Blogs > NHS Recruitment Process

Pros and cons of the MTI Scheme

• January 06, 2022

The Medical Training Initiative (MTI) scheme allows International Medical Graduates to come to the UK for a maximum of 2 years to train within the National Health Service (NHS). IMGs gain a lot from the knowledge, skills, and techniques they learn in the NHS and can use them to improve patient care in their home country when they return. The scheme does grant successful applicants GMC; we as an agency often get asked if this is a route that should be considered when attempting to begin a life in the UK as an NHS Doctor. Here we shall explain the pros and cons of the MTI Scheme.

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Pros

1. The learn and return scheme allows doctors to enhance their skill set by studying the NHS system. The knowledge and experiences can then be used to teach others in the home country of the MTI applicant.

2. The applicant can develop clinical, communication and leadership skills in a fast-paced supportive environment.

3. The applicant has free use of the ePortfolio system to log all evidence of their experience, competencies, and courses for their entire medical training period.

4. The applicant will have exposure to dedicated UK team to provide support before, during and after training.

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Cons

1. The time spent in the UK during the MTI scheme will not count towards residency. To qualify for settled status under the EU settlement scheme you would need to show that you have lived in the UK for a continuous period of 5 years. For more details on this please see the gov.uk website.

2. The Salary for the MTI scheme is considerably lower than service roles.

3. If your long-term goal is to work within the NHS and relocate then the MTI scheme may not be for you. It has been announced by the medical boards that the MTI Scheme should not be considered as a route to Long term work in the NHS. It is a ‘learn and return’ scheme, where doctors train for 2 years in the NHS and then should reapply their knowledge back in their home country.

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How can we help?

If you are an international Doctor who would like to relocate to the UK, email your CV to [email protected] and we can support you in securing an NHS post and on your relocation journey to the UK.

Are you a member of our Facebook group? When you join IMG Advisor, you join a community of doctors all looking to relocate to the UK and join the NHS. We post a series of blogs and vlogs to the group each day. We will also be on hand to answer all of your relocation queries.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel! We have over 60 videos covering everything you need to know about relocating to the UK and joining the NHS.

Listen to BDI Resourcing on the go with IMG Advisor the Podcast! You can listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and Buzzsprout. We have a number of episodes with tips and advice on relocating to the UK and the routes you can take to achieve this.

Finally, we also have Instagram, so if you are a member, feel free to follow us to view our posts and IGTV: @bdiresourcing