About the Medical Training Initiative

The Medical Training Initiative (MTI) is designed to enable a small number of International Medical Graduates (IMGs) to enter the UK to experience training and development in the NHS for up to two years before returning to their home country. Participation in the MTI will not lead to settlement in the United Kingdom and candidates are required to demonstrate a firm commitment to return to their home country. Please note there is no prospect of a UK career via this route.

Under the scheme a number of places are made available for the training and development of overseas doctors using vacant training capacity identified by Deaneries across the UK. Admission to the MTI is through the Royal Colleges and the other bodies from whom the GMC accept professional sponsorship.

Employers do not sponsor this scheme. These posts make use of spare training capacity in the NHS, and are approved by the relevant Deanery and Royal College. The purpose of the MTI is to offer overseas doctors from low and middle-income countries opportunities to benefit from training and work experience in the UK. The MTI is suitable for training at all levels, especially individuals seeking a period of higher training in more senior training posts such as Specialty Training Year 5, Year 6 or Year 7, who wish to hone their skills.

Health Boards/Trusts liaise with the Deaneries as to the number of International Training Fellowships (ITF) that may be available each year.

Role of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

Once Health Boards/Trusts have interviewed and identified candidates they wish to appoint, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is able to provide a certificate of professional sponsorship to aid the process of gaining GMC registration where this is required. After GMC registration, RCPE is able to obtain the certificate of sponsorship from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges that is required for the visa application under Tier 5.

The RCPE is able to provide these certificates, where:

A Fellow of the RCPE requests the certificate
A Fellow of the RCPE will be supervising, or overseeing supervision of the ITF
A Fellow of the RCPE has been involved in the recruitment/interview process
The candidate has MRCP(UK)
The candidate meets IELTS requirements (score of 7.0 in all areas) and the RCPE Assistant Dean (International) has spoken to the candidate by phone and is confident of his/her telephone communication skills
The RCPE Assistant Dean (International) has confirmed that the post offered is a suitable training post (to do this he needs the job description, and a letter of approval from the deanery confirming it is a training post suitable for the MTI)

Where all these criteria are met, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is able to help in two ways:

Where candidates do not already have GMC registration. The RCPE acts on behalf of its Fellows to facilitate an MTI applicant’s GMC registration and licensing, by providing a certificate of professional sponsorship, without them needing to take the PLAB assessment. The RCPE does not charge for issuing the certificate of professional sponsorship.
Where candidates are already registered with the GMC. Once a candidate has GMC registration, RCPE is able to obtain a certificate of sponsorship from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. This certificate is required for the candidate’s visa application (under Tier 5). The RCPE does not charge for this service.

The RCPE is also able to support UK Fellows in finding suitable applicants for International Training Fellowships, through its well-established network of Overseas Regional Advisors. The RCPE does not have the capacity to deal with applications directly, but is able to raise awareness of specific training opportunities through its network of members and fellows.

Overseas Fellows who have trainees they think would benefit from an International Training Fellowship, should notify their trainees of opportunities as they arise. Candidates do not need to be members of the RCPE to apply for ITFs, although they do need MRCP(UK).