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FAQs for employers

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General information

Background information about Pharmalife (National Recruitment Scheme)

The National Recruitment Scheme (NRS) is a centralised system for the recruitment of pharmacy graduates from all university schools of pharmacy across the country into NHS pre-registration trainee pharmacist posts in England & Wales. The remit and scope of activity is focussed mainly around the advertising and application stage of the recruitment process. There are two rounds of recruitment – to see timetable click here

Best practise guidelines for the recruitment of pre-registration trainee pharmacists in the NHS

The NHS Regional Pre-registration Training Managers have developed guidelines for the best practice for recruitment of pharmacy students into pre-registration training posts. These guidelines are in accordance with guidelines produced by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB). The guidelines outline the expectations of students and employers. Both parties are expected to comply with these guidelines.

Students best practice guidelines are that they will:

  • Confirm with their nominated employment / character referees that they are a) willing and b) permitted by company policy to provide a reference before completing their application
  • Properly research opportunities and organisations and concentrate on those organisations in which they have a genuine interest when making applications
  • Be prompt, courteous and honest in all dealings with employers and notify them immediately if they decide not to proceed with their applications at any stage
  • Be honest with employers about their preferred aspect of practice for pre-registration training, other applications made or existing offers of pre-registration employment
  • When attending interviews at employer's premises, seek only repayment of reasonable expenses incurred
  • Only accept offers of employment if conditions and terms of employment have been explained and are acceptable
  • Clearly state at the time of acceptance if they wish to qualify their acceptance in any way (the possibility of further study represents such a qualification) and recognise that such a qualification may affect the terms of the offer
  • Recognise that both the offer of a post and its acceptance (whether verbal or written) form a legally binding contract. Verbal and written acceptance must be honoured other than in the most exceptional circumstances i.e. those which are beyond their control or which they could justify as being professionally acceptable
  • Once an offer has been accepted, decline all other offers and inform all other potential employers to whom they have applied that they have made a commitment elsewhere
See also the RPSGB letter on recruitment of pre-registration trainee pharmacists http://www.rpsgb.org/pdfs/preregrecruitguid10.pdf

Employers best practise guidelines are that they will:

  • Make available material to give students an objective picture of their organisations and to provide information about specific pre-registration training opportunities
  • Offer equality of opportunity and avoid in their literature or application forms for employment in the UK any reference that might be construed as unfair discrimination
  • Inform students whether or not they are to be invited for interview
  • Make clear to applicants whether and what expenses will be paid for attendance at interviews
  • Agree referees with the candidate and not seek references from a person not so designated without the candidate's agreement
  • Notify the result of an interview promptly to a student
  • Indicate clearly to the candidate and to the referee whether or not the offer is conditional on the reference
  • Explain clearly the terms and conditions of service in offer letters and state the condition(s) on which an offer is made
  • Recognise that both the offer of a post and its acceptance form a contract unless conditions are attached to either make clear to the applicant that an offer of employment is subject to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society approving the programme of training and/or the premises and/or the tutor
  • Not pressure students to give a formal acceptance to an offer prior to the date set by the RPSGB. See also the RPSGB letter on recruitment of pre-registration trainee pharmacists http://www.rpsgb.org/pdfs/preregrecruitguid10.pdf and NHS Regional Pre-registration Training Managers have developed guidelines
  • When students have other possibilities to consider, inform them if the offer can be held open and for how long
  • Not give an impression that any commitment to work after the pre-registration period is enforceable in law

Equal opportunities

Recruitment and immigration status

The Race Relations Act 1976 (“RRA”) makes it clear that it is unlawful to treat persons less favourably in employment practices on grounds of their race, nationality, colour, national or ethnic origins. Recruitment practices that reject all job applicants because they do not have British, EU or EEA nationality or refuse to consider any non EEA job applicants who may need immigration sponsorship pose a risk of direct race discrimination.

