Obtaining Training Posts
The training and career pathways and even job titles have different significance in different countries. If you are looking for a post in the UK it is important that you apply for a post appropriate to your existing training and future career requirements. If you email the NACPDE a copy of your CV then you will be advised what grade of post you should apply for in the UK.
Dentists interested in working in a UK hospital should consult the job vacancies section of the British Dental Journal (BDJ) where posts may be advertised. If you are looking for a training post you should look at the section for hospital appointments.
Another important web site for dental training programs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is the national recruitment portal www.oriel.nhs.uk
Before you apply for any post in dentistry, you need to be sure that you are eligible for temporary registration or possibly full registration with the General Dental Council (GDC). You will also need to satisfy the health requirements for working in an exposure prone profession in the NHS.
A very good working knowledge of the English language is required when treating patients in the UK. Many complaints from patients about dental practitioners result from communication difficulties. As a professional person it is your responsibility to ensure that your command of English and your communication skills satisfy the requirements of treating patients in the UK irrespective of whether you need a formal language test or if you are treating patients in the NHS or private practice.
In recent years in the UK it has been difficult for an overseas dentist to obtain a training post. Most training posts are advertised in the BDJ and the appointments are made in open competition following an interview. The most junior hospital post is the Senior House Officer (SHO) post or Core Trainee Post. Please note that your immigration status plays a most important role in which posts you can apply for in the UK. If there is a clause on your visa that states you cannot apply for medical or dental training posts, then you are ineligible to even apply for any training post in the UK. It is important to be very realistic about employment opportunities before thinking about coming to the UK. Do not rely on advice of family or friends who may themselves have entered the UK under very different employment circumstances. If you have not researched the current employment situation then you potentially could spend a lot of money entering examinations but find it very difficult to obtain employment.
There is a lot of competition for posts. Even if you pass the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) of the GDC or the LDS of the Royal College of Surgeons there is no guarantee that you will find a job in the UK. Please remember that registration as a dentist with the GDC is not the same as the registration process with the General Medical Council (GMC), and also the nomenclature of posts is different in medicine and dentistry.