General practitioners are the primary medical care you get when something is wrong with your health. They are obliged to provide you with basic medical help and if needed, refer you to get secondary care afterwards.

Becoming a GP is not an easy task – you need a degree in medicine recognised by the GMC, a two-year foundation course of general training and a specialist training in general practice. The medical field in Great Britain is highly competitive, even more so for non-UK citizens searching for a job in medicine there. What should you know before applying to a GP position if you’re not from the UK? How to get around finding such job in the first place?

 

Getting the legal right to work as a GP in the UK

Every candidate from the EEA, which stands for European Economic Area, who has qualified in an EEA member state has the right to work as a doctor in any EEA countries. This also applies to the UK, which means that if you seek for a medical job in the UK, be it a GP or any other medical profession, you will be treated the same as a British national.

This means, however, that you need to submit all your documents proving your education and abilities and if the GMC accepts them as valid, you will get full registration with the GMC.

 

What you need to do before you apply

If you got your education and proper qualifications in one of the EEA countries, all you need to do is submit the papers confirming your validity to the GMC. The General Medical Council is responsible for registering doctors to practise medicine in the UK – if you want to provide direct patient care as a GP, you must get registered before you apply for the job.

You may also need to take few additional courses. Although it is not formally required for EEA citizens to pass English exams and the qualifications they got in their home countries are valid, there are differences between British healthcare systems and respective systems in other countries. Serving as a good primary care comes with high responsibilities and as such, your employer must be sure that you are up with the standards of all your future work colleagues.

If you got the paperwork right, all you need to do is search for a job. Employment agencies are your best bet. Just tell them what are your expectations and what are you looking for – let them represent you in the best way possible.