Welcome! You’ve received your GMC registration and are ready to make the big move to the UK. I know this process can be overwhelming – I was in the same situation four years ago. Since then, I’ve worked across Northern Ireland, England, and Scotland, gaining valuable experience along the way. I’ve created this website to share my personal insights and help other international medical graduates navigate life in the UK. Let’s get straight to the essentials.
Welcome! You’ve received your GMC registration and are ready to make the big move to the UK. I know this process can be overwhelming – I was in the same situation four years ago. Since then, I’ve worked across Northern Ireland, England, and Scotland, gaining valuable experience along the way. I’ve created this website to share my personal insights and help other international medical graduates navigate life in the UK. Let’s get straight to the essentials.
Finding your first home in the UK can be challenging. When I received my first job offer in Northern Ireland, I was still in India with only two weeks between getting my visa and starting work. While I initially searched on SpareRoom.com, I couldn’t find suitable accommodation while abroad. Instead, I booked an Airbnb for two weeks, which gave me time to view properties in person. This strategy worked well – I found a good room through SpareRoom.com during my Airbnb stay. You can also check gumtree website for properties on the rental market.
Later, I upgraded to renting an entire house, which I found on Zoopla website. Important note: When renting a whole property, you’re responsible for council tax, gas, and electricity bills in addition to the rent.
If you have decided to rent the whole house or flat you will be asked to pick your energy and gas supplier. I chose octopus energy as I found their energy rates cheaper and the whole process was very simple. They have a really nice app which lets you monitor your usage. It also notifies you about times when energy prices are cheaper as they fluctuate throughout the day based on the load on the grid. Electricity is usually cheaper around midnight as the load on the grid is low and it is recommended to do your high energy consumption tasks such as using a washing machine and dryer at these times to save money.
Use the following link to get 50 pounds in credit when you make a new account with octopus energy.
Monzo Bank stands out for its straightforward application process – I only needed my passport to open an account. Their app is user-friendly and offers valuable features. Their £7 monthly subscription includes perks like a free railcard, monthly movie ticket, weekly Greggs treat, and credit score tracking. They currently offer the UK’s best savings interest rate at 4.3%
Use the following link and get 10 pounds when you open a new account with monzo.
Secure this before or shortly after starting NHS work to protect yourself from any complaints. They provide you with legal assistance in case there is a complaint against you. If you don’t have an indemnity cover the legal advise costs in case of a complaint could be pretty high. I chose Medical Protection Society (MPS) for their balanced cost and coverage.
Working within the NHS comes with its own privileges/perks. NHS workers can apply for a couple of discount cards. First one is the Bluelight card and the other one is healthcareservicediscount. I have both of them as they can have different offers. Bluelight costs 5 pounds per year but there is no fee for healthcareservicediscount. Healthcareservicediscount also offers an ode cashback card which can be used like a debit card at ATMs and contact less payments and earns you extra cashbacks.
Some countries driving license allows you to drive for 1 year after your arrival in UK. After this one year your home country license becomes invalid and you need a UK driving license to continue driving. It involves two steps to secure a UK driving license. First step involves a theory test. There is an official DVSA app available on the android play store and apple store which can help you prepare for the exam. The second step involves a practical test. The practical test lasts for around 30 minutes and an examiner will be sitting next to you, giving you scores on different aspects of driving. You will need to arrange the car yourself for the practical test. I used my driving instructors car for the test. Even though I had been driving in India for around 10 years I took few lessons with an instructor to familiarize myself with things you get tested on during the exam. Luckily I passed both my exam in the first attempt.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.tso.ctt&pcampaignid=web_share
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/official-dvsa-theory-test-kit/id463295925
Buying a car can be stressful for some people. I bought a car from a local dealer who had advertised on Autotrader.com. There are few things you can check before buying a car. Every car in UK gets an MOT once a year which is like a health checkup for a car and results of this decide if it is safe to drive the car or does it need anything fixed. You can view the MOT history of any car by entering the registration number on gov.uk website or you can just Google “check mot history” and the first result is usually the right website. You also need to consider the road tax of the vehicle. While inspecting the car look at the tire threads, open the bonnet and have a casual look to check for any rust or obvious defects. Don’t worry about lack of experience with cars. If it doesn’t look right to your untrained eyes it most likely is not right. You need to take the vehicle for a test drive and check the handling, driving experience and if making any unusual noise. You also need to check all the dash controls if they are working right. Check the sound system. The car I bought had a faulty air con. I never checked it before buying and found out there was a hole in the air con gas cylinder few weeks after buying the car. I am still using the same car. I don’t really need air con that often in Scotland so it does not bother me too much.
After comparing different companies and their quotes I opted for marshmallow.com for my car insurance. I found their prices and cover to be the best.
In UK unlike your home country you can not drive other peoples car. My marshmallow cover allows me to drive other people’s car as well which is an added bonus. I like their customer service as well. They have a nice and clean mobile app.
