International Student Advisors 4U

allnurses Guide · Sep 6, 2008

It is clearly stated that the students will work in nursing care homes. I don't see the point of studying again when you earned already your BSN or already a licensed RN. It would only be an advantage if you are an undergraduate. What is the BSc (Hons) in Health and Social Care all about? Is it like a care giving crash course? I hope UK nurses can fill in with this one.

The BSc in Health and social care is nothing to do with nursing, it is a Degree level program aimed at people who may want to work within the national health service (please bear in mind that as non UK / EU citizens you will not be eligible for a work visa after completing)

It is used as a foundation degree for students who want to go on and study a healthcare speciality, so of little use as a stand alone qualification. And it teaches about health and social care within the UK, so of little use if you want to work anywhere other than the UK.

In other words it will be of no use to anyone who is not a UK / EU citizen

It is a ploy to get your money, get some cheep labour and exploit desperate nurses who then run the risk of living in poverty for 2 years in the UK on poor wages in a country where the cost of living is increasing.

trulyblessed · Sep 15, 2008

Hello,

I would like to get an advice from you. I am very much interested to study in UK for the National Vocational Qualification, I think of considering this while waiting for the retrogression in the USA to be lifted. I already passed the NCLEX just recently and will take the IELTS this week. I only had less than 6 month experience in a secondary hospital here in the Philippines as a volunteer. I really find it hard to get a job here as a RN in Tertiarry hospital and I know being a volunteer doesn't qualify as full time experience.

Do you think is it ok for me to be on a study and work program in UK while waiting for my USA visa application to be processed? I do not intend to stay in UK after finishing the 2-year course since my primary destination is US. I am about to pay the downpayment for the tuition in UK this week, its a good thing I've read the posts here, I hope someone will reply here as soon as possible because I really have to make my final decision whether to pursue this or not. :innerconf

Thank you in advance. :nurse:

Silverdragon102, BSN · Sep 15, 2008

Hello,
I would like to get an advice from you. I am very much interested to study in UK for the National Vocational Qualification, I think of considering this while waiting for the retrogression in the USA to be lifted. I already passed the NCLEX just recently and will take the IELTS this week. I only had less than 6 month experience in a secondary hospital here in the Philippines as a volunteer. I really find it hard to get a job here as a RN in Tertiarry hospital and I know being a volunteer doesn't qualify as full time experience.
Do you think is it ok for me to be on a study and work program in UK while waiting for my USA visa application to be processed? I do not intend to stay in UK after finishing the 2-year course since my primary destination is US. I am about to pay the downpayment for the tuition in UK this week, its a good thing I've read the posts here, I hope someone will reply here as soon as possible because I really have to make my final decision whether to pursue this or not. :innerconf
Thank you in advance.

To study in the UK you have to prove that you can support yourself completely in the UK whilst on the course. I personally would recommend something more generally accepted than a NVQ course. Suggest you read this thread https://allnurses.com/forums/f235/working-studying-uk-332162.html

allnurses Guide · Sep 15, 2008

Hello,
I would like to get an advice from you. I am very much interested to study in UK for the National Vocational Qualification, I think of considering this while waiting for the retrogression in the USA to be lifted. I already passed the NCLEX just recently and will take the IELTS this week. I only had less than 6 month experience in a secondary hospital here in the Philippines as a volunteer. I really find it hard to get a job here as a RN in Tertiarry hospital and I know being a volunteer doesn't qualify as full time experience.
Do you think is it ok for me to be on a study and work program in UK while waiting for my USA visa application to be processed? I do not intend to stay in UK after finishing the 2-year course since my primary destination is US. I am about to pay the downpayment for the tuition in UK this week, its a good thing I've read the posts here, I hope someone will reply here as soon as possible because I really have to make my final decision whether to pursue this or not. :innerconf
Thank you in advance.

What do you aim to gain from doing the NVQ, it is a certificate that is only recognised in the UK, it is not a nurisng qualification, it will not help you gain employment as a nurse, it will not help you get to the US.

