Job market still dire?

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Hi there,

I'm wondering if anyone could give me an update on the job market in the UK? I know that things have been tough with the NHS of late - but are things still as dire on hiring front? (I have searched the posts on here, and have been reading this forum for years - but I haven't seen anything in the last 6 months or so about this topic)

I see a fair few job posts on the NHS jobs website whenever I search - are these actual posts that are intended to be filled? Or are they posted because they legally have to be, but there is no budget to actually fill the positions (this is happening a lot where I work in Canada)

One more question about the NHS job site - are the postings I see ALL the job postings that the NHS has available, or is there a portion of jobs for internal applicants only that I'm not privy to as I'm not working for the NHS? I'm just wondering if the jobs I see posted is a true indication of how many available jobs there are, or if there are more available to those already employed by eh NHS.

I am an RN in Canada with British Citizenship, and would love to move back to England - but I know that conditions and health care are in a bit of an upheaval (as they are here in my neck of the woods)… I don't want to be naive in my decision making, and don't want to go through the costly overseas registration only to get to the UK and be jobless.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Jobs are in demand from what I have seen. Jobs I went for when in the UK went to the best applicant regardless internal or external but a lot employers probably will want you to be going through or registered with NMC

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The posts you see on the NHS website, are the posts that are available. If they are specifically for internal applicants then it will be made very clear in the advert. Nurses are very in demand in the NHS, but the current Tory government want to put an immigration policy in place that will force any non - EU migrant earning less than £35,000 per year to leave the country. As you can guess, most nurses don't earn anywhere near that much, but I do think they will not apply this rule to healthcare workers. Can I ask why do you want to move to back to the UK. I know Canada's job market isn't great, but nurses are treated like garbage here. You'll most likely have to start at the beginning of band 5, unless you have a Masters or PhD. Also the pay is really low, you'll earn less than £2000 after tax, and I know it's not about the money, but that's peanuts for a professional career.

In my whole life I've only ever met one North American nurse working in the NHS, she was a young woman from the US and the only reason she was here was because she married a British man. She said nursing here was a bit of a step down - I assume because of the differences in practice, and that she really wanted to go back to America. I love the NHS, but the nursing profession is on it's knees here. If I were you I would stay in Canada and wait for something to come up, if I could I would love to go to Canada and be a nurse but I really don't think it's feasible for me.

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Didnt realise you have a British passport, I don't think the new immigration laws will apply to you!

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Specializes in ER.

I know of several hospitals that are still actively recruiting overseas. One London hospital has just seen its matron return from a recruiting tour of Philippines. And yet there are hardly any jobs at that hospital advertised on the NHS website.

Maybe someone could explain this?

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I know of several hospitals that are still actively recruiting overseas. One London hospital has just seen its matron return from a recruiting tour of Philippines. And yet there are hardly any jobs at that hospital advertised on the NHS website.

Maybe someone could explain this?

If a post has a certain number of applications, then it's taken off the NHS site, and if they don't hire enough suitable applicants then they place the post again. Certain wards have running applications like CC or elderly care and some trusts prefer to take on international applicants because either they don't receive enough home grown nurses or there is a lot less hassle placed on them to find nurses as an agency usually does it.

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Don't do it ashschu!

Whatever means don't do it. I too am a U.S./UK citizen who trained in America. The NMC process is a nightmare and can take up to a year or more. You are treated very badly if you are perceived as foreign. The level of training in North America is more detailed and you use more of your skills!!! Please save your self the mental headache and do not do it. I will tell anyone who has trained in North America...do not come here to explore nursing. The pay is low, the attitudes of nurses towards you is horrible, and I had to "work as a nurse assistant" before I could get my pin...and I am a board certified adult nurse practitioner and women's health nurse practitioner in the US with 10 years nursing experience. People rave about the NHS, but the system is defunct, over subscribed, and antiquated in some aspects.

If you don't speak with a British accent, you are the nothing to them. I hate it hear. I came here for my fiancée and this was 10 steps back career wise. Please do not do it!!!! Take it from me....someone who has lost her confidence and completely demoralised by this process.

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Specializes in Critical care.

Most jobs advertised on NHS jobs are available posts however it's not unheard of posts being withdrawn prior to people starting in them because of a lack of funding. The jobs you can see on NHS jobs cover England and Wales, Scotland has it's own separate site for jobs.

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umm they keep ringing me offering me jobs, NHS is looking for nurses right now, lots going in my hospital..

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Well, I hate to say it but I'm not surprised by these responses... The step down in pay and the fact that RNs aren't all that well respected/supported over in the UK have been the points that have me questioning my decisions

However my urge to come to England isn't for the work - it is a life choice, I love it there and want to move back!

Ideally I would like to end up working as a CASH nurse or health visitor (though I know I would have to do a post grad diploma for this) as these are both aspects of my job as a Public Health nurse here that I love. I guess I am trying to have rose coloured glasses that being out of the acute care setting would be tolerable - because I want to be back in The UK so bad, I'm just hoping I could make do in the job, you know?

I'm halfway through the process of getting registered with the NMC so I suppose I will find out soon enough how good/bad things may be - to be honest, they aren't so great in my neck of the woods with the constant underfunding, understaffing, and high burnout.... So I figure if I'm trading same for same, might as well be in beautiful England!!

Thanks for all the replies!

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Specializes in ER.
Don't do it ashschu!

Whatever means don't do it. I too am a U.S./UK citizen who trained in America. The NMC process is a nightmare and can take up to a year or more. You are treated very badly if you are perceived as foreign. The level of training in North America is more detailed and you use more of your skills!!! Please save your self the mental headache and do not do it. I will tell anyone who has trained in North America...do not come here to explore nursing. The pay is low, the attitudes of nurses towards you is horrible, and I had to "work as a nurse assistant" before I could get my pin...and I am a board certified adult nurse practitioner and women's health nurse practitioner in the US with 10 years nursing experience. People rave about the NHS, but the system is defunct, over subscribed, and antiquated in some aspects.

If you don't speak with a British accent, you are the nothing to them. I hate it hear. I came here for my fiancée and this was 10 steps back career wise. Please do not do it!!!! Take it from me....someone who has lost her confidence and completely demoralised by this process.

I need to balance out this post by saying that I had the same situation when moving from the UK to the US.

It took forever to get a state license once I passed NCLEX, and even longer to find a job. I'm a nurse practitioner in England, but that means nothing in the US and I had a long fight even getting to interview, because even though my resume is strong, its "foreign".

I'm English but most days I get patients asking me if I am from Australia or Ireland.

I find the ignorance of life outside the US staggering. One family were guessing at my nationality, and guessed Ireland and Netherlands.

I said they were close with both guesses, and in fact I'm from the country in between Ireland and Netherlands. Their reaction to that information - "Oh, so you are from Africa."

Seriously?

Don't they have maps in US schools?

:roflmao:

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Yikes! I am a U.S. nurse hoping to move to Scotland. Are working conditions for nurses the same all across the UK?

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