How UK Nurses can find international nursing jobs

"NHS Nurses are in high demand in many other international healthcare systems."

Job hunting can be difficult, particularly if you’re looking to work in another country. Here we summarise some points to consider, as well as how to get started in your search for a new role abroad.

Topics covered in this article

Introduction

Recruitment agencies and job boards can help UK nurses find overseas jobs

Apply directly to an employer

UK nurses can apply for a secondment abroad

Find an international nursing job today

Introduction

The NHS is highly regarded all over the globe – and NHS Nurses are in high demand in many other international healthcare systems.

The ease of applying for jobs internationally can vary from country to country – and of course, in some cases, language is a barrier.

But how do you go about finding those dream global roles?

Here’s a brief guide to your options.

Recruitment agencies and job boards can help UK nurses find overseas jobs

There are agencies both in the UK and your chosen destination country who specialise in the recruitment of UK Nurses abroad.

The beauty of working with agencies is that they can help you with every aspect of your job search.

You’ll likely need to take a test to adapt your qualifications, and you might have further complexities like language tests and visa applications.

Agencies can support you with all of this – and in some cases, might even be able to subsidise funding.

Agencies and specialist job boards will also be able to offer a range of options in different locations.

Apply directly to an employer

It’s also possible to apply directly to a healthcare organisation advertising a job.

Some organisations will be able to assist with your registration, qualification and relocation.

However, this isn’t guaranteed – and in some cases, you might need to have all of this in place before applying for the job.

It really depends on the country and the circumstance.

Some organisations on a big recruitment push might decide to offer end-to-end packages that pay all of your costs, even including flights and accommodation.

This is quite common, for example, with positions in UAE.

Whichever route you take, the most important thing is to do plenty of research first.

Get a clear understanding of where you’d like to work and what you need to get in place to be able to work there.

That will make your job search much easier.

UK nurses can apply for a secondment abroad

This is a question we get asked regularly, and the short answer is: yes. As a UK Nurse, you are able to apply for roles in a variety of other countries.

In some, adapting your qualifications and experience will be relatively simple too.

So, finding work in other countries is absolutely possible.

The more challenging part is getting agreement from your current employer to temporarily allow your secondment.

However, this is something that Nurses regularly negotiate.

Ultimately, it’s something you have to treat on a case by case basis.

It’s certainly much easier to obtain a secondment when you have a strong relationship with your employer.

But equally, even when your employer isn’t able to contractually agree to a defined secondment, it shouldn’t be a barrier for you.

There are currently more than 40,000 nursing vacancies in the NHS – and every single NHS trust relies on agency and bank nurses to meet its shift demands.

With an ageing population and the UK’s diminishing ability to attract EU-based Nurses, this shortfall doesn’t look like changing any time soon.

So, if you want to try working as a Nurse in another country for a while, ensuring you have a job to come back to shouldn’t stop you from going.

If you’re experienced enough to secure a job abroad, you’re definitely experienced enough to get a job when you choose to return.

Find an international nursing job today

If you’re eager to find a nursing role abroad, check out the latest roles on our dedicated international jobs page.