Postgraduate Masters & Dental Hygienist/ Dental Therapist route to UK: A Immigrant Dentist's Viewpoint
Students take a master's course in the UK under Tier 4 Visa (which allows 20-hour work per week), get registered as a Dental Hygienist/ Dental Therapist, and meanwhile clear the ORE/ LDS Exam which allows you to practice as a General Dentist in the UK. This is one of the best options for International Dental Graduates (Esp. if you are not currently in the UK);
This blog is not a "How To" manual but just a list of challenges, merits, and demerits.
I. SELECTION OF COURSE:
- UK Universities have a vast range of courses for you to select. From Clinical Dentistry (MClinDent) to Non-Clinical Dental Courses (MSc Dental Materials, Oral Pathology, etc.), Public Health Courses (MPH, MDPH), Management courses (MBA, MHA), Clinical Research/Trials Courses (MSc, MClinRes), Life Science Courses (Microbiology, Immunology, etc.), Graduate Research Courses (MPhil, Ph.D. **not restricted to Dentistry | **bachelor's Degree Holder's are eligible).
- No matter what course you do, you are NOT ELIGIBLE to register and practice as a dentist UNLESS you have passed the ORE Exam.
- No matter what course you do, you are NOT ALLOWED to touch a patient without GDC Registration (Temporary or ORE/LDS). All Clinical Courses will allow only observation and you'll be paying around GBP 20k to 40k+**
** with a few exceptions. Some MClinDent and MSc courses allow you to perform dental procedures under supervision.
Select Your Course depending on (but not limited to) these factors:
- Duration
- Fee
- Relevance to your career as a General Dentist/ Specialist (Not Relevant; But considered)
- MOST IMPORTANTLY, bigger cities have more job opportunities for DH/DT.
- ONLY Full-Time courses sponsor Tier 4 Study Visa but there a few exceptions which can be seen here.
- The reputation of the university for that particular Department
**There are two agencies who represent UK Universities (in India): SI-UK and Edwise Consultancy who does an amazing job from Application to Securing the visa. I had a really bad experience with Chopra Consultancy.
II. VISA
- You are required to obtain a Student Visa (Tier 4) (which will also allow you to work up to 20 hours a week).
- Recently, there's been an update of replacing the Post Study Work Visa from 6 months to 2 years. Now, Post Study Work Visa (PSW) will be called as Graduate Immigration Route.
- However, please note that completing the course does not automatically guarantee the 2-year PSW visa. This will be a fresh application. You'll need to apply for 1 Year under Graduate Immigration Route and extend it for another year.
III. BUDGETS
This includes mainly (but limited to):
- College Fee (~GBP 12k - 44k)
- Accommodation (to be paid for 51 weeks) (~GBP 6k - 12k)
- Financial Requirement for the visa (Click Here) (~GBP 10k)
- ORE/LDS Fee + Preparation Courses (~GBP 10k)
- Personal Expenses
- Rainy Day Fund
IV.DH/DT Registration and Jobs
- Some international Dental Graduates can register as Dental Hygienist (Or Rarely Dental Therapist) in the UK through equivalency assessment. This is purely a case-by-case basis. There are a few consultancy services to assist you in this. They charge quite a higher fee and the outcome is never promised.
- The availability of Jobs (both vacancy and hours of work) is high only in major cities. So, always check vacancies even before you apply for your university.
- The upper limit to work per week is 20 hours. This does not necessarily mean, your employer is gonna give you a job for 20 hours/week. It is usually a lot lesser than 20 hours and in such case, you'll need to look for a second job if you're determined to coverup your expenses.
- Initially, you wouldn't have any UK experience and the job hunt might be challenging.
- You WILL NOT get a Visa Tier 2 Sponsored work permit to work as a Dental Hygienist or Dental Therapist. DH/DT route works only if you take up a full time master's course and can work part-time.
V. Other Challenges
- Recently, the British Association of Dental Therapists (BADT) and the British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy have appealed to the GDC against registering International Dental Graduates as DH/DT. So, things might take a turn anytime.
- Securing the seat in ORE/LDS Part 1 and ORE/LDS Part 2 and Clearing these two exams within the timeframe of your visa. All you need to focus on is to clear ORE/LDS Part 2.
- Completing your master's course which has a thesis dissertation (mostly a systematic review), whilst working as DH/DT and preparing/passing ORE/LDS exam might sound tedious and hectic but I think it is HIGHLY POSSIBLE.
Have any questions or want more details on anything in particular? Mention in comments!
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