If you're an international nurse aiming to build a career in the UK, meeting the Nursing and Midwifery Council's (NMC) English language requirements is crucial. While the NMC offers several ways to demonstrate your English proficiency — such as the Supporting Information from Employers (SIFE) introduced in 2023 — the OET Test remains the fastest and most reliable route to achieving your dream of working as a nurse in the UK. 

What is SIFE? 

SIFE is an employer-provided reference that can be used to confirm your ability to communicate proficiently in English and to practice safely in a UK health and care setting. It might seem like an easier option for meeting the NMC’s requirements, but it comes with several critical limitations:  

• You’ll need to work in a non-registered role first: SIFE is only an option if you’ve been working in a non-registered role within a UK healthcare setting, such as a healthcare assistant (HCA) or healthcare support worker (HCSW) for at least 12 months. 
• Employer dependency: Your application’s success depends entirely on your employer’s willingness and eligibility to endorse your English skills. However, not all employers qualify to provide SIFE and they are not obligated to support your nursing registration application.  
• Uncertain outcome: Even with your employer's support, the NMC has the final say. There’s no guarantee your application will be approved and they may reject your application. 
• Lower salary and career stagnation: Non-registered roles, such as HCAs, generally pay 30–40% less than newly registered nursing roles. This can make it difficult to cover living costs in the UK and may limit your ability to support family members. Additionally, this delay in achieving a registered nursing role can slow down your career progression and reduce your overall earnings potential in the long term. 
• Limited job mobility: You'll need to stay with the same employer for at least 12 months. If the job isn’t a good fit, this can be restrictive. 
• Lost nursing skills: Working as an HCA means you won’t be using your nursing skills, which could make it harder to return to nursing duties later. 
• Difficulty in bringing family to the UK: Recent changes to UK immigration rules make it harder for those in non-registered roles to bring their family to the UK. However, as a registered nurse, you can bring your family with you. 

Why the OET Test is a better choice 

The OET Test, on the other hand, provides a more reliable, secure, and strategic route to starting your UK nursing career. Here’s why: 

• A guaranteed pathway to nursing registration: The OET Test is a recognised and guaranteed way to meet the NMC’s language proficiency requirements. By achieving the required scores, you meet the official criteria to demonstrate your English language skills. 
  
  
• Start as a registered nurse: With the OET Test, you can start your UK career as a fully registered nurse, not as an HCA. This means better pay, faster career progression and the respect  your skills and experience deserve. 
  
  
• Greater job flexibility: By choosing the OET Test, you take control of your future. You won’t  have to stay with the same employer for 12 months and hope that they'll support your SIFE application. 
  
  
• Visa and NMC acceptance: OET Test results can be used both to meet the NMC’s requirements and for your visa application, so you can use the one test for dual purposes. 
  
  
• Boosts OSCE preparedness: Research shows that OET Test candidates feel more confident for the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as they’ve already practiced real-life healthcare scenarios. As one former OET candidate shared: "In OET I was asked about scenarios of transferring a patient discharge referrals. So, I think it would have been so new to me if I didn’t take up those writing tasks but now it seems so familiar because I did them in the test."   
  
  
• Practical skills for daily use: The OET Test equips you with the language skills needed to navigate patient interactions, collaborate with colleagues, and manage medical documentation effectively in the UK healthcare setting. Andhie, a nurse who took the OET, noted: "OET appealed because it’s very specific to my profession. I can relate to the test, and I can really use the learnings from the test to my day-to-day work."   

Ready to take the next step? 

Choosing the OET Test over SIFE puts you in control of your career. With OET, you’ll begin your UK journey as a registered nurse, earning the salary you deserve and using the skills you've worked hard to build. 

“Don't waste time. If you want to work in any country where OET is accepted, go for it with confidence.”
Sanjith Kumar, Clinical Governance & Risk Manager, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust  

Don’t leave your future to chance – choose the OET Test and secure your nursing career in the UK today!