The Code of Practice on Racial Equality in Employment 2005 and the Code of Practice on the Avoidance of Discrimination in Employment issued by the Border and Immigration Agency, both advise that the assessment of a candidate’s right to work in the UK and immigration sponsorship should be addressed at the end of the short-listing and selection process. It should not be used to exclude them from short-listing or selection. All applications should be considered on merit regardless of immigration status. Blanket recruitment policies that effectively screen out non-EEA candidates at an early stage will put employing organisations at risk of an indirect and direct discrimination challenge by applicants.

NHS Employers constantly reviews and produces guidance on NHS Jobs processes in order to assess risk, best practice and legal compliance. An NHS Employers factsheet on recruitment and immigration status can be downloaded from here. Further information can be found on the NHS Employers website and FAQs are also available from here. Please note when reading these FAQs that it is not necessary to advertise on Job Centre Plus and the resident labour market test does not apply for NHS pre-registration trainee pharmacists.

The National Recruitment Scheme adopts a low risk approach as outlined by NHS Employers and does not ask about the candidates’ immigration status as part of the application process. The Code of Practice on Racial Equality suggests that “candidates might be asked for the relevant documents when they are invited to an interview”. The documents verifying eligibility to work should be requested for all candidates for the purpose of an employer checking that prospective employees have the right to work before they commence employment. Organisations could ask questions about verifying the eligibility to work and hold this information separately by HR, similar to the equal opportunities information already requested. Candidates could be asked to separately indicate their eligibility status and should be notified how this information will be held (i.e. that this information will only be retrieved and accessed by the HR/recruitment team only following the candidate’s interview and initial selection of successful candidates who are deemed to be appointable).

Disabled applicants

Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 2005

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

Since December 2006, there has been a legal duty on all public sector organisations to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people and significant public authorities have had to publish a 'Disability Equality Scheme'. Each NHS organisation should have one of these - check with your HR department locally. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has responsibility for enforcing the Disability Equality Duty and they can take legal action against public sector organisations that have not done as they are required.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

The Guaranteed Interview Scheme is a commitment is to guarantee an interview to any disabled candidate who meets the minimum criteria for the job. You should therefore always ensure it is clear at all stages of the recruitment process what the minimum criteria for selection for interview are. The essential requirements of the person specification for the job are the minimum criteria. Criteria should be closely audited to ensure they are the absolute minimum to effectively carry out the job being advertised and do not discriminate against disabled people. When short-listing you must always invite disabled candidates (who meet the minimum criteria for the job) for interview.

All disabled applicants through NHS jobs are offered the Guaranteed Interview Scheme and the National Recruitment Scheme offers this in line with NHS jobs / NHS employers. For further advice please contact your local HR department.

Equality monitoring reports

The NHS is required to collect equality monitoring data and report this data at all 3 stages of the recruitment process (application, short listing and appointment). This data is anonymous and does not include student’s names. It is also separated from the application sent to potential employers.

Click here for more information on equality monitoring

Open days

We are holding an open day at our hospital. How can we advertise this?

There is a facility to advertise open days on the website www.pharmacytraining.nhs.uk. To advertise these open days contact prereg@pharmalife.co.uk You will need to provide the following information:

  • Name of hospital and region
  • Code of hospital e.g. G6
  • Where to go for the open day
  • Date of the open day
  • Name, email and telephone number of the person to contact at the hospital

Advertising unfilled places

How do I advertise unfilled places for the 2nd round of recruitment?
Pharmalife contacts hospitals in early October to identify the list of remaining vacancies for advertising in the 2nd round or recruitment. You will need to provide the following information:

  • Name of hospital and region
  • Code of hospital e.g. G6
  • Number of unfilled places to be advertised in the 2nd round
Hospitals should only advertise places that are definitely vacant. If there is any doubt the place should not be advertised – These places can be advertised at a later date using the Pharmalife mailing list that is sent to students seeking a placement after the second round (see below).

How do I advertise unfilled places after the 2nd round of recruitment has closed?