Use the following link and get an amazon voucher worth 75 pounds.
https://www.marshmallow.com/car-insurance-quote/start-quote?referralCode=Y46WWL4E3U6G
Most of the doctors in UK have a BMA subscription. It stands for The British Medical Association. I would encourage to check their website and decide if you would benefit from it.
I use a sim card from a company called Smarty. After comparing different sim providers I found their plan to be the cheapest with unlimited calls and internet access. I don’t have a broadband at home I just use my phone’s hot spot to access internet on other devices like my laptop and tablet.
Use the following link and get a free gift voucher worth 20 pounds.
There are three basic elements in financial planning for someone working in NHS
These are the income protection, critical illness cover and the term insurance. I have all three of them and would suggest anyone to do the same. It gives a lot of mental peace when you know you are covered for the bad times. And surprisingly it does not cost a lot as well. It costs around 100 pounds for all three plans each month for me. Off course it might change based on the individual circumstances. I would advise to speak to an independent financial adviser. An independent financial adviser researches the whole market for the best plans. You can usually pay in two ways. First option is to pay a flat fee. This options tends to decrease your monthly cost of the individual plans. Other option is to not pay directly to the financial advisor but rather the company whose plans you take pays a commission to the financial advisor every month. If you chose to pay by second option your monthly payments tend to be a bit high. I payed a flat fee and saved few thousand pounds in the long run.
If you send money to your loved ones back home or send money into your own bank account in your home country then this is for you. I used to send money using an app called Wise but has recently switched to an app call Lemfi. Wise charges you a fee on every transaction where as Lemfi has no transaction fee. With Lemfi You get what you send without any hidden charges. This zero fees policy can always change in the future.
Use the following link to get free 12 pounds in your Lemfi account.
https://lemonadefi.app.link/XgekhHq1KPb
Referral code- SARTHTID
Use the following link to get zero fees on a transfer up to 500 pounds when you use Wise to transfer money.
1.Accurx switch- Lets you select your hospital in the app and access all the important phone numbers
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hermes.induction&pcampaignid=web_share
2.BMJ best practice- For latest clinical guidelines. Most hospitals provide you free access. Can contact your hospital library if not sure.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bmj.bmjbestpractice&pcampaignid=web_share
3. BNF- The bible for prescribing drugs in NHS
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pharmpress.bnf&pcampaignid=web_share
4.Clinical frailty scale. Useful in geriatric and ED jobs
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/clinical-frailty-scale-cfs/id1508556286
5.Royal children’s hospital, Melbourne guidelines
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.telerik.cpg&pcampaignid=web_share
6. Emergency procedures
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mal92.emergencyprocedures&pcampaignid=web_share
7.Eye emergency manual
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.gov.nsw.health.aci.eyemanual&pcampaignid=web_share
8. Formulary
https://www.formulary.nhs.scot/east
9.GCS Score
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.exampl.gcstest&pcampaignid=web_share
10.Resuscitaion council app
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cranworth.com.iresus&pcampaignid=web_share
11. Street drugs encyclopedia useful in ED jobs.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cc.phk.knowdrugs&pcampaignid=web_share
12.Microguide- Access trust’s antimicrobial guidelines.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.xancu.utreat&pcampaignid=web_share
13.Neonatal guidelines
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.incubateltd.neomate&pcampaignid=web_share
14.Pando app for clicking and sending clinical pictures to the work email from your phone
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.forwardapp&pcampaignid=web_share
15.”Foundation doctor handbook” is a useful app for foundation and junior doctors working on the wards
16. Guidelines for doctors working in Scotland
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tactuum.quris&pcampaignid=web_share
17.Touch surgery
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.touchsurgery&pcampaignid=web_share
18.Toxicology app useful in ED jobs
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.issolutions.toxbasemobileandroid.activity&pcampaignid=web_share
19.MDcalc
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mdaware.mdcalc&pcampaignid=web_share
20.Geekymedics
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.geekymedics.oscerevision&pcampaignid=web_share
This app lets you track your salary, taxes and national insurance. It lets you claim back tax and track applications.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.gov.hmrc.ptcalc&pcampaignid=web_share
Ringo lets you pay online for parking.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.uk.ringgo.android&pcampaignid=web_share
Cuvva lets you apply for temporary car insurance from 1 hour to few days. It comes handy when you need to drive your friend’s car for few hours.
https://cuvva.insure/XjWTIY6IVQb
Discount code: UP3GA7YEB3J
If you like learning foreign languages than you will enjoy using this app. You can start learning any language on this app from the native speakers.
https://preply.com/en/?pref=MzU0NTQzNA==&id=1739373699.796462
This guide reflects my personal experience over four years in the UK. I’ll continue updating it with new insights. I hope you find it helpful in your journey.
Guide for international medical graduates starting a career in the UK