Scope:
For most international nurses, the main appeal of working in the UK is the National Health Service. Not only is the NHS abundant in nursing jobs for both native and overseas nurses, but the benefits packages that come with NHS jobs are extremely attractive. There is an extreme shortage of qualified Nurses in the UK and the actual requirement is around 40000 presently.
Aside from a fantastic healthcare system, the UK is also extremely multicultural, catering to people from all backgrounds and cultures worldwide. Indian nurses will often find all the comforts of home in their local communities, which makes transitioning from India to the United Kingdom an easy and exciting process.
Advantages for nurses and their families:
Being an international nurse in the United Kingdom is not only about the work itself.
Every work migrant in the UK gets the following:
- A work contract, protected by the UK Labour Law
- Steady salary and annual leave (see the details of employment below)
- A Tier 2 migrant visa (work visa) for the duration of the contract, usually 3 years
- A possibility to extend the contract for another 3 years, without leaving the country
- A possibility to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (Permanent Residency) after working 5 years in the UK
- Nurses can bring their spouse and children
- Spouses are allowed to work full time
- Children of school age (5-18) get free schooling
- After getting the Indefinite Leave to remain, it is possible to apply for the UK citizenship for the whole family
- Permanent Residents of UK have access to free healthcare (NHS) same as UK citizens
What are the requirements for Indian nurses to work in the UK?
We need registered nurses with Academic IELTS (7.0 across all bands expect for writing where 6.5 is acceptable) or OET (B across all bands except for writing, where C+ is acceptable). The nurses should have worked as a nurse at some point in the last 2 years.
These are the current English language requirements by the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council), they were last updated on 21 January 2020. You can find the official information here: https://www.nmc.org.uk/registration/
Hurdles and obstacles for Nurses from India:
The main obstacle here is the English language. There are many nurses available in various databases etc., many of them are interested to work abroad. All a Nurses needs is to spend some time preparing for the exam and an English teacher with some experience of teaching IELTS (or OET). We can help you with the materials, as we have some extensive experience with a similar project in the Philippines, where we have IELTS review centres in 5 locations.
Another hurdle is how long it takes to register a nurse with the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council). The whole process from when you get your IELTS/OET, until he/she flies to the UK, may take anywhere between 4 to 8 months.