Vacancies that arise after the second round has closed can be advertised on the home page of the Pharmalife website. Students who have not secured a pre-registration placement after the 2nd round can register with Pharmalife to be informed of any vacancies. To advertise these vacancies contact prereg@pharmalife.co.uk You will need to provide the following information:

  • Name of hospital and region
  • Code of hospital e.g. G6
  • Number of unfilled places
  • Name, email and telephone number of the person to contact at the hospital
  • Closing date for applications
  • Dates of interviews (if known)
Pharmalife will post this information on the home page of the website with a link to the hospital profile. Students will apply by CV directly to your hospital. They will not fill in the online application form.

Application

Functions of the NRS at the application stage of recruitment are as follows:

* Students on the Overseas Pharmacists Assessment Programme (OSPAP course) DO NOT need to provide a UK academic reference because they will have already had the following validated by the Pharmacy regulator:
  • A letter of registration and good standing from the regulator in their own country
  • An academic transcript
  • Two references - one from their most recent employer, and one from either their academic tutor in their own country or another professional e.g. employer

Short-listing

Responsibility for short-listing applicants for interview is outside the remit and scope of activity of the NRS. Local trust recruitment and selection policies and National guidance produced by NHS Employers should be followed once the application forms have been sent to the hospitals.

Functions of the NRS at the short-listing stage of recruitment are as follows:

  • To provide online codes to be used by the short-lister which to enable students to check their application status online (i.e. check whether they have been invited for interview or not)
  • To generate an automatic email to the student to inform them if they have been offered an interview
  • To generate an automatic email to the student to inform them if they have been invited for an interview. N.B. The hospital is responsible for contacting the student to inform them of date, time and venue of the interview
  • To provide a facility for equality monitoring reports to hospitals and NHS regional co-ordinators for the short-listing stage of recruitment
See also equal opportunities section which contains important information related to short-listing of applicants

Can references be used during short listing?

EMPLOYMENT / CHARACTER REFERENCES

The application form includes details of employment / character referees. NHS Employers guidance states that information obtained through employment references should only be used to confirm a recruitment decision; therefore it is good practice to seek references after a provisional offer has been made. Employment references should not be used for the purpose of short-listing. This guidance is specific for employment references only and does not apply to academic references.

ACADEMIC REFERENCES

Academic references for MPharm applicants may be used during short-listing where available. If there is no academic reference for an MPharm applicant, the application form will specify the reason which will be either:

  • The student missed the deadline for submitting academic referee details
  • The student submitted their academic referee details on time and the referee was contacted but did not provide a reference

N.B. OSPAP applicants are exempt from providing UK academic references as they will have already had references validated by the pharmacy regulator.

Application status codes used during short-listing

APPLICATION STATUS CODES USED DURING SHORT-LISTING

All of the students can log onto the website to check the status of their application. They are all assigned a code 'Under Consideration' as a default. There is a choice of 3 codes which are to be used AT THE SHORT-LISTING STAGE:

  • 'Under Consideration'
  • 'Invited for Interview'
  • 'NOT Invited for Interview'
INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING CODES

If you definitely DON'T want to invite a student for interview please assign the 'NOT Invited for Interview' code. This will generate an automatic email to inform the student of your decision.

If you DO want to invite a student for interview please assign the 'Invited for Interview' code. This will generate an automatic email to inform the student of your decision. You will also need to contact them directly by phone, email or letter to inform them of the time, date and venue of the interview.

If you want to keep a student on a reserve list because you might want to invite them for interview if other candidates decline please leave their code status as 'Under Consideration' and change it at a later date.

Please note that the codes play a vital part in collection and reporting of equality monitoring data.

Interview

The interviews should be carried out in accordance with local trust or regional policies. After the interview, the employer should contact candidates by phone, email or letter to inform them of the outcome of their interview. There are no codes for communicating the outcomes of interviews. Codes used at the ‘Job Offered’ stage of recruitment are for equality monitoring purposes only.

Making an offer

The employer is responsible for making an offer of pre-registration training positions.

