‘I don’t have enough experience’
‘I’m too old’
‘I won’t find a job’
‘I don’t want to write another exam!’
The list of excuses or misinformation goes on and on. The truth is, if you want to live abroad, experience life in a new country, and continue doing the job that you love to do, you can!
The below information will detail the steps that you need to take in order to make it all happen.
Because I went through this process as a Canadian, the following information will be biased towards Canadians. However, if you are from America, or Australia, I do believe your experience will be quite similar!
Because I went through this process as a Canadian, the following information will be biased towards Canadians. However, if you are from America, or Australia, I do believe your experience will be quite similar!
Pick a Country
First things first, you’ve got to pick a country. If you are an English speaker, your job is going to be a lot easier if you pick a country where the national language is English.
BUT! If you are feeling super adventurous and envision yourself eating croissants in Paris, strolling the streets of Rome or riding a rickshaw in Mumbai, there is still hope! In these cases, you can work independently. You can create a niche for yourself and offer private speech therapy to English speaking residents of the country. As is the case in any country, working independently means that you will have to do your research to find out about business licences, insurance etc. If that’s not for you, do a quick Google search to find out if there are any clinics in the city that offer Speech and Langauge services in English.
Get a Visa
In order to work abroad, you will need a visa which allows you to do so legally. If you are between the ages of 18 and 30-35 and you don’t plan to move away from Canada permanently then the ‘Working Holiday Visa’ is the one for you! It’s relatively easy to apply for, it’s valid for 1 to 2 years depending on the country, and it tends to be a lot cheaper than other visas.
The following countries offer Working Holiday Visas to Canadians. Click the country to be taken to their immigration page where you can find out more information and apply.
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* = ages 18 to 35
no* = ages 18 – 30
If you don’t meet the age requirements for a Working Holiday Visa, you can find a job first and then get the company to sponsor you. The company that I currently work in London just sponsored an American to join us!
Mutual Recognition Agreement
Speech-Language & Audiology Canada (SAC) has a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with the following associations:
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
- Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists (RCSLT)
- Speech Pathology Australia (SPA)
- Irish Association of Speech-Language Therapists (IASLT)
- New Zealand Speech Therapists’ Association (NZSTA)
The MRA means that you will NOT have to write another exam! You will be able to join the professional association of the country and I repeat: You will NOT have to write that dreaded national exam again!
Joining the Professional Association is not the same as being licensed by the Regulatory Body. This is something that you will still have to do.
Joining the Professional Association is not the same as being licensed by the Regulatory Body. This is something that you will still have to do.
Apply for licensing with the region’s regulatory body
As in Canada, each country will have a regulatory body that Speech Language Therapists need to join in order to be allowed to work in the profession. For example, in order to work in Vancouver, I needed to join the College of Speech and Hearing Health Professional of British Columbia (quite the mouthful!) and in order to work in London, I needed to join the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
This process can take some time. The application is quite comprehensive and requires you to detail what your MSc program (course names, content and number of hours). If you went to the University of Alberta, you are lucky because I’ve done all of the work for you! Carol and LuAnne will hook you up!
Once your application is sent in, HCPC can take up to 16 weeks to review the application and decide whether you are worthy of a license to work. I do think that the MRA and the fact that all Canadian SLPs have Masters degrees give us a leg up and I’d be surprised to hear about an application being rejected.
Find a Job!
So, you’ve picked a country, you’ve got a visa and you have a license to work…now all you need is a job! If you are coming to the UK I would recommend signing up for a few recruitment agencies. All of the interviews that I went to were set up by a recruitment agency, including the job that I landed!
Build an International Speech Toolbox
There have been so many great things about working in London. Besides getting to work with children who have the cutest British accents, I’m learning therapy techniques and programs that I had never heard about in Canada. It’s been a great way of building my toolbox of skills. I can’t wait to write further blog posts about certain therapy ideas, techniques and tools that blew my mind!
Work Hard and Play Hard
Make the most of your experience abroad and explore the city that you are in and all of the cities around it! The great part about living in London has been the close proximity to the rest of Europe. Work hard, earn money, and take mini holidays on your time off!
So what are you waiting for!? Come and join me in London! 🙂
Be an International Speech-Language Pathologist!
