Boost your career on an occupational therapy placement abroad

Go on a once-in-a-lifetime occupational therapy placement abroad with Work the World, and you’ll get career-boosting clinical experience in an overseas hospital. Then, in your free time, you’ll have life-changing travel experiences with new friends.

You are in total control — you tell us what you want to experience and we'll tailor your overseas placement to your specific interests. You choose everything from the destination right down to the kinds of hospital or clinic you want to get experience in.

You’ll find the experience to be eye-opening. And that’s true whether you’re undertaking an elective for occupational therapy students or graduates.

Why go on an overseas occupational therapy placement?

Unique experience that puts you ahead of your peers
Stand out to employers
Strengthen your academic profile
Build a network to tap into during your career
Gain perspective that reframes your view of the NHS
Build confidence by stepping out of your comfort zone
Get inspiration around where you might specialise

Physiotherapy elective in takoradi ghana

"I also learnt about conditions I had never seen before, such as macrocephaly." - Anna, Oxford Brookes University
Read more OT reviews here

Eye-opening clinical placement

An occupational therapy placement abroad is all about seeing your discipline through a new lens. Alongside your English-speaking clinical supervisors, you’ll rapidly discover that things we take for granted in the UK — even basic gym equipment — are luxuries in some developing countries.

Some things you will observe on your occupational therapy elective placement include:

Patients from diverse occupational backgrounds
Handmade rehabilitation equipment
Uncommon conditions like clubfoot and leprosy
Extremely late presentation and advanced cases

You will also see major differences in the fundamentals of OT. In many of our destinations, OT is still an emerging practice. This means some of the techniques you’ll observe may be unfamiliar, and some may even be improvised on the spot.

Tap into our hospital partnerships

Work the World's long-established international hospital partnerships let us tailor your occupational therapy elective placement abroad to a level of detail that would be impossible if you were trying to organise your trip independently.

The partnerships also allow us to guarantee things like your hospital placement, supervision, and your choice of departments. You'll get detailed information on the above long before you travel.

You also get exceptional flexibility should you want to amend your occupational therapy elective choices while you're overseas. All this means you can create a placement abroad that is perfectly suited to you without the risk of your elective plans falling through.

Once-in-a-lifetime travel

As an occupational therapy student or graduate, your clinical placement is the focus of your trip. But your free time in the afternoons and weekends will be packed full of experiences like:

Relaxing on palm-lined, white-sand beaches
Getting close to elephants, lions and giraffes on safari
Swimming with curious sea turtles on warm tropical reefs
Hiking (or paragliding!) through the Himalayas
Spending a weekend hopping between paradise islands

But it's the people you share it with that really make your Work the World trip memorable. You'll live with other healthcare students and graduates in a big private house.

Browse Destinations

Stay in an exclusive private property

While you’re with us, you’ll stay in one of our private, catered houses, reserved exclusively for healthcare students and graduates on a Work the World programme. You’ll share the experience with like-minded peers, creating a supportive home-from-home throughout your overseas placement.

Fun, social atmosphere
Chill-out areas
Make friends for life
24/7 in-country support team based in the house
Security team for peace of mind

Think BBQ nights, karaoke, swimming pools, and a home-from-home to return to after a day on placement.

Explore Accommodation

What's included?

The service you get with us is end-to-end. That means we will support you before, during and even after your trip.

You'll get:

Pre-departure preparation with our UK team
Structured, supervised occupational therapy elective placement
Private, catered accommodation
24/7 in-country team
Airport pick up and drop off
+ more

Arrivals are every Sunday, 52 weeks of the year — travel on your OT placement when it suits you. Durations of placements for occupational therapy students start from one week.

Learn More

Occupational Therapy Elective Destinations

The Philippines - Iloilo

You'll get experience with a wide range of cases on your occupational therapy elective in Iloilo. Typical cases include Parkinson's disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, RTAs, and spinal cord injuries.

