most junior. In relative terms a ‘D’
grade nurse is a newly qualified staff nurse, ‘E’ being
a more qualified and experienced nurse, ‘F’ is a senior
staff nurse, and ‘G’ grade is a charge nurse/sister.
Grades above this normally indicate management and so on. The higher
your grade, the better your pay – or so the theory goes.
The normal pre-requisites for eligibility to
practice as a nurse in the U.K. are:
- The appropriate working or immigration visa (in some situations
an offer of work will be needed)
- Be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council
- The ability to speak English to a satisfactory standard
- Clean police record
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Immigration rules into the U.K.
are always in constant review, and therefore we advise that the
information on this page with regard to immigration, visas, and
work permits is intended as a guide only. In all cases you should
contact your local embassy or consulate for up-to-date information
about the current immigration rules. You might also want to consider
using a specialist agency for immigration information, but before
paying any money to an agency check them out carefully.
If you’re specifically applying for entry to the U.K. on the
basis that you’re a nurse you need to have a ‘Statement
of Entry on the NMC register’, as well as an offer of a job.
If you intend to apply for a work permit or residency visa before
looking for work as a nurse then you need to comply with the normal
entry pre-requisites.
As with most Western countries at present there is a general shortage
of skilled nursing staff and therefore your application will be
looked upon with some degree of urgency and favoritism if you have
the qualifications and experience to go hand-in-hand with your application.
Click here for
more information about working visas, immigration rules, and entry
permits to the U.K. Qualified nurses from countries within the E.U.
are only required to register with the NMC first before authority
to enter the U.K and work as a registered nurse is granted. No other
documentation is necessary. For nurses outside the E.U., both registration
with the NMC and the appropriate immigration visa and / or work
permit is required. Only fully registered nurses will be recognized
in the equivalent context for working in the U.K. Enrolled nurse
qualifications are not recognized.
Please note that for non-E.U. applicants, registration with the
NMC does not exempt you from meeting United Kingdom immigration
requirements.
If you are intending to move to the U.K. in order to undertake a
professional qualification and then intend to return to your own
country you should make this known on your application to the NMC
– you may receive special arrangements under such circumstances.
All applications for nursing in the U.K are assessed on an individual
basis in terms of experience and education. In many cases registration
is almost immediate however in some situations, where a nurse is
deemed to have deficient experience in certain areas, further training
may be insisted upon. This can be carried out in either the U.K.
or the applicant’s country of residence – either way
the cost is normally met by the applicant. It is important to understand
that the onus of proof of ability and experience lies with the applicant
and not the regulatory body.
To apply for registration contact the following:
Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Overseas Registration,
23 Portland Place
London W1N 4JT
UK
Tel: +44 20 7333 6611
Fax: +44 20 7436 2924
Website: www.nmc-uk.org
When you first apply for registration with the NMC you will be sent
an information pack directly to you that will include an application
request form and an information booklet. This booklet sets out the
application requirements and instructions that you need to follow.
If you wish to continue with your application you should then return
the application request form along with the appropriate payment
to the NMC. It is at this point that the full application pack will
be supplied to you and you will then be required to provide full
documentary evidence of your qualifications and education.
Bear in mind that you will need to provide either original or certified
copies of a number of documents so you should begin to gather those
as soon as you can. Documents such as a copy of your birth certificate,
a copy of your registration certificate and any other educational
diplomas that you may feel will help your cause, employment references,
a transcript of your training, and a registration authority form
from the country you are currently registered in. As you can see
there can be a substantial amount of work involved in gathering
the information that the NMC requires so you should start preparing
long before you wish to move to the U.K.
English Language requirements for U.K. nurses:
In order to prove a candidate’s ability to speak English to
a satisfactory standard the candidate will be required to undergo
an English language test at an authorized institution. An accepted
indication of this ability is demonstrated by passing the IELTS
(International English Language Testing System) examination. This
examination tests a candidates listening, reading, writing and speaking
and the candidate will receive a score for each module in addition
to an overall score from 1 to 9 (1 being the lowest score a candidate
can receive, 9 being the highest). The passing mark for this test
for compliance with the U.K. nursing standards is 6.5. Any nurse
or student from a non-English speaking country will be required
to demonstrate their ability to achieve a pass of 6.5 or greater
in order to practice or study as a nurse in the U.K.
We hope that the information provide here is of some use to you.
To help you further with your search for nursing employment or studying
in the U.K. we’ve compiled and extensive list of quality links
that may assist you. Feel free to check them out by clicking
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