British Expats - Retraining as a Paramedic in OZ ??

Hi Brindy,

My girlfriend is a British Paramedic in Queensland Ambulance Service.

Firstly not to put your husband off being a paramedic as i am sure he will enjoy the challenge but every paramedic i know either in the UK or here in queensland has a bad back. The chiroprator my girlfriend gos to sees about 7 other paramedics that we know of and they are all under 35. I couldnt believe it even ones that have only been in the service 2 yrs.

Anyway to answer your question.

If you already have an australian visa i think your best bet is to come over and get the training.

In QAS you can become a paramedic in 2 ways,

1 do the degree where you go to university (i think QUT) and then go out on the road a few weeks of the yr. You dont get paid for this and have to pay your univeristy fees (although you can delay payment until you are working ).

The second is you get employed by QAS and do the diploma course. This way you are working for QAS , working shifts etc and get paid from day 1. You also do not have to pay the fees for this. From the people we have met from QAS you find the older "students" do the diploma as they cannot afford to have 3 yrs without working where as the 18-19yrolds go to uni.

If you do the degree in the UK then that is 3 yrs before you qualify then you will need another few years experience before a service in australia will take you. Potentially you are talking 5 yrs before you come out to australia.