You'll interact with patients of all ages, presenting at various stages of severity. You'll undertake your OT placement in our partner hospital's physiotherapy rehabilitation department. This offers you the chance to see how interdependent the two disciplines are. You'll also notice a focus on inpatients, with staff spending up to an hour with patients.

Explore Iloilo

Sri Lanka Kandy

On an OT placement in Kandy, you'll spend time alongside the occupational therapy team, which supports patients with upper extremity injuries and neurological conditions, focusing on rehabilitation clinics with occasional ward visits. Therapy is divided into Physical Occupational Therapy (injuries and disabilities) and Psychiatric Occupational Therapy (mental health and well-being). Common cases include burn injuries, fractures, congenital abnormalities, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, and cerebral visual impairments. Occupational therapists handle around 30 patients daily, and you can get involved in assessments, treatment planning, and rehabilitation exercises to restore mobility and function.

Explore Kandy

Tanzania Dar es Salaam

If you display a proactive attitude during your placement, you’ll have a much better experience with patients. You can help to treat cases of arthritis, contractures, neuropathies and children with delayed milestones. The occupational therapy team in Dar es Salaam are also stationed in the ICU, and conducts home visits. This gives you an idea of the bigger picture of how OT is delivered in the developing world. Read stories from those who’ve already travelled with Work the World to Tanzania for their occupational therapy elective.

Explore Dar es Salaam

"You’ll see things and have discussions that can’t be replicated or taught in a classroom"

Eliza Gumbley, University of Plymouth, 2025

"On placement, I learned how thermoplastic splints were made - they melted and moulded down PVC material to make splints which I thought was such an innovative idea".

Charlotte Eastick, University of Sunderland, 2024

"The hospital was huge & the healthcare system was very different from what I was used to in the UK."

Anna Hilliar, Oxford Brookes University, 2020

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What do our occupational therapy electives offer

A Work the World OT elective gives you the chance to undertake an occupational therapy placement in the developing world. You will spend time in a low-resource hospital or clinic and see unfamiliar practices and advanced conditions. You can even choose the departments you want to rotate through. Learn more here.

What are the benefits of a Work the World occupational therapy elective?

The benefits of our occupational therapy electives include:

Expanding your clinical knowledge and skill set
Becoming more confident, independent and resourceful
Making yourself more attractive to employers
Doing some proper travelling
Building your personal and professional network
Sharpening your language and communication skills
Renewing your perspective on the NHS

What are the most popular countries for occupational therapy electives?

One of the most popular countries for occupational therapy electives is Tanzania. That's why we've focused on creating an OT placement here. The experiences you'll have in Work the World's partner hospital in Dar es Salaam will forever change the way you view the practice and will help you throughout your career in occupational therapy.

What kinds of cases will I see on a Work the World overseas occupational therapy elective?

An OT elective abroad will let you see cases like:

Clubfoot
Hydrocephalus
Paediatric spina bifida
Post-amputation rehabilitation
Post-eclampsia

How long is a Work the World occupational therapy elective?

An occupational therapy elective is as long as you want it to be. Our minimum placement duration is one week, but students typically travel on their occupational therapy electives for four weeks. There is no upper limit to how long you can travel for.

What are typical placement settings for occupational therapists?

Common placement settings for occupational therapists include rehabilitation centres, outpatient clinics, hospitals, and acute inpatient care facilities. Thanks to Work the World’s close partnerships with hospitals in various top pharmacy elective destinations, you only need to fill out the short enquiry form at the bottom of this page to find an occupational therapy placement in a hospital abroad.

Is there an application process?

If you’re wondering how to apply for medical electives, we’ve got you covered. If you are studying for or have recently completed a healthcare degree, you automatically qualify for one of Work the World's tailored healthcare elective placements abroad. Just get in touch with the Work the World team, and we will handle all of the logistics to secure your spot at a trusted partner hospital in one of our fascinating medical elective destinations abroad.