The English Language competence test is widely regarded as the greatest challenge when it comes to international nurses being eligible to practice in the UK. In order to register with the nursing and midwifery council, nurses must first achieve either Level 7.0 in every area of the IELTS test, or a level B pass in every area of the OET – undoubtedly a high bar.
The IELTS has been criticised for being irrelevant to a nurse’s day to day duties, however it is not yet clear if the OET is proving easier to pass – and it is more expensive. Regardless, the English Language requirement has been set at a high standard in order to try to protect the British public, and accordingly it is an obstacle that must be overcome if a nurse wants to relocate to the UK successfully.
So what can you do to help your nurses pass their English Language competence test without unnecessary delays? Here are some top tips:
- Work with a provider who offers IELTS or OET passed nurses. Agents who have a rigorous and effective English Language programme in place should be able to offer you nurses who have already passed this exam, removing this obstacle for you entirely and enabling you to workforce plan with more confidence.
- Make sure nurses are not “self-reviewing” for their IELTS. If you do decide to make offers to candidates who haven’t yet passed their IELTS, make sure they are enrolled on a robust language programme and aren’t studying independently. Often when nurses self-review they take their exam too early and fail. This is very detrimental in terms of confidence, and also creates an additional delay as nurses need to save to pay for the next test which can take several months. It is better that a nurse is working with a review centre who can advise them on when they should take their test to minimise the risk of this.
- Enrol nurses on an intensive language Bootcamp. Please note that in this context, a Bootcamp means an intensive, immersive and residential English Language course of at least one month where a nurse is relieved from their work and family responsibilities and can therefore fully dedicate themselves to studying. It is NOT just an English Language tuition programme which is fairly standard. The benefit of a Bootcamp is that nurses have the time to study and also have support available to them. You can find out more about the My Healthcare Recruit Bootcamp using this link: http://bit.ly/2DNXDfx.
If you have other approaches that have worked for you, we’d love to hear from you. Email hello@myhealthcarerecruit.com
My Healthcare Recruit supports UK healthcare employers in the public, private, and care sector to find international nurses who are a great fit for their organization, by using market-leading video interviewing tools to connect them to our database of qualified candidates. Our innovative approach makes international candidates easier to find and more cost-effective to source than ever before. Find out more at www.myhealthcarerecruit.com