In fact you will spend 2 years gaining no experience of nursing because you will be working as an unqualified carer getting a certificate which is of little use.

Personally I think it is a waste of your money and time, you will struggle on what little money you are able to earn on the 20 hours a week you are able to work on a student Visa and your paying money to a company for something which is of absolutely no use to you as a nurse.

marcusantonius · Sep 25, 2008

for silverdragon102 and sharrie, i respect both your opinions. but aren't you just pessimists? can you not see the brighter side of having a student visa? to earn and while working there in UK? by the way, i'm Filipino and I just had my student visa for UK. i am proud of my decision.

you say that students are going to be cheap laborers as carers in UK? have you ever thought that it's more worst in the Phils? exhausting work, too many patients, but very very low compensation.

to travel to UK is an advantage itself. not everyone will have this kind of opportunity. plus earning pounds is way more better than earning peso. you might say that earn pounds but spend pounds. but we will be able to send our families bigger amount of money.

allnurses Guide · Sep 26, 2008

Nope not a pessamist, I live in the UK, I know what it's like and how expensive it is to live here. I know how much I struggle to make ends meet and I have a very well paid job.

Additionally, when you come over here and work in excess of 20 hours your breaking the law and the terms of your student Visa, if you do that quite frankly you deserve to be deported. There are enough UK nationals desperate to find work and because people work illegally for little money thier chances of finding work are less.

I am sorry that there are nurses out of work in the phillipines but I am even more sorry for my own countrymen and women who struggle to find work because of those who work illegally for low pay.

Unless you have significant savings you are not going to survive on 20 hours carers pay, it's not enough in the current ecenomic climate, there will not enough money for you to live on let alone send any home

suzanne4, RN · Sep 26, 2008

for silverdragon102 and sharrie, i respect both your opinions. but aren't you just pessimists? can you not see the brighter side of having a student visa? to earn and while working there in UK? by the way, i'm Filipino and I just had my student visa for UK. i am proud of my decision.
you say that students are going to be cheap laborers as carers in UK? have you ever thought that it's more worst in the Phils? exhausting work, too many patients, but very very low compensation.
to travel to UK is an advantage itself. not everyone will have this kind of opportunity. plus earning pounds is way more better than earning peso. you might say that earn pounds but spend pounds. but we will be able to send our families bigger amount of money.

You can call it what you want, but we are being very honest with what is happening in the UK right now and what is going to be happening. You are not going to be paid as an RN, but as a care-giver and only for the 20 hours per week. Anything over that and then you are not meeting the terms of the student visa and are subject to being deported and not permitted to return to the UK. Other issue is that you will be living at poverty level by UK standards, you may think that you will have money to send home, but the fact is that you will probably not even have enough to cover your expenses there at all. You forget that you are going to need winter clothes as a start, as well as transportation around town, etc. This is going to cost you more than what you will be making, you also get taxes taken out of your pay, so you are not going to be taking home the full amount.

When you actually see what it is going to cost you and what you will be receiving, you would be much further ahead to live in your country and earn pesos. It is definitely not a smart move any way that you look at it.

You came here for advice and you were given it. To tell people that live in the UK and are very aware of what is happening there that you know more about things there is just not the way that things should be done. Unfortunately, you will probably be contacting your family to have them send money to you to cover you while you are there. And the training there will not be considered as current experience as an RN, so you lose out no matter how you call it.

I wish you the best, you are going to need all of the help that you can get.

suzanne4, RN · Sep 26, 2008

Thanks for sharing that information, Silverdragon. There are a lot of Filipinos leaving the country not knowing the full information about the program. Another question would be, what will happen to them after 2 years? Will they remain in UK as caregivers or go back home?
Many of them think that they can stay there and work after program. The business or program is proliferating across the country especially in remote areas where they can easily make money. So sad to hear this.

