Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, as long as you are at least 16 on the date you travel. If you are under 18 when you apply, we will also need consent from your parent or guardian.

Yes. Our placements are designed to give an insight into practical healthcare for students prior to clinical training, so they are also suitable for first and second year medics, dentists, nurses and midwives.

Yes. We welcome students from anywhere in the world, provided you are able to obtain the appropriate visa for the placement country.

As long as we have space on the programme, you can go whenever you like. Our programs run all year round, but spaces at our busiest times (especially May to August) usually get booked up many months in advance.

It’s up to you, but most students do two - four weeks. Placements are available from one week upwards.

No. If you happen to speak fluent Swahili, Thai, Hindi or Patois that’s brilliant, but we imagine you don’t! Luckily, all of the mentors in our hospitals, staff in our houses and other students all speak English so you’ll be fine.

It depends where you go and how long for – everything you need to know is on our prices page here. 

No. Students join us from all over the world, so including flights as part of our package wouldn’t be practical. You’re also likely to get the best deal by shopping around online and with travel agents, as airfares can change on an almost daily basis. However, we do have partner travel agents who we can recommend and who know our programs so can make sure you get to the right place at the right time!

Our prices include your hospital placement, clinical teaching, accommodation, food, airport transfer on arrival, local orientation, in-country support, help with your preparations and your online trip planner. There’s more detail about all of these on our prices page here.

You’ll also need your international flights, personal travel insurance, visa (in some destinations) and personal spending money for things like socialising, travelling at weekends and buying souvenirs. We'll give you all the information you need on budgeting and how to carry your money as part of our pre-departure service and we're more than happy to help you organise flights, insurance etc.

If we cannot provide your placement with the dates and destination you choose, we will offer you the choice of alternatives or a full refund of the registration fee. Once your placement is confirmed, however, the registration fee is not refundable because it is used to hold your place (which could mean turning other students away) and provide all of our pre-departure services.

For Tanzania, fly into Dar es Salaam.

For India, fly to Delhi and get a connecting flight to Jodhpur. It's worth noting if you search for direct flights to Jodhpur they can be very expensive, so you'll probably get a much better deal booking the connection from Delhi to Jodhpur separately from the international flight (try www.jetairways.com).

For Thailand, fly to Bangkok and get a connecting flight to Chiang Mai. Again, note that if you search for direct flights to Chiang Mai they can be very expensive, so you'll probably get a much better deal booking the connection from Bangkok to Chiang Mai separately from the international flight (try www.airasia.com).

For the Caribbean, fly into Hewanorra International Airport in St Lucia.

Please don't book your flights until after we have confirmed your placement, in case we do not have space on the dates you want to go. Once you're confirmed, we recommend you book your flights 2-3 months before you travel.

Firstly, if you want the best deal, shop around. Talk to travel agents, but also look online (www.skyscanner.net can be good). We do have a partner travel agent in the US who knows our programs well and gives a great service - just give us a call or email for details.