Hi Trisha. My wife is a Speech Language Pathologist, and we are interested in moving to British Columbia. We live in New Hampshire, currently. I was online looking for articles like yours, but I was hoping to see one from the "American" side of the border, as it were 🙂 But I think I get the picture. If my wife managed to get a license to work in Canada, and if she got a job there, does Canada offer her and her family residency (that would mean me and our two daughters as well)? Also, do you have any ideas about how to best find SLP jobs in Canada, in BC especially? There's so many websites, it's very confusing. I really would appreciate any advice you can give.
Hi Rob,
I'm afraid I'm not too sure how residency works in Canada but I'm guessing that your wife would have to apply for a visa to work in Canada. Your best bet would be to check the government website and find out what visa would best fit your family's needs. In terms of finding SLP jobs, I can help with that! When I was looking for SLP jobs in BC, I used:
1) Therapy BC: http://www.therapybc.ca/job_search_results.php
2) BCASLPA: http://www.bcaslpa.ca/professional/careers/find-a-job/
3) SAC (search for jobs in BC): http://sac-oac.ca/careers-volunteering/career-postings
4) Indeed: http://ca.indeed.com/Speech-Language-Pathologist-jobs-in-British-Columbia
In order to legally work in BC as an SLP your wife will need to register with the College of Speech and Hearing Health Professionals of BC.
I hope that helps!
Hello! I'm a SLP in the schools, living in the U.S. I applied to HCPC in March and have begun to feel apprehensive about my forms. My course information form was 8 pages long, but I've since read elsewhere of the course forms being 50 pages long. As a fellow SLP (or SLT, I should say), how long did your forms end up being? Since you received your license, you would be a great example to help guide my process!
Thank you for your help!
Hello! I love your blog! It was very helpful as I am in the process of hopefully moving to London. Are there are recruitment agencies you recommend? 🙂
Hi! I just found your blog. Would love to email you with questions about moving abroad! I'm currently an SLP from the US but considering working abroad in Aus. I've contacted SPA but would be curious to talk to you regarding your visa process and what you did when moving to London!
Hello Trisha! I love your blog- thank you for posting it. I am an American SLP certified with ASHA, and registered with the RCSLT and HCPC. My dream is to work in Liverpool or Northern Ireland for a period of 3 – 4 months. I am hoping to move at the end of January. I am in the process of applying for a work visa. I have spoken with a recruiter who said I need to be sponsored and that temp agencies are not able to sponsor non-residents. I do not wish to move there permanently as my family in here in New York. I am not sure how to proceed. Do you have any advice? I have been working in nursing homes and hospitals for the past 9 years.
Hey there!
I have just stumbled across your wonderful blog while searching the internet for advice for SLPs crossing the pond back to London. I am from London and travelled to a small university in Louisiana once being awarded a scholarship, to a national champion collegiate water ski team there. I completed my bachelor's and master's degree in speech-language pathology. I then landed my first job as a paediatric slp and have just completed my clinical fellowship here in Louisiana.
I am currently completing the extensive applications to be able to return home to London in order to practice there. I would love any advice you could offer involving the HCPC application process. I have been sifting my way through all of the forms and really do not want to get anything wrong and slow the process. In particular, the course information form in making me a little anxious. I look forward to hearing from you and appreciate any advice you may be able to lend in advance!
Jennifer Benjamin
Enjoyed this read
Speech therapist in North Carolina
Great information Trisha! This helped give me an idea where to start. I am a US SLP for ~4 years and looking to migrate. Any recommendations or directions for wanting to venture to Singapore? I am highly interested in accent modification. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Katelyn
[email protected]
Hi Trisha,
I'm also a slp originating from Canada and I'm looking to work abroad – I have my eyes set on Ireland but I've heard that it is difficult to find jobs in the UK and Ireland (something about not enough jobs even for the local slps). In your post, you mention that you recommend going through a recruitment agency to find jobs. Did you do that before leaving for London or look while you were there? And what recruitment agencies do you recommend/how did you find these recruitment agencies?
Thank you for your help!
Another Canadian
This was so informative. Thanks for posting. I am looking into getting a job in the UK (specifically around London area). I am a SLP from Vancouver Canada with 8 years of experience in the elementary school system. I was looking at the HCPC site and what they required for their application. Did you need to do an English proficiency test? Also how hard was it to find a job there through your agencies? Thanks for your help. I appreciate it a lot.
Hello! I was wondering what recruitment agencies you went through to get a position in London? I am currently in the US and plan to make the move within the next yr or so! Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].