Pulse offer tips on how to prepare for overseas nursing job applications

Looking for overseas jobs for nurses? Read this first! Pulse International explain what a nurse needs to have, needs to consider and needs to prepare before they commence their search for overseas nursing vacancies.

Tell us about Pulse International inbound and outbound nursing jobs.Pulse International deals with nurse, doctor and ahp recruitment to the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand and Canada and with inbound recruitment from anywhere in the world.

Basically there are three main areas of business at Pulse - Health and Social Care at home and abroad, Managed Partnerships (that's hospital bank management) and Community Healthcare (which involves everything from complex care packages to one-off care when granny falls over).

What are the biggest challenges facing the UK nursing recruiter who’s job it is to find quality inbound candidates as well as UK nurses looking to work overseas?

The biggest challenge facing us as a nursing recruiter in the international department is candidate attraction - that is, to attract high-quality, properly experienced who are western-trained and hold a western passport.

There is a shortage of good candidates and so our challenge in the UK is to make working for Pulse the most attractive option. We do this by offering very significant benefits - for example, through our Privilege Scheme, many Pulse candidates can become associate employees of Pulse which entitle them to employee benefits.

From a naïve point of view, we’d imagine all nurses looking to work overseas wants to go to Australia for a nursing job? Is this the case?

Yes, lots of people want to go to Australia and New Zealand. The attraction of the Middle East though is that it gives the opportunity to save loads of money - a nurse can save £30,000 a year and still have a good time because salaries are tax-free, free accommodation is provided, airfares paid and there are end-of-contract bonuses.

What tips would you give a qualified UK nurse considering working in the Middle East – I’m thinking of practical and psychological preparation?

They have to remember that they are going to a totally different culture. So we would strongly recommend a nurse researches country, its customs and traditions before applying for jobs. Remember the code of practice and quality control will be very different and they will have to do drug calculation tests.

They will have to be pro-active about their social life - no pubs for example. Women are not recommended to go out alone and in Saudi must wear the Abaya (long black cloak) when out. Women are not allowed to drive in Saudi. These elements need to be considered.

If a nurse wants to apply for jobs in the Middle East, what do they need to have in terms of documentation?

Nurses wanting to work in the ME need to be registered with a minimum of 2 years experience (4 years in the UAE). Absolutely everything must be documented on the CV and Certificates of Service will be needed from every employer. All gaps in service will have to be accounted for.

What are the typical requirements for nurse jobs in the Middle East?

We are usually only able to place western-trained nurses holding western passports. And in the ME nurses are given single-status contracts. All jobs will be contracts mostly for a year, or two years renewable.

Do you find it’s mostly nurses who are single who want to try working overseas, or do people move their whole family?

Young, unencumbered candidates are the most typical, probably because they are more mobile so they make up the bulk of our international job-seeking candidates who show an interest in our overseas nurse jobs.

Thank you to Pulse. If you’re interested in working in nursing in Australia, New Zealand or the Middle East visit their International positions.