Functions of the NRS at the offer stage of recruitment are as follows:

  • To provide online codes to be used by the hospitals to indicate which students have been offered pre-registration training positions. These codes are used for equality purposes only and will not be displayed to students online or generate an email to the students. Communication on the outcome of interviews is the responsibility of the hospitals
  • To provide a facility for equality monitoring reports to hospitals and NHS regional co-ordinators for the short-listing stage of recruitment

Guidance for students on what to do if they are offered a pre-registration training position

Guidance for students on what to do if they are offered a pre-registration training position

The NHS timetable for recruitment of pre-registration trainee pharmacists in England and Wales may differ from recruitment timetables in community pharmacy. This could cause a dilemma for students if they are offered a pre-registration training place before being able to attend interviews with other organisations. To help students, the NHS Regional Pre-registration Training Managers have made an agreement on accepting or rejecting offers. FAQs are as follows:

When does a student have to make my decision on whether to accept or reject an offer?

  • Students must notify the employer of their decision to accept or refuse of an offer of a pre-registration training position on, or preferably before, 1st October 2010
  • Employers should not pressurise students to accept an offer prior to 1st October 2010 as this is in neither parties best interests. However if the student is happy with the offer they can accept it prior to 1st October 2010 and refuse all other offers immediately
  • If an offer is made after 1st October 2010, the employer may ask the student to give them a definite decision within 24 hours of them making the offer

What does a student do if they receive an offer but it isn't from their preferred employer?

Holding onto an offer is defined as neither accepting the offer nor refusing it. Students may hold onto one offer whilst they are awaiting the outcome of an interview with a preferred employer but should reject one offer if they are made a second offer, so they only ever keep one ‘in hand’. This process can continue until they have heard from all their options, then they should make their final decision. They should inform the employer if they do not wish to accept the offer as soon as possible so that the position can be offered to somebody else.

What does a student do if they receive two or more offers?

  • If a student receives two or more offers, they should think very carefully before accepting one of them. By accepting an offer either verbally or in writing, they are entering into a legally binding contract. Once a student accepts an offer they are expected to honour their acceptance
  • Students should not hold onto more than one offer at any time whilst making a decision. If they hold onto multiple offers they deprive other students of receiving an offer of employment. Please note – The NHS honours this agreement and we expect students to do so too. Standards of honesty and trust are expected of all pharmacy students as described in the Student Code of Conduct

If you are aware of anyone pressuring students to give formal acceptance prior to 1st October 2010 please inform Helen Middleton, Lead for the NHS National Recruitment Scheme for pre-registration trainee pharmacists (England & Wales) helen.middleton@chelwest.nhs.uk 020 7763 6585

Employment offers / contracts

What information should be included in written offers of employment and contracts of employment?

Employers are expected to ensure that any written offers of employment and contracts of employment clearly specify the terms and conditions of the employment offer / contract. Please note that the guidelines written by the RPSGB recommend that students only accept offers of employment if conditions are acceptable and ensure that terms of employment are provided in writing. Offer letters and contracts are issued by NHS Human Resources Departments and sometimes this is a lengthy process. If the hospital is only able to initially make a verbal offer, this must be explained to the student and the reasons why. All verbal offers should be followed up in writing and students should be notified of when they will receive a written offer or contract. Regardless of whether the initial offer is made verbally or in writing, the conditions of the offer should be clearly explained to the student. These conditions should include the following:

  • Satisfactory Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check
  • Occupational Health clearance
  • Obtaining the MPharm or passing the OSPAP course
  • Whether the employment offer is deferred or withdrawn if the candidate fails the MPharm or OSPAP course
  • Whether the employment offer is deferred or withdrawn if the candidate defers sitting the MPharm or OSPAP exam
  • For non UK / EEA applicants: Specify the permission necessary for the individual to work in the UK and who is responsible for obtaining this permission

Criminal convictions

Applicants will be asked to declare if they have any “spent” or “unspent” criminal convictions or bind-overs, or any cautions, warnings or reprimands. As the post involves access to patients in the course of normal duties it will be exempt from the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act by virtue of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Therefore applicants are NOT entitled to withhold any information about convictions, cautions, warnings and reprimands which for other purposes are "spent" under the provisions of the Act. Failure to disclose such information could result in withdrawal of the employment offer. Any offer of employment is subject to a satisfactory disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). It is the responsibility of the employer to undertake the CRB check after offering a place and all offers of employment are subject to satisfactory CRB checks. There are 2 levels of CRB disclosure, Standard and Enhanced. NHS Employers has advised us that the Standard Disclosure is the suitable level for pharmacists including pre-registration trainees, however some employers choose to undertake Enhanced CRB checks.

