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Jobs after PLAB: you can apply for more than FY2 posts

By the Health Job Scout team · 3 min read · Fact-checked 15 October 2026

A lot of international medical graduates (IMGs) assume that because they did an internship at home, FY2 is the only job open to them after PLAB. It isn't.

What full GMC registration means after PLAB

The GMC offers full registration to doctors who graduated outside the UK or Switzerland, passed both parts of PLAB within the past two years, and completed an internship. Your application has to be approved within two years of passing part 2. If you've passed PLAB but haven't done an internship, the route is provisional registration instead, which is aimed at starting the Foundation Programme.

With full registration and a licence to practise, you can apply for jobs across the NHS. Which ones you are shortlisted for depends on the person specification for each post, not on the PLAB route you took.

Training posts and non-training posts after PLAB

Training posts (foundation, core and specialty training) are advertised through Oriel on a fixed yearly timetable. Oriel is online only, you can make an account at any time, but you can only apply once a recruitment round is open. Some rounds limit how many applications you can submit, so check the page for your specialty.

Non-training posts are advertised all year on NHS Jobs and the other regional sites. They go by many names: trust doctor, clinical fellow, SHO and others. See our guide to NHS job titles for what to expect.

The approved practice setting note on your GMC registration

Doctors granted full registration, UK graduates included, normally have an approved practice setting restriction on their registration until their first revalidation. Some people read this and decide they can't apply for jobs. That's not what it means. The restriction is about where you practise: you need a connection to a designated body, which is a UK organisation with clinical governance and appraisal systems. If you lose that connection, the GMC says to stop practising in the UK until you have a new one. The restriction lifts at your first revalidation, or earlier if you join the GP or Specialist Register at the same time. Breaking the requirements can lead to fitness to practise action, so read the GMC page rather than guessing.

Before you apply

• Read the person specification and check the essential criteria honestly.
• Check any required courses, exams and experience. Our guides on life support courses and pre-screening questions cover those.
• If the advert is for a training post, check the specialty's own recruitment page for eligibility rules that apply to your situation.

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