Article
In the current dental climate it is becoming increasingly common for dentists to consider spending some time working overseas. For the last year I myself have been working in Auckland, New Zealand. Having now returned, I would like to urge every young dentist to consider career opportunities lying beyond the British borders. Working overseas can be a daunting experience. It takes considerable organization with tedious visits to notaries, awkward skype interviews and a day lost in flights, but the results can be transformative.
I benefited tremendously from experiencing a novel system of delivering dental care. In these fraught times, with our departure from the European Union looming, I feel it is important for us to appreciate the international reach of our skills and talents. We are immensely fortunate to work in a profession without borders and should more readily seize the opportunity to do good for others outside the UK and develop ourselves in the process.
Working in New Zealand is relatively straightforward for British graduates, and with a working holiday visa, it is simple to navigate the market and find a suitable position. I am certain my professional development benefited from an apparently less litigious environment, a regulatory body supportive of young dentists, and a system not blighted by flawed ‘units of dental activity’. When one also considers the difference in lifestyle afforded by the antipodean climate, I believe such experience may be one solution to the frustrations of young dentists.