Offers of employment should be withdrawn if the CRB check is unsatisfactory. Failure of the applicant to reveal information relating to any convictions could also lead to withdrawal of an offer of employment.

Further information on CRB checks can be obtained from the following website http://www.crb.gov.uk/

Appointment

Responsibility for the appointment of successful candidates is outside the remit and scope of activity of the NRS. Local trust recruitment and selection policies and National guidance produced by NHS Employers should be followed once the application forms have been sent to the hospitals.

Functions of the NRS at the appointment stage of recruitment are as follows:

To respond to queries from students, employers and Schools of Pharmacy. These queries often relate to immigration for non UK/non EEA students

Click here for information on the recruitment process for pre-registration training places from advertising to appointment

NHS Employment Check Standards



NHS Employment Check Standards are mandatory checks that employers must carry out in the appointment, and ongoing employment, of all individuals in the NHS. Employers will need to evidence of their compliance with NHS Employment Check Standards as part of the Healthcare Commission's Annual Health Check. The NHS Employment Check Standards cover:

Permission to work in the UK - information for employers of overseas applicants

Assessment of a candidate’s right to work in the UK and immigration sponsorship should be addressed at the end of the short-listing and selection process. It should not be used to exclude them from short-listing or selection. See information above under the heading Recruitment and immigration status

N.B. This information is correct at the time of publication (02 June 2009) but may change if policies produced by the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) are updated and revised.

Applicants who are not United Kingdom (UK) or European Economic Area (EEA) citizens and do not have any evidence of entitlement to enter and work permanently in the UK i.e. settled status will require permission to work in the UK. This will be a different from the permission that enabled them to study at university in the UK.

What options are there for obtaining permission to work in the UK for overseas applicants?

There are a number of different routes by which the overseas applicant can obtain permission to work in the UK as part of the new Points Based System (PBS) which was introduced 2008.

The PBS combines more than 80 previous work and study routes in to the United Kingdom into five tiers. Points are awarded on workers' skills to reflect aptitude, experience, age and also the demand for those skills in any given sector, to allow the UK to respond flexibly to changes in the labour market.

At the time of writing, we expect the most common categories of permission to work in the UK for pre-registration trainee pharmacists to be:


Category Who can use it
Tier 1 - Post-study work MPharm graduates
Tier 2 - General (sponsored skilled workers) MPharm and OSPAP graduates

Please note there are a number of other immigration categories that may enable a non UK/EEA applicant to work in the UK and if the applicant is eligible for a different category it is their responsibility to inform the potential employer. Please refer to the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) website http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/

Information on using Tier 1 - Post study work or Tier 2 - General for permission to stay in the UK is outlined below.

Tier 1 - Post-study work

This category may be used by MPharm graduates. OSPAP graduates are no longer eligible for Tier 1 - Post-study work (since 31 March 2009)

The Post-Study work category of Tier 1 was introduced on 30 June 2008 as part of the new points based system. It aims to retain international graduates who have studied in the UK and provides a bridge between studying and a permanent job. The Tier 1 - Post-study work category enables the individual to work and remain in the UK without having a sponsor for up to 24 months after completion of their degree in a UK Higher Education Institution. What this means in practice is that the permission to work in the UK is not linked to any one employer and the Tier 1 permit can be used after the end of pre-registration training. Once the individual has a permanent job (e.g. after they qualify as a pharmacist) they are expected to switch into another tier of the points-based system.

It is not possible to apply for Tier 1 - Post-study work until after being awarded a UK degree. If this is the chosen option, it is the individual's responsibility to obtain the Tier 1 - Post-study work permission and they will need to do this before starting their pre-registration training. Further information can be found on http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/tier1/poststudy/

Tier 2 - General

This category may be used by MPharm graduates and OSPAP graduates.

