Physio Jobs — Physiotherapist Jobs — Australia
There are endless opportunities for overseas trained Physiotherapists with the right qualifications and skills to live, travel and work in Australia. Whether it’s a short locum assignment, a three to six-month contract, or even a permanent role, Physiotherapists are now in a fantastic position to find jobs in Australia. The type of jobs Physiotherapists can get, and the steps that must be taken to register as a Pharmacist in Australia, do however depend on which type of visa a candidate holds and in which State they wish to find jobs.
If you are still overseas it is a good idea to apply to Recruitment Agencies up to two years before you arrive and Jobs within a month of arrival. This helps to determine which City and State has the best opportunities and assistance may be offered with professional Registration and your Visa.
Note on timeframes for professionals: Register with agencies up to two years before you arrive. Apply to specific job postings no earlier than one month before you arrive.
Where in Australia are there jobs for Physiotherapists?
Overseas-trained Physiotherapists can work in a number of different healthcare environments — ranging from public and private hospitals, to aged and community care facilities and private physiotherapy practices.
Whether it’s in a busy inner-city hospital in one of the nation’s capitals, or in a small private practice in a quaint and dusty country town, there are plenty of jobs to choose from. For jobs in non-metropolitan, rural or remote areas of Australia, a high demand for physiotherapists has meant that travel and housing costs are sometimes wavered by employers.
What do Physiotherapists need to do before finding a job in Australia?
Before looking into registration procedures, overseas trained Physiotherapists wishing to work in Australia should find out about Australian visa eligibility requirements and application processes. All this information and more can be found on the Applying for a Visa section of the Jobaroo website.
If you are still overseas it is a good idea to apply to Recruitment Agencies and Jobs up to a year before you arrive. This will help to determine which City and State has the best opportunities and assistance may be offered with professional Registration and your Visa.
As there is no nation-wide registry for Physiotherapists in Australia, overseas trained Physiotherapists should decide in which State or Territory they would like to work prior to registering and before applying for jobs.
Working holiday-makers
For Physiotherapists arriving in Australia on a Working Holiday Visa, in most cases it is possible to register for a provisional license to practise directly with the Physiotherapy Registration Board of the State or Territory in which you wish to work. While provisional registration only permits overseas trained Physiotherapists to work for a maximum of three months in any one job, it does not involve extensive examination processes.
In Queensland and Western Australia provisional registration with the State boards is not available. Full registration via the Australian Physiotherapy Council is required, even if they are just working in a locum job for less than three months (see below).
Click here to see a list of contact details for the Physiotherapy registration boards of various States and Territories in Australia.
Permanent migrants or Physiotherapists on Sponsored Visas
Overseas trained Physiotherapists migrating to Australia permanently and/or those arriving on a Sponsored Visa are required to undergo a more rigorous accreditation process than working holiday-makers; this is the same for overseas trained Physiotherapists wishing to find jobs in Queensland and South Australia. Registration in Australia for these categories of overseas trained Physiotherapists is administered by the Australian Physiotherapy Council.
Registering as a Physiotherapist with the Australian Physiotherapy Council
Before overseas trained Physiotherapists (excluding those on working holiday visas) can register to practice as a Physiotherapist in Australia, they must first check whether or not they are eligible to do so.
Eligibility to register as a Physiotherapist in Australia is determined by the Australian Physiotherapy Council, which assesses an applicant’s tertiary qualifications, clinical work experience, English language proficiency, and registration status in the country where their degree was attained.
For academic qualifications, the Australian Physiotherapy Council generally requires that Physiotherapists have completed a minimum of three years at an approved tertiary institution, which offers a Physiotherapy course that meets Australian academic standards in terms of both theory and practice. Usually this educational requirement has to be combined with a satisfactory period of supervised clinical experience (normally 1-2 years).
Note: The assessment of eligibility stage can take up to six weeks and this does not include the time it takes to then register as a Physiotherapist. Candidates should therefore look into this well before arriving in Australia.
Once eligibility for registration has been approved, Physiotherapists then need to undergo two processes of examination. The first is a written test which can be completed outside of Australia, and the second is a period of supervised clinical experience, which can only be completed once in Australia.
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