My main reason for beginning this blog was to keep family/friends updated on our plans to travel to the UK to work. When we first announced what we were hoping/planning to do we got many many many questions of why/when/where/how. I\’m going to try to start answering those questions now! We are still very early in the process so I will be updating as we get farther along. I am also going to be as specific as possible since many of you have stated interest in doing the same thing!
1. How did we hear about this?
A – Not long after I began my new job I started talking to a coworker about places Dan and I had traveled and places we still hoped to go. She started talking about all the places in Europe that her and her husband (who is not a nurse!) had visited when she travel nursed in the UK. Those few words perked my ears up and I quickly started asking for more information!
2. What company are you going through?
A – The company is called Continental Travel Nursing (google for the website and more info!). We luckily have the same recruiter as my coworker had and have had no problems with everything so far!
3. What are the requirements?
A – The main requirement is that you have your BSN. The UK will not accept an associates degree at this time. They do not have a specific requirement for experience but our recruiter said that most places would like at least 1 year (2 if you are in a specific specialty like NICU). That isn\’t set in stone but most people have a hard time without proper training! Right now the UK is hurting for NICU nurses (yay for me!!) so I will have no problem finding a job. Dan will most likely have to return to ICU nursing (ER is a much harder specialty to find over there). He will be applying for both types of positions and will take what he can get! We are so thankful that he has such an extensive background!!
4. Where will you go?
A – We have the option of going anywhere in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. We hope that our first assignment is in London so we are at a main hub for further travel and fun! After our first assignment we are open to either Scotland (Edinburgh) or Northern Ireland!
5. What are the logistics about contract length, pay, housing…..
A – Each contract is the same length that US travel assingments are (13wks). After each contract we can either extend to another 13 weeks at the same hospital, take a new contract in a new city, or head home to the US. Dan and I are planning at this time to take 2-3 contracts at LEAST so we will have 6-9 months overseas! The company will pay for our housing (usually a 2 bedroom flat) and all bills except phone & internet. Most people who travel alone share the flat with another traveler, but luckily since Dan and I are both travelers we will get the flat to ourselves. For those that are traveling with a spouse that is not a nurse you can pay the fee to have the second bedroom to yourself as well! I am not sure of the cost but my coworker said it isn\’t that bad. Each apartment is close to the metro and hospital since we will not have a car (I love the European metro system!).
Pay is done in pounds (good for us with the exchange rate!). Each hospital determines their own pay but generally England pays better than Scotland (it costs more to live there!). While it will be a pay-cut for us it will still be more than enough since we wont have any bills to pay! The pay we have been quoted has been between 13-17 pounds/hr. That is about typical for nurses over there. We will have more information once we get farther in the process! My coworker stated that her and her husband were able to travel and build a large savings with only her working…..so hopefully Dan and I will be even better off! Time will tell! (for those who travel with spouses that are not nurses the spouse can apply for a short work visa and find small jobs in the area. My coworkers husband worked at local fairs, shops, etc…).
The work hours are the same as in the US – Three 12hr shifts/wk and many places do rotating days/nights (every 4-6wks you change shifts). At first this didn\’t sound too appealing to us because of having to adjust our sleeping patterns, but we realized that we were ALWAYS alternating our sleeping patterns when we were on night shift. This would be no different except every 4-6wks we would get a break and do days! It is actually sounding pretty appealing now! We will be able to self schedule ourselves the same as the floor nurses do (and we can request specific days off if needed in our contract……so YES we will be at the wedding Michael/Katy!!).
6. When will you be going?
A – The entire process takes approximately 6 months so for right now we are planning to leave around July! We are planning on heading over there a few weeks early so that we can get some travel time in before work begins. Once there the first month will be spent traveling & going to a class to get our official UK RN license (more on this later).
7. So how do you start the process?
A – The first step is to take an English test proving that you speak English! There are no exceptions to taking the test! The official site for the test is http://www.ielts.org. The test has 4 part (Reading, Writing, Speaking, & Listening) and you must score a 7 out of 9 on each part. The test costs about $200 to take and results are usually given 2wks later (you must take this test to work in the UK or Australia!). Dan and I received our results last week (we passed….yay!!) and quickly sent them off to our recruiter. Now we are waiting to receive our board application from the UK nursing board (the NMC). We will hopefully get it this week and find out where to go from there!
I hope this helps clear up many questions everyone has!! If there are anymore please post them and I will try to find the answer! 🙂
Passports & Prams 