Newly qualified PT advice needed

I have officially just qualified since Sept. I am very proud of my achievement and delighted to have finally joined this group of professional workers!

The main issue is the next step - I am an Irish national with full HPC reg. Since the job situation is so bad both in Ireland and the UK I was wondering if anyone could give me advice as to what I could do in order to gain more experience while attracting potential employers at the same time. I am applying left right and centre but I feel I am being pipped by other juniors/ band 5's who already have working experience! I have arranged for volunteer work within a hospital in Ireland in order to gain similar experience but obviously without pay. I have thought about going further abroad but I am just wondering will my applications get the same reception as the ones in the UK with my limited post experience....


Can anyone advise me or guide me in my next step?!?


Cheers

I can only give you advice to keep on checking NHS job site everyday and keep applying! It might be also worthwhile to join an agency like Reed to get a temporary job so you can add this to your CV. Any experience is better than none! You do not necessary need to be working already to secure your first post following qualification :) It also may be worthwhile to get as much practice as possible with mock interviews. Hope this helps. Good luck in securing your first job.

Hi I was in your shoes three and half years ago. I had done my degree in England but still was faced with the same predicament when i returned home to Ireland. I applied to fifty Band s jobs over the space of 2months. Of the fifty, i got 10 interview invites. I flew over for 6 of those interviews. I got the choice of two different jobs in the end - one temporary and one permanent.

My advice is to spend a lot of time on your personal statement talking about your experience to date, the hospital and surrounding area and also most importantly current NHS and CSP issues. Check NHS jobs every day and apply for everything. Join facebook physio interview groups also.

Its a bit of a catch 22 situation at the moment because you feel you need experience to get experience but you'll get there in the end....persevere!!
P.S. I dont think you'll find work easy further a field. I'd advise to concentrate on applying to jobs in the UK for the moment