Applying for a Job in UK
Dr Lean Peng Cheah graduated as the dux of MB BS from the
University of Melbourne. He is the first overseas student to have
achieve such outstanding recognition. As an international student
from Malaysia, he was elected as the president of OMSS from 1993 to 1994.
In the following article, he will be providing us a tip in the topic of
looking for a job in the United Kingdom. Any further enquiries can
be directed to the OMSS.
Finding a job
Check the classifieds section in the British Medical
Journal through the internet at http://www.bmj.com.
Contact the hospital advertised and ask them to fax you the application
forms. They usually send the job profile to you by mail as it is
too costly for them to fax.
If your consultants have worked in the UK before, ask
if they have any contacts whom you can talk to. This is more difficult
as technically all jobs have to be advertised. But who knows, you
may get lucky.
General Medical Council
One can apply for Provisional Registration upon graduation
and Full Registration can be obtained after the completion of the
intern year. It is a good idea to apply in advance. Please
note that from 1st Jan 1999, one has to sit for the IELTS as well to test
on one¡¦s English. This is rather silly but a necessary chore.
The test will take a day to do; written in the morning and orals in the
afternoons.
Getting the job
Given that you are applying from Australia, it is very
important to present all your strong points on your curriculum vitae.
So prepare it well. It is also worthwhile doing a bit of research on how
to prepare CVs. Make sure that it is legible even if you fax it.
Hence it is a good idea not to use a font smaller than 12.
Applying for a job in the UK is very competitive, especially
for SHO jobs at teaching hospitals. Sometimes there can be over 200
applicants for one job. It would be good if you also have recommendation
letters by your consultants. Fax it to the hospital together with
your application as well.
Interviews
Applicants will be short-listed for interviews.
If you are unable to attend personally, then try to arrange for a telephone
interview if possible. At some hospitals, the facilities exist for
video-conferencing.
A telephone interview is quite difficult as one does not
have the visual cues to rely on. Prepare for it as the questions
asked are pretty routine. Very rarely, one will still be offered
the job without an interview if your CV is exceptional and you have very
strong letters of recommendation and references.
Final Tip
Be prepared for failure. Try and try again.
There are so many hospitals there and it is just a matter of finding the
right hospital.
By Dr Lean Peng Cheah
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