The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh offer a sponsorship scheme for suitably qualified overseas trained surgeons to come to the UK for a limited period of training in a surgical specialty. The scheme offers sponsorship for candidates for the purposes of registration with the General Medical Council (GMC) without taking the PLAB test and for sponsorship under the Medical Training Initiative Scheme (MTIS).
Download: Regulations.
MTI Guidance for Deaneries and Employers
For information on work permits and for guidance on the responsibilities of deaneries and employers in the MTI process please visit the MTI pages of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges website.
How to start the process
In order to start the process, the first point of contact with this College should be a UK consultant who is willing to act as the UK Consultant Superviser and is able to offer a suitable post with endorsement of educational value from the Postgraduate Deanery. Trainees can make contact with the College beforehand but the process cannot officially begin until the UK consultant has made the College aware of his/her offer of the training post.
International Medical Graduates who have been offered a UK post and are seeking registration with the GMC through the sponsorship scheme or sponsorship under the Medical Training Initiative Scheme (MTIS) should allow three months for their applications to be processed by the College.
Eligibility Criteria
The full eligibility criteria can be found in the regulations document above.
Important Note:
All doctors must comply with the GMC's Recency of Practice rule which states that a sponsored doctor must have been in clinical medical practice for at least 3 out of the last 5 years, including the most recent 12 months immediately prior to registration. We therefore insist that any doctor wishing to pursue sponsorship must maintain their overseas training post until he/she has been issued with a certificate of sponsorship by the College and has applied for registration with the GMC. Failure to adhere to this may result in the GMC withholding registration through the sponsorship route. Please note that the GMC does not consider clinical attachments or observer posts to be clinical medical practice.
Please also note that with effect from 1 October 2010 there has been a change to the IELTS scores that the GMC will accept as evidence that an international medical graduate has the knowledge of English necessary for registration with a licence to practise in the UK. For more information see the GMC website.
Training Posts
Posts offered by Trusts to International Medical Graduates which require sponsorship must be at ST3 level or above and must be supported by the local Postgraduate Dean.
Training Fellowship Opportunities
On occasion, the College is in a position to advertise training fellowships in the UK and invite applications from overseas trained doctors. Any such opportunities will be posted on our Opportunities to Train in the UK page.
Duration of Sponsorship
The College will only consider sponsorship of posts of no less than 6 months’ duration and no longer than 2 years’ duration at which point the trainee must return to his/her home country.
Work Permits and Visas
It is the responsibility of the candidate and the relevant employing body to ensure that the appropriate work permit and/or visa is obtained. Under the MTIS, applications for a work permit must be sought in liaison with the employing authority and NHS Professionals who are the National sponsor for work permit applications under Tier 5 of the UK Border Agency points based system for UK immigration.
Application Fees
Sponsorship Scheme Fee - £650
GMC Registration Fees and Identity Check
When a candidate is successful in obtaining sponsorship from the College the next step is to apply for GMC registration through the GMC website. The current fee for GMC registration can be found on the Fees page of the GMC website.
To finalise the GMC registration process candidates are required to attend an identity check at the GMC offices, more information can be found on the Identity Checks page of the GMC website.
Educational Agreement
During the sponsorship application process the UK Consultant Superviser and the candidate are required to tentatively agree upon the goals of the appointment. Soon after the candidate takes up the post he/she is required to meet with the UK Consultant Superviser so that both may sign up to an educational agreement. The agreement must be signed and sent to the College.
Interim Reports
Upon request from the College, the UK Consultant Superviser will be required to provide evidence of competencies and outcomes of educational appraisals, procedure based assessments and consolidated and validated trainee log book.
Final Report and Completion Certificate
Upon completion of the appointment the UK Consultant Superviser and the candidate will be required to report on the candidate’s achievements during the post and the progress made in relation to the educational agreement. Where appointments have been mutually satisfactory the candidate will be issued with a Completion Certification confirming successful completion of a College sponsored appointment.
Further information may be obtained from Celia Mackie - see contact details below.
Mrs. Celia Mackie
IMGSS Administrator
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
Adamson Centre
3 Hill Place
Edinburgh EH8 9DS
Tel: +44 131 668 9205
E-mail: c.mackie@rcsed.ac.uk