Here we take a closer look at the Medical Training Initiative (MTI), a placement scheme for more junior overseas doctors to come to the UK to receive training and development within the NHS.
To be eligible for an MTI post, certain criteria must be met. These are summarised below along with a broad look the following:
Skip ahead to the relevant section if you know what you’re looking for.
The Medical Training Initiative, or MTI, is a training programme that provides junior doctors from all over the world the opportunity to gain clinical training and development in the UK for a maximum of 24 months.
The MTI as a training scheme is mutually beneficial for both junior doctors and the NHS, in that doctors from several countries and specialisms around the world can work and train in the UK, gaining knowledge and experience which they can take back to their home country, while giving NHS Trusts a high-quality, longer-term alternative for unfilled training vacancies and rota gaps.
The training provided through the MTI scheme will vary between programmes; however, it will typically follow the CCT curriculum (Certificate of Completion of Training). The level of training will be highly dependent on the doctor’s interests, competence and the training available within the placement hospital.
At the beginning of each placement, doctors are allocated an Educational Supervisor who will help to set the doctor’s specific training objectives to meet over the 24 months of the placement.
The MTI has been designed specifically with junior doctors in mind, therefore sponsorship will not be offered to consultants, specialty doctors or for locum-appointed service posts (LAS).
The criteria also differ among MTI programmes, so eligibility criteria should be checked directly with the Royal College before applying. However, the general elements of eligibility include the following:
There are two ways to join the MTI programme:
Specialties may use either, or a combination of these two methods, so we suggest visiting the Royal College and searching for their information on the MTI scheme.
The availability of MTI posts will vary between each Royal College, as certain specialties are more consultant-led, meaning there are fewer training posts for junior doctors. Once again, we suggest finding out more from the relevant Royal College.
Advantages
Disadvantages
MTI candidates require a Tier 5 visa to travel to the UK. Applications for the visa can only be made after receiving the Certificate of Sponsorship.
Applications for Tier 5 visas must be made from your home country (or the country you work in), but never from the UK.
The visa must only be used for travel to the UK at the beginning of the placement and will activate after your arrival, lasting for exactly two years from your arrival date.
Please note that Tier 5 visas cannot be extended.
All doctors practicing in the UK MUST be registered with the GMC. For MTI candidates, registration is typically supported by the Royal College, but some NHS Trusts also have the right to register MTI doctors.
English Language Testing
As always with GMC registration, candidates will also need to provide evidence of English language skills. This can be done by passing either the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or the OET (OET – Occupational English Test). Detailed guides to these tests can be found below:
IELTS – a guide for overseas doctors
OET – a guide for overseas doctors
MTI posts are either paid, or candidates are required to secure funding for their placement as detailed above.
Where the placements are paid, the salary received by the MTI doctor corresponds to trainees at a similar level in the UK. All trainees can expect to commence their MTI training at an equivalent salary to ST3 level.
Some hospitals may take prior international experience into account while others do not. This is at the discretion of the hospital and not the Royal College. Hospitals can also decide whether to employ MTI doctors under the 2002 or 2016 junior doctor contract, which have slightly different pay scales.
Therefore, it's best to verify as early as possible where your placement will be paid, whether your prior experience will be taken into account, and under what pay scale you will be paid.
We’ve detailed the general processes involved in MTI below, from a candidate’s initial application for a post, to their final interview with the Royal College after gaining GMC registration:
Ordinarily, on completion of the MTI scheme, doctors return to their home country with the training and experience they gained from working in the NHS.
Some doctors may want to remain in the UK after completing the MTI for a number of reasons. This can be done if the doctor finds another NHS post, in which case, they may be able to switch from the Tier 5 visa to the Tier 2 Health and Care Worker visa. For more information on the Health and Care Worker Visa, please see here.
If you want to find another NHS post after completing the MTI, applying for your first NHS job follows the same process as any other doctor. You will need to consider what job it is you would like to obtain and what location in the UK you would prefer to relocate to. For guidance on jobs in your specialty in the UK, please see our IMG Resources library.
Once you are ready to start the application process you can get in touch with us – IMG Connect can offer you expert advice and representation throughout the recruitment and relocation process.
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