Tier 2 - General is aimed at enabling UK employers to employ skilled workers from outside the EEA to fill a vacancy that cannot be filled by a resident worker or to fill vacancies for shortage occupations. Because NHS pre-registration trainee pharmacists are on the Shortage Occupation List it is NOT necessary for the employer to conduct a resident labour market test. Tier 2 permits are specific to both the employer and the post and are therefore a permit issued to cover pre-registration training is not valid after the pre-registration year.

Employers should read the 'Tier 2 of the Points Based System - Policy Guidance' which can be downloaded from: http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/tier2/general/

The employer will only be able to use Tier 2 if they have a sponsorship license showing that they have been checked out and confirmed as genuine by the BIA. Once an organisation has been granted a sponsorship licence they will be given a password to access the system which is web based. Check with your local HR department to see if they have a sponsorship license. Employers applying for a licence should read the guidance for sponsor applications which can be downloaded from the BIA website.http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/employersandsponsors/pbsguidance

How do I employ a Tier 2 skilled worker?

  1. The employer obtains a sponsorship license from the BIA and a password for the web-based system (check with your HR department if they have one)
  2. The employer can apply for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) no sooner that 3 months before the planned start of pre-registration training. The employer a:
    • accesses the web-based system and enters all the details of the successful applicant and issues a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) (an actual certificate is not issued; an electronic reference number which is unique to the CoS is issued instead). Each CoS costs the employer £170 and full payment must be made to UK Border Agency (UKBA) before the CoS is issued.
    • gives details of the electronic reference number (which is unique to the CoS to the individual) to the future employee.

After receiving the CoS electronic reference number, the future employee must apply for a grant of leave under Tier 2 - General. They must achieve the required number of points and be able to supply documents including the CoS reference number to support their application. It is the responsibility of the future employee to obtain a grant of leave under Tier 2 - General and if they fail to do this the CoS will be invalidated. It is not possible for the graduate to start their pre-registration training until they have both a CoS and a grant of leave under Tier 2 - General. Please note the fee for the grant of leave under Tier 2 - General should be paid by the graduate NOT the employer. Further information can be found on the BIA website http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/policyandlaw/immigrationlaw/immigrationrules/part1/

Do I need to undertake a resident labour market test before I can employ a non UK/EEA applicant?

A 'resident worker' is defined as a person who is a European Economic Area (EEA) national or has settled status in the UK within the meaning of the Immigration Act 1971, as amended by the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.

Tier 1 - Post study work - enables the individual to work and remain in the UK without having a sponsor for up to 24 months after completion of their degree in a UK Higher Education Institution. A resident labour market test is NOT required for the Tier 1 - Post study work category.

Tier 2 - General - NHS Pre-registration trainee pharmacists are on the Shortage Occupation List, therefore a resident labour market test is NOT required for Tier 2 - General.

From 31 March 2009 the BIA introduced a requirement for jobs to be advertised on Job Centre Plus for 2 weeks to meet the resident labour market test. This is not necessary for NHS pre-registration trainee pharmacist posts because as a Shortage Occupation the resident labour market test is NOT needed.

How do I decide whether to use the Tier 1 - Post study work or Tier 2 - General category to employ a non UK/EEA applicant?

Either Tier 1 - Post study work or Tier 2 - General categories may be used to employ an MPharm graduate. OSPAP graduates are no longer eligible for Tier 1 - Post-study work (since 31 March 2009).

In deciding which immigration route to use a number of factors need to be considered and we recommend that after careful consideration of these factors the decision is made jointly between the individual and the employer.

