554 nursing jobs await Filipino nurses in the United Kingdom as of October 2014 according to Department of Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz in a press release Tuesday.
Baldoz said the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in the UK had received and verified eight job orders from various Foreign Placement Agencies (FPAs).
The UK is in need of Filipino nurses to replace its ageing nursing workforce. UK’s Center for Workforce and the Royal College of Nursing said that 24 percent of its pool of registered nurses are set to retire in the next five years.
“There is demand for Filipino nurses in the UK due to its ageing nursing workforce and the shrinking pool of registered nurses,” Philippine Labor Attache in the UK Joan Lavilla said in her report to Secretary Baldoz.
The 554 nursing job offers are from eight job orders of the following placement agencies:
Search Recruitment Limited and Medicare Staffing Limited will deploy 180 and 60 nurses, respectively, to Northwest London Hospitals, Gloucestershire Hospitals, and Kingston Hospitals. These hospitals are National Health Service (NHS) Trusts.
Update
One of the recruitment agencies have submitted to Nurseslabs their requirements and will hold an interview this November 25 to 27, 2014. For more info, please see our post: 1,000 Nurses Needed in UK by Medicare Staffing Ltd
Learn more
Pure Health Staffing Limited, Job Connections UK Limited, Sky Care Health Limited, and More Medical Associates Limited will deploy 314 Filipino nurses to UK private care homes: Rushcliffe Care Group, Gold Care Homes Limited, Bond Care Limited, and Four Seasons.
“There was an increase of job orders for Filipino nurses by 38 percent compared to last year’s, with 402 job orders,” Baldoz said.
Other than the 554 job orders, Drake International reports 487 job opportunities for Filipino nurses for its five clients: Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, New Victoria Hospital, BMI Healthcare, and Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust. Drake International submits recruitment requirements directly to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
Lavilla pointed out the challenges faced by Filipino nurses upon recruitment. Attaining the score of 7 in the English language test for IELTS and the revised registration process implemented by UK’s Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which had imposed a two-part application process: the first, a computer-based multiple choice examination, and the second, a practical objective structured clinical examination.
Lavilla said POLO-UK had already met with six placement agencies: TTM Healthcare, Care.com, The Placement Group, International Recruitment London Limited, Medacs Healthcare, and NEU Professionals Limited to discuss the procedures and documentary requirements for hiring Filipino nurses.
Meanwhile, Baldoz cited the 2014 hiring cap of 20,700 impored by the UK for Filipino nurses has not been reached yet.
“Hence, more slots are available for Filipino nurses, considering the availability of UK’s own local pool of workers, as well as those coming from the European Union. The United Kingdom’s labor market remains a qualitative and quantitative selective market for migrant workers,” she said.
General Requirements and How to Apply
During an interview of Nurseslabs with Ms. Joan Lavilla of POLO-UK, she gave an overview of the requirements and application processes. Here’s what transpired during the interview:
Requirements and Qualifications
Nurse applicants need to be registered with the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) before they can work in the UK.
- Registered with UK Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Complete the registration process and pass the two tests: (1) a computer-based test; and (2) a practical test. For more details, visit this link.
- Graduate of a nursing degree and registered in the country of origin.
- At least 1 year work experience.
- IELTS score of 7 or higher in each of the aspects of reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
- Good health and no criminal record.
Obtaining Work Visa
To obtain a work permit, a migrant nurse must have a job offer from a licensed UK entity. To check whether a UK sponsor is allowed to hire workers from overseas, please visit this. An applicant for Tier 2 (General Worker), when evaluated must score 70 points based on the following attributes: the job offer from a licensed sponsor/certificate of sponsorship, English language skills, and maintenance funds.
Application Process
For the 554 vacancies reported, the UK employers have coursed their requirements thru their partner Philippine Recruitment Agencies as has been reported by the DOLE. Applicants can get in touch with the PRAs.
Salary
The salary ranges from £16,271 to £20,500 per annum with a tenure of service from 1 to 3 years.
Lavilla also warned “both Philippine and UK laws prohibit the charging of placement fees relative to obtaining employment hereat.”
Special thanks to Ms. Joan Lavilla of POLO-UK for the info!
Update: We will provide more specific details from each of the recruitment agencies themselves on the upcoming days. Please stay tuned!
The post Updated: UK Needs 554 Filipino Nurses this 2014, Here’s How to Apply appeared first on Nurseslabs.