Cost Of The Standard Pathway To Work As A Doctor In United Kingdom From A To Z

Obviously many international doctors are targeting travelling and working in The United Kingdom after the huge shortage they have especially following Brexit, doctors usually prefer countries like United States or Australia because of the high salary and better lifestyle but still UK is a very good option for doctors in countries like Egypt, Nigeria, India, Sudan ... etc., where they are underpaid and under huge stress.

The question we are trying to answer here is how much a doctor will spend to secure all steps needed to get GMC registration to be allowed to find a job and start working in United Kingdom.

We are discussing here the standard pathway of OET followed by PLAB 1 and PLAB 2, if you don’t have PLAB 1 center in your country you need to add additional cost of flights and accommodation to country near you where you can take your PLAB 1 exam, if you are going to take MRCS, MRCP ... etc. exams this pathway doesn’t apply to your case.

1- OET Exam: 400$

2- PLAB 1 Exam: 285$

3- EPIC Verification: 250$

4- PLAB 2 Exam: 1.040$

5- Tourist Visa for PLAB 2: 120$

6- Roundtrip Flight Ticket to UK: Average 800$ (It depends on your country)

7- PLAB 2 Course Fees: 600$

8- Cost of Living for 2 Months: 1.700$ (It depends on your preferences)

9- GMC Registration Fees: 480$

Total: 5.675$

It is clear that this cost is much lower than cost of USMLE and US residency pathway where you need also to pay for observerships, electives and research experience as residencies there are much more competitive especially if you aim to get a plastic surgery or orthopedic surgery residency.

GMC registration is not the end of the road; you will also need to pay for Tier 2 visa, international health surcharge along with cost of life of the first month before you get the 1st salary.

My advice for you, if you are paid +500-750$ per month in your country, you will not achieve huge financial progress by working in United Kingdom, but it may be a better lifestyle and training program for you, if you are paid less than 500$ in your country so you need to consider this step

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