How Can IMG Doctors Get Teaching Experience for NHS Jobs?
Updated: 18 hours ago
Teaching appears on most NHS person specifications, from junior clinical fellow posts to specialty doctor roles. Many international medical graduates (IMGs) have taught for years but struggle to prove it, or are not sure what counts in the UK. This guide explains how to build teaching experience quickly, how to evidence it, and how to describe it so shortlisters can score it.
Quick answer
IMG doctors get teaching experience by teaching in small, regular ways and documenting it: bedside teaching for medical students, short sessions for foundation doctors or nurses, journal clubs and simulation. For each session, collect written feedback, ideally ask a senior to observe, and write a short reflection. On an application, state what you taught, to whom, how often, and what changed.
What you will learn in our free Teaching Skills for Doctors course
Teaching experience is on most NHS person specifications. Show you can teach well, not just that you have taught. Our free online Teaching Skills for Doctors course is written for NHS doctors and international medical graduates. You study at your own pace in 6 short modules, with worked examples, interactive exercises and a short quiz at the end. There is no sign-up, and your progress is saved so you can stop and come back.
The 6 modules
Foundations: how doctors learn: Why teaching is part of every doctor's job in the NHS, What learners expect from you as a teacher, How adults learn, Learning from experience — Kolb's cycle, Miller's pyramid — from knowing to doing
Planning a teaching session: Know your learners, Writing learning objectives, Structure: set, dialogue, closure
Teaching in different settings: Small group teaching, Asking good questions, Large group teaching and presentations, Bedside and clinic teaching, Learner-led case presentation — SNAPPS
Feedback that changes practice: What makes feedback effective, Feedback models
Assessment and evaluation: Assessing learners, Evaluating your teaching — Kirkpatrick, Peer observation of teaching
Becoming a recognised teacher: Inclusive teaching and psychological safety, Frameworks and qualifications, Teaching in your CV, Trac application and interviews
By the end of the course you will be able to
Explain key principles of adult and experiential learning and use them in your teaching
Write clear, measurable learning objectives
Plan a session using set, dialogue and closure — and download your own plan
Teach effectively in small groups, large groups, at the bedside and in practical skills
Lead a structured simulation debrief
Give feedback that is specific, timely and leads to action
Use workplace-based assessments and evaluate your teaching
Build evidence of teaching for your portfolio, CV, Trac application and interviews
Why it helps your NHS application
Learn the teaching methods interviewers recognise: one-minute preceptor, Peyton's four steps, Pendleton and Ask–Tell–Ask
Leave with a downloadable session plan you can deliver and add to your portfolio
A verifiable certificate for the teaching section of your CV and Trac application
How to write it on your NHS application
In your CV and on NHS Jobs or Trac: list it under "Teaching" (or in the training and courses section of the form), for example:
Teaching Skills for Doctors, online CPD course, CareerPro UK. Certificate of completion, [month and year]; verifiable online, ID CP-XXXXXXXX.
In your supporting statement: show what you learned and how you use it. For example (adapt it so it is true for you):
"To develop as a teacher, I completed an online Teaching Skills for Doctors course. I now plan sessions with clear learning objectives, use the one-minute preceptor on ward rounds and collect written feedback after every session I deliver."
At interview: the course also prepares you for questions such as "Tell us about your teaching experience. How do you know your teaching was effective?"
Your certificate of completion
When you pass the quiz, you can download a certificate pack:
A verifiable PDF certificate of completion with your name, the course, your CPD time and a QR code that shortlisters and appraisers can scan
An appraisal-ready reflective note, pre-filled with the course learning outcomes
A ready-to-paste line for your NHS Jobs or Trac application and CV, and a one-click "Add to LinkedIn" button
Studying is free. The certificate pack is a one-off £5, and you pay only after you pass
Online course — not accredited by the Academy of Medical Educators or a university; not a formal teaching qualification.
