UK rules makes life tough for overseas physios

[REEJOJOHN]

Hi
There are 1000's of physio's dreaming and hoping to make it to the uk and pursue a career in the NHS. But unlike the sweet fragnance in dreams...this dream can be a bitter reality.
I qualified in India and got my HPC in 2004. Then in 2005 i managed to get a working holiday maker visa and landed in UK. I was successful to obtain a 6 month contract with the NHS as a physiotherapist and during this tenure i saw the ugly underbelly of the medical system in UK.
Eventhough there are equal oppurtunities and NO racism in the paper, it very much exists in the british society. In interviews for jobs, if they have a white candidate and that too internal...then we are just scapegoats and always end up listening to the whitemans elaborate statement of why you were unsuccessful.
Also there is a hidden government policy....the government spends money on training british physios and so the first priority is to employ them. The british tax system ensures that the government gets back all that they have spend.
Next is the immigration system. 5 years on a work permit will ensure you a Permanent residence, but during the 5 years you have to pay all your taxes and you are not entitled to any benifits.
The monthly cuts are horrendous. on an average there is about 35% of your salary taken back as tax, National insurance and pension.which leaves you with money for the month.
All this makes the situation pretty bleak and i certainly feel that this is afterall not the ideal place for an overseas physio..

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[Physiobase]

You do sound like you had a bad experience. To be honest the element of what you bring to light exist in most countries employing overseas workers. I think it is fair to say that if you train as a physio in the UK, then you should hope that you are offered a position as opposed to no job at all and that a foreign candidate should not get a job in the public health systems above the UK candidate. This would seem fair for any country.

There are areas of the UK that have a high proportion of one culture vs. others. This cultural strength in a particular area and often a great opportunity for foreign pt's to get a leg in with an NHS trust. The language and cultural skills are a great asset and the racism component would be much lower as a result.

Working in the NHS in some areas also offers accommodation and even food if living in nursing accommodation. For the working holiday PT this makes a very attractive opportunity. A couple a used to live with who got married worked here for 2 years and saved enought to go home to australia and nearly pay off their entire mortgage. Should they return now and work in private practice then the money is even more although they will have increased costs of living in that area of practise.

Overall the UK, like many well developed countries does offer a great place to learn. You will often earn a lot more than in a poorer country and perhaps the lifestyle might even be an interesting change. I that said there are few jobs on the ground in the UK right now and they will have to go to the graduates that have no jobs at present, as well they should.

Unfortunately the dream is exactly that, a dream. The reality is always far from it but then is that not a problem with the dream?

p.s. I am an Australian Physio working in the UK and have done so for 10 years. It was a great place 10 years ago for a working holiday. It's not so great right now but then it still does have a wealth of opportunities as part of a life long learning experience. :\

[REEJOJOHN]

Well u guessed right....i have been tru some sort of experience here...but i certainly agree that experience counts and the exposure i got is definetly fantastic...
the point i was making was in general....there r lots of people who wants to settle in the UK....i was hoping to give them a small preview to the hardships they have to face to acheive their dream....

[Podiatry]

Hello there, I am a podiatrist in Worcester, England and I have worked along side many people of all creeds and colours from other countries in both the NHS and private practice. I think Britain is a great place to work and while there may be a small amount of prejudice in the UK towards workers from overseas, it is certainly no worse than anywhere else, the UK offers some fab opportunities for physio workers, so hang in there...