“True to the words on the Work the World website, the house really was a home away from home! I lived with students from all over the world, and we enjoyed comparing our experiences each day." — Rachael Bowis, Nurse, Manchester Metropolitan University
So you’re considering an overseas elective placement —
The first thing you want to know is that your hospital placement is set in stone and that the departments you’ve chosen are the ones you’re going to be in when you arrive.
We’ve got that covered.
How We Tailor Your Overseas Placement Step By Step
The second thing you want to know is where and with whom you’ll live while you’re away. Homestays are at one end of the spectrum, and what we offer — exclusive and private catered houses (some with a pool) — at the other.
A lot of work goes into running a private house — it would be simpler for us to send you to a homestay. But because we want you to have a premium experience, we made the conscious choice not to take the easy road.
More importantly, we want you to have control over that experience.
It’s impossible for providers who use homestays to guarantee a quality experience — every host family is different, and who knows what they might be like.
So why choose a Work the World House?
You can think of the Work the World House as your home away from home. It’s a big private house with enough room that it can fit 30+ people with space to spare.
It will be your social hub and your base while you're in whichever destination you've chosen. You’ll get to know other healthcare students and professionals out there on their elective placements. They come from all over the world — the UK, Australia, the US, the Netherlands…
It’s a place you’ll look forward to coming back home to after placement each day. You might want to kick off your shoes and put your feet up, or have a few drinks and get ready to go out with your new housemates.
The houses are fully catered too — all your meals are included. Each house has its own specially qualified catering team and they cook up some of the tastiest food you’ll ever eat. You’ll get to try local specialities, and when you need a bit of comfort food, they can prepare your favourites from home (chips included).
And if you have any dietary requirements, our incredible caterers will accommodate them.
You might be wondering if you’ll lose out on the cultural immersion that a homestay offers.
We’ve got that covered too — each of our private, catered houses is managed by a team hired from the local community.
So you get all of the benefits of true immersion and none of the downsides.
The teams will help usher you into the country’s culture and teach you everything you need to know about living like a local. They have insider information on everything from where to find the best places to eat (and drink), to the best weekend travel spots.
They have an excellent level of English too — something that you can’t guarantee with a host family.
And it doesn’t end there.
The team is also your support during your hospital placement. They have strong and long-standing relationships with our partner hospitals. Which is great for you because it gives you more control over your placement, day to day.
What else do you get in our houses that you won't get in a homestay?
This is where it gets interesting.
The houses are large Western-style houses with rooms over multiple floors. That means you get all the comforts of home. And more — most of our houses have swimming pools, lush gardens, roof terraces with stunning views…
Inside the house, there’s plenty of space to relax. You might come home from placement and sit in the sun with a book. Or you might want to jump into the pool for a swim.
On the other hand, you might want to blow off some steam and have a couple of drinks with your new housemates. The house staff host a BBQ each week, and this is a great opportunity for you to get to know people.
And it’s easy to stay in contact with friends and family back home — all of the houses are set up with the best WiFi available.
Your safety is top priority
We send someone from our UK office to carefully choose the location for each house. They make sure it meets our long list of requirements.
The houses are:
- Close to your placement hospital
- Close to the city centre
- In a reputable neighbourhood
That last point is particularly important. But it’s also important to stress that we vet the destination as a whole — not just the local area — before we establish a base.
Of course, there’s some level of risk involved everywhere you go — the UK included. That’s why we look carefully at the destinations we operate in.
We keep a close eye on local government advice and speak to our staff on the ground to make sure you’re safe.
On top of this, every Work the World house has a security team.
It’s not that the houses need a security team, but having someone on guard 24/7 gives you peace of mind while you’re in an unfamiliar place, away from home.
Get total peace of mind when you book:
You can feel completely confident knowing that you now get even more flexibility when booking your Work the World placement. We've also introduced additional procedures in our accommodation to give you total peace of mind while you're overseas.
And it’s only because we run our own private accommodation that we’re able to do this. So be careful to look into details surrounding accommodation when choosing an elective provider.
For more information about our healthcare placements, you can visit the electives hub.
Next Steps
Choose a Destination
If you like the sound of weekly BBQs and outdoor pools, your next step is choosing where you want to go.
If you like the sound of weekly BBQs and outdoor pools, your next step is choosing where you want to go.
