Get a Competitive Edge That Boosts Your Career

by Joe Jamieson

If you want to boost your career with an eye-opening clinical placement in a beautiful overseas destination, now is your chance.

An overseas elective placement with Work the World is the best way to gain new perspectives that can help shape your future.

We caught up with past Work the World travellers whose overseas experiences have defined their career paths.

Here’s what they had to say:

Samantha McIver, Mental Health Physiotherapist

“My trip to Sri Lanka contributed massively to helping me get to where I am today. The experience broadened my horizons and helped me gain a different perspective.

From a mental health point of view, it helped me understand all the different experiences patients can have under circumstances where the healthcare model is primarily medical.

Being able to put my Work the World trip on my CV is something that helps set me apart from other applicants. It's not a standard thing that most physiotherapy students graduate with.”

Jonathan Clark, Physiotherapy Business Owner

Clark, Jonathan “After my placement with Work the World, I had increased self-belief that I took back into my studies.

I better understood what it might be like to be a physiotherapist in the working world. This helped drive my passion and motivation to become a physiotherapist.

I set up my first clinic at the University of Southampton. I rented a room and built up my client base from their gym. I was recognised by AXA, Bupa, and Nuffield Health and started getting many contracts. I now have four clinics, and our team is 21 strong.”

Chloe Dooley, Critical Care Nurse

Dooley, Chloe “I’ve been based in the community for my first six months, and I’m now moving to work in critical care. I could pull on some of the skills I'd acquired and my experiences in Vietnam, particularly during job interviews. Being able to reflect on these was incredibly useful.

It also helped me develop my confidence and independence in overcoming the challenges of solo travel and placement far away from home.

This experience has 100% benefitted me in knowing I can handle life's challenges.”

Kristal Ersoy, Emergency Room Nurse

“Before going to Nepal, I didn’t know how much of a patient advocate I could be.

I’ve learned how vital dignity and the promotion of patient independence is. This wasn’t always possible in Nepal, and they had their reasons for that.

But today, it’s at the heart of everything I do for my patients.

It is not something I even have to think about; it feels so natural to me — maintaining dignity for a patient.”

John Hansen-Brevetti, Global Health Charity Nurse

Hansen Brevetti John “I wouldn’t be where I am today without travelling to Tanzania with Work the World. My time with Work the World got me my job; it prepared me for it.

A Work the World placement stands out on your C.V. as a badge of durability, resourcefulness, and cross-cultural aptitude. It says you’ve seen and experienced things unknowable in places like the UK, Australia, the US and the Netherlands. It says you’ve solved problems and debated ethics that are taken for granted at home.

During the interview for my current position, I felt as if I started every sentence with “When I was a student nurse in Tanzania…”. For every question, I had a story or a life lesson to match, all from my time with Work the World.”

So, if you want to gain perspective that reframes your view of the NHS, build your confidence by stepping out of your comfort zone, and get a competitive edge that boosts your career, a Work the World placement is for you.