Why teaching matters for NHS jobs
The GMC's Good Medical Practice (2024) asks doctors to be willing to offer professional support to colleagues, including students, and gives mentoring, coaching, teaching and training as examples. It says this is especially important for colleagues who are new to UK practice. Teaching is also one of the nine domains of the GMC's Generic Professional Capabilities framework, which every postgraduate curriculum must include.
In practice, this means NHS employers expect every doctor to teach, not only those with an interest in medical education. When a person specification lists "experience of teaching" or "evidence of teaching and training", shortlisters score what you write against it. Our guide to the NHS person specification explains how those criteria are used.
What counts as teaching evidence
Teaching does not have to mean a lecture theatre. Most clinical teaching happens in short moments woven into the working day. All of the following count, provided you can document them:
Bedside or clinic teaching for medical students or foundation doctors, for example walking a student through a cardiovascular examination.
Short structured sessions for junior doctors, nurses or physician associates, such as a 20-minute talk on interpreting arterial blood gases.
A regular teaching programme you organise or contribute to, for example weekly FY1 teaching or exam preparation for students.
Simulation and skills teaching, including leading a debrief after a simulated or real emergency.
Journal clubs, case presentations and departmental meetings, where you present and lead discussion.
Teaching delivered abroad, which still counts if you describe it clearly and honestly.
Patient education, such as an inhaler technique session, although most panels want to see teaching of colleagues or students as well.
What turns an activity into evidence is the paper trail: a record of the date, topic, audience and numbers, plus feedback and a reflection.
How to get teaching experience as an IMG
If you are already working in the NHS, the quickest route is to ask. Most departments have students on placement and foundation doctors who need teaching, and few doctors volunteer.
Tell your consultant and the undergraduate or postgraduate education team that you would like to teach. Ask whether there is a student or FY teaching programme you can join.
Offer a short, focused session on a topic you know well and that learners find hard, for example ECG interpretation, fluid prescribing or escalating a deteriorating patient.
Teach on the ward. Before or after a ward round, spend five minutes showing a student how to present a patient, or ask the FY1 what they think is happening before you give your plan.
Present at departmental teaching, a journal club or a clinical governance meeting. Presenting an audit counts as teaching too.
Make it regular. One session is a start. A series, such as a monthly session over six months, is much stronger evidence.
If you are not yet in a UK post, you can still build evidence. Keep teaching in your current hospital and document it the same way. During a clinical attachment, you will mostly observe, but you may be able to present a case or a short topic to the team, with your supervisor's agreement.
Feedback forms and peer observation
Feedback is what separates "I taught" from "I taught well". Collect it every time.
Keep the feedback form short. Three or four questions get more replies than a long form. For example:
How useful was this session? (score 1 to 5)
How confident do you feel about the topic now, compared with before? (1 to 5)
What was the most useful part?
What one thing would improve the session?
A QR code to an online form makes collection quick. Keep a simple spreadsheet of sessions, attendance and average scores.
Go beyond "did they enjoy it?". Kirkpatrick's four levels are a widely used way to evaluate teaching: reaction, learning, behaviour and results. Most doctors measure reaction only. A short quiz before and after the session shows learning. Linking teaching to an audit, for example re-measuring how often VTE risk assessments are completed after teaching foundation doctors, shows a change in behaviour.
Ask a senior to observe you. Agree in advance what they should focus on, such as "Do I give learners enough time to answer?" Then discuss it and write a short reflection. Many training programmes use a formal teaching observation form. Learners' comments tend to be polite and general, while a colleague can tell you exactly what to change.
For each teaching activity, aim to keep three things together in your portfolio: learner feedback, evidence of learning (such as quiz scores), and a peer observation with your reflection.
How to describe teaching on an NHS application
Shortlisters can only score what you write, so be specific. Strong entries give the topic, audience, frequency, method and outcome, with numbers where you have them.
Weak: "I enjoy teaching and regularly teach medical students."