The student visa will not permit them to stay when that contract is up. There is no way that they will be permitted to remain there and work in any capacity. The visa with this type of program is severely limited.

Next question would be why in the world would anyone with a four year BSN want to work as unskilled laborer and this is what they would be. They cannot do one thing that requires a license, or they are subject to immediate deportation, they will not have a license to do anything there at all. Makes absolutely no sense to me at all. And then one does not have current work experience as an RN either, so that will actually work against them later on. These programs can promise all that they want, but the fact remains that the UK government is not going to have visas as nurse for them later on, and without current experience as an RN, there would be no way for them to get a visa as an RN later on if visas would become available.

Only person that gets helped is the owner of the program that makes money from them; definitely not the care-giver.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Sep 26, 2008

Lets put some figures on the line. Generally as carers you are paid minimal wage at that at the moment if aged over 22 is £5.52 an hour, if aged between 18-20 it is £4.20 an hour. Deductions from this will be Income tax and National Insurance. There will also be rent, food bills, electric/gas, phone (if you have it)public transport unless you buy a car then there is road tax and petrol/gas, clothes and footwear plus any other bills that come in. The costs soon add up and only being able to work 20 hours a week means the money doesn't stretch far.

zasha · Oct 6, 2008

This thread has been very informative. Thank you to all who shared their own personal experiences. Let me share mine. I attended a seminar in an agency here in the Philippines with the same program offered: study-work program in UK taking up NVQ. Two of my friends went through with the program I did not because I do not have the money anymore to shell out and also I already pass the NCLEX and IELTS. I attended the seminar for the purpose of knowing what options can we nurses have in the Phil.

Anyway as I said my friends already went through with it. Their papers are under process as we speak. I feel sorry if thats the real situation there. The agency gave an impression that we will be able to still earn money, enough to sustain us there and send money back home. And in fact one of the Filipinos who is already there is able to earned back all their expenses prior to going to UK in just three months time.

All the worst case scenarios are mentioned, I would like to know that if there is any good at all that can come out of pursuing this study-work program in the UK. Anyone please share if u have personal experiences or know someone under the NVQ program, do share what u know. Thank you very much!

suzanne4, RN · Oct 6, 2008

None, as one cannot remain there to work when they are done.

And it is not winter yet, lets see how much they have to spend to keep warm and for taxis when the weather is quite cold.

allnurses Guide · Oct 6, 2008

This thread has been very informative. Thank you to all who shared their own personal experiences. Let me share mine. I attended a seminar in an agency here in the Philippines with the same program offered: study-work program in UK taking up NVQ. Two of my friends went through with the program I did not because I do not have the money anymore to shell out and also I already pass the NCLEX and IELTS. I attended the seminar for the purpose of knowing what options can we nurses have in the Phil.
Anyway as I said my friends already went through with it. Their papers are under process as we speak. I feel sorry if thats the real situation there. The agency gave an impression that we will be able to still earn money, enough to sustain us there and send money back home. And in fact one of the Filipinos who is already there is able to earned back all their expenses prior to going to UK in just three months time.
All the worst case scenarios are mentioned, I would like to know that if there is any good at all that can come out of pursuing this study-work program in the UK. Anyone please share if u have personal experiences or know someone under the NVQ program, do share what u know. Thank you very much!

You can read here what has been said about this program. The NVQ has absolutely no value to you as a nurse, it is a certificate that our carers undertake. You have seen the finance that silverdragon has posted and in my opinon that is optimistic. I live in the UK so I know how expensive it is to live and work here.

On 20 hours a week at carers pay (remember that is just the minimum wage) you are going to be on the poverty line. The only way you will be able to survive is if you breech your Visa terms and work more hours in which case you will end up being sent home.

It's your choice it makes no difference to Suzanne, Silverdragon or myself if you decide to listen to us, but please bear in mind that we have first hand experience of the system and country you are talking about, I live in the UK and always have done. The company you are talking about is only interested in making money, we gain absolutely no benefit from giving you a realistic picture of life in the UK.