The information in the table below provides additional information about Tier 1 - Post-study work and Tier 2 - General to help you and the potential employee decide on which type of permission to use.
Tier 1 - Post-study work Tier 2 - General
Eligibility MPharm graduates MPharm graduates and OSPAP graduates
Points Information on how points are awarded are on the BIA website http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/tier1/poststudy/eligibility/ Information on how points are awarded are on the BIA website http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/tier2/general/eligibility/
Evidence of funds The applicant will need to provide evidence that they have access to £800 of available funds (they need this amount as a minimum in their bank account for 3 months prior to application) The applicant will need to provide evidence that they have access to £800 of available funds (they need this amount as a minimum in their bank account for 3 months prior to application)
Cost to graduate (2009/10) £500 - postal
£700 - at a public enquiry office (PEO) 		£465 - postal
£665 - at a public enquiry office (PEO)
Cost to employer None £170 for Certificate of sponsorship (CoS).
In addition if the employer does not already have a sponsors license they will need to apply for one at a cost of £1000. The sponsors license enables the employer to sponsor a number of non-resident workers and this number is agreed with the BIA
Paperwork for employer None Online application for CoS +/- application for sponsors license
Paperwork for applicant Application for a grant of leave under Tier 1 - Post-study work plus submission of evidence Application for a grant of leave under Tier 2 (General /Intra Company Transfers) plus submission of evidence
Paperwork for the university Proof of qualification Proof of qualification would only be necessary if Pharmacist (including pre-registration trainee pharmacist) was removed from the Shortage Occupation list
When to apply? It is not possible to apply for the Tier 1 - Post-study work category until the graduate has been awarded their degree. The employer should apply for the CoS no more than 3 months before the planned start of pre-registration training. Please note that in addition to the CoS the graduate will need to apply for a grant of leave under Tier 2 - General.
Who is responsible for applying? The graduate is responsible for applying The employer is responsible for applying for the CoS.
In addition the graduate is responsible for applying for a grant of leave under Tier 2 - General once the CoS has been granted
Settlement or indefinite leave to remain Time spent in the Tier 1 - Post-study worker category does NOT count towards the period an individual needs to spend in the United Kingdom before being eligible to live permanently in the United Kingdom (known as 'settlement' or 'indefinite leave to remain'). Time spent in the Tier 2 category counts towards the period an individual needs to spend in the United Kingdom before being eligible to live permanently in the United Kingdom (known as 'settlement' or 'indefinite leave to remain').
Duration of permit 24 months duration of pre-registration training only
Validity of permit Enables the permit holder to work and remain in the UK without having a sponsor for up to 24 months after completion of a degree in a UK Higher Education Institution. The permit can be used after the end of pre-registration training. Permit is specific for the employer and post, therefore is only valid for pre-registration training. A new Tier 2 permit is needed for employment after the end of pre-registration training.

Factors that could delay the start of pre-registration training

Failed MPharm and OSPAP examinations

What do I do if one of the students who we have offered a place to fails their MPharm or OSPAP examinations? Students will not be able to enter the pre-registration training scheme unless they have passed their MPharm or Overseas Pharmacist Assessment Programme (OSPAP) examinations or successfully completed all parts of the MPharm that precede pre-registration if they are on a sandwich course.

Both the tutor and the student are responsible for notifying the pre-registration division at the regulatory body in writing (or by e-mail) of delays to the start date of the training and any other changes in training details. The employer will need to discuss any changes to training arrangements with the NHS regional pre-registration co-ordinator as there will be implications for funding.

Eligibility to Sit the Registration Assessment

What is the cut off date for starting pre-registration training in order to sit the registration Assessment?

There are 2 sittings of the registration assessment (formerly known as registration examination) each year in June and September. Eligibility for entry to either sitting of the registration assessment is subject to the submission of a satisfactory progress report by the pre-registration tutor at the 39 week stage and having completed a minimum of 45 weeks of pre-registration training by the registration assessment date. It is therefore possible to calculate the date by which trainees must have commenced training in order to be eligible for sitting the registration assessment.

Cut off dates for starting pre-registration training in 2010 to sit the 2011 registration assessmentDates of registration assessment in 2010
On / before 13th August 201024th June 2011 (deadline for receipt of assessment entries = 13th May 2011)
On / before 12th November 201023rd September 2011 (deadline for receipt of assessment entries = 12th August 2011)