Strong: "I designed and delivered a six-session ECG programme for 12 final-year students, using case-based small-group teaching. Mean feedback was 4.7 out of 5, and average quiz scores rose from 52% to 81%. My consultant observed one session, and I added more practice cases in response to the feedback."
The same approach works in the supporting statement. Use the wording of the person specification, give one or two concrete examples, and show what you learned. Our guide on writing an NHS supporting statement as an IMG shows how to structure this.
At interview, "Tell us about your teaching experience" is a common question. Use STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result): who you taught and why, the learning need, how you planned and delivered it, and what the feedback or outcome was. Finish with what you would do differently or next. Only describe teaching you have really done, because panels often ask follow-up questions.
Teaching qualifications: do you need one?
You do not need a formal qualification to show teaching on an NHS application, especially for junior and middle-grade posts. Regular, well-documented teaching with feedback is what panels look for first. Formal training becomes more useful as you aim for training posts, supervisor roles or consultant jobs. Common next steps include:
Teach-the-teacher courses run by many trusts and deaneries, which cover practical skills such as small-group teaching and feedback.
The Resuscitation Council UK Generic Instructor Course, which is open to candidates identified as having instructor potential on one of its provider courses, such as ALS.
A Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) in Medical or Clinical Education, a university qualification usually studied part-time.
Professional recognition, such as membership of the Academy of Medical Educators (AoME) or a fellowship from Advance HE, based on evidence of your educational practice.
Recognition as a clinical or educational supervisor, for doctors who take on named supervisor roles for trainees, following GMC requirements and local training.
The AoME Professional Standards (fourth edition) describe good educational practice in five domains: design and planning of learning activities; teaching and facilitating learning; assessment of learning; educational scholarship and evidence-based practice; and educational management and leadership. They are a useful map for planning your development, even before you study for a qualification.
Our free Teaching Skills for Doctors course covers the practical side: writing learning objectives, planning a session, bedside methods such as the one-minute preceptor and SNAPPS, Peyton's four-step approach for skills, feedback models and evaluation. It is an online course, not a formal teaching qualification, and it is not accredited by the AoME or a university.
Start the free course
Teaching Skills for Doctors is split into short modules that take you from how adults learn to planning, delivering and evaluating a real session, with a session plan you build as you go and guidance on evidencing teaching for your applications. It is free to study, includes a quiz, and offers an optional verifiable certificate and a reflective note for your appraisal. Start Teaching Skills for Doctors.
If you would like your NHS application reviewed and rewritten (£35), email cvreviewexperts@gmail.com.
Frequently asked questions
Does teaching I did in my home country count on an NHS application?
Yes. Teaching delivered abroad counts if you describe it specifically, with the audience, topic, frequency and any feedback. It helps to add any teaching you have done since arriving in the UK, even a single well-evaluated session.
How much teaching experience do I need for a junior clinical fellow or trust grade job?
There is no fixed amount. For junior posts, regular informal teaching with written feedback and a reflection is usually enough to meet the criterion, while a structured programme or peer observation makes your evidence stronger.
Do I need a PGCert in medical education to get an NHS job?
No. A PGCert is a useful qualification for doctors who want to develop as educators, but it is not usually required for junior or middle-grade posts. Documented teaching with feedback matters more at these stages.
What should a teaching feedback form include?
Keep it to three or four questions: a usefulness score, a confidence score, the most useful part, and one suggestion for improvement. Adding a short quiz before and after the session gives stronger evidence of learning than satisfaction scores alone.
Is a teaching observation the same as feedback from learners?
No. Learner feedback shows how the session was received, while a peer observation is a colleague's structured assessment of your teaching. Having both, plus your own reflection, gives the most complete evidence.
Related guide: How to write a reflection for appraisal and revalidation
Related guide: What is GMC Good Medical Practice?
Related guide: When can a doctor share patient information?
Related guide: NHS Scotland job applications for international doctors
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