Coming to work in the UK?

If you are a full member of :

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
Speech Pathology Australia (SPA)
The Canadian Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA)
The Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists (IASLT)
The New Zealand Speech-Language Therapists Association (NZSTA)

… then you can apply for RCSLT membership using the Mutual Recognition of Credentials Agreement, known as ‘the MRA’.

In order to be a full practising member (CertMRCSLT), you will have to be registered with the Health Professions Council (HPC).

Before applying for RCSLT membership, you should first approach the HPC regarding registration (this is a legal obligation if you want to work as an SLT in the UK).

In order to apply for RCSLT membership, you will need a letter of good standing from your professional body.

Ask your professional body for a 'letter of good standing' at the same time as applying for your HPC registration. Both these processes will probably take a while.

When you have your HPC registration sorted out, you should apply for RCSLT membership using your 'letter of good standing' (your professional body may actually send this letter straight to us. We suggest that you check with your professional body and ensure they have sent the letter and ask them for a copy which you can send in with your membership application, in case we have failed to connect the letter from your professional body with your application).

As a practising member in the UK, you will pay an annual subscription for membership. We will not take any money from you if your membership application is unsuccessful.

If you are a speech and language therapist who qualified outside the UK and you are not a member of:

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
Speech Pathology Australia (SPA)
The Canadian Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA)
The Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists (IASLT)
The New Zealand Speech-Language Therapists Association (NZSTA)

…and you want to join the RCSLT, you may be able to join, subject to additional checks.

You must first be registered with the HPC, the regulator of allied health professions in the UK. You will therefore have met certain minimum threshold standards before actually being eligible to apply for RCSLT membership.

The RCSLT requires applicants from outside the UK and MRA countries to complete a period of supervised practice as ‘transitional members’ (similar to the period of supervised practice we ask newly qualified and returning members to complete).

Applicants for certified membership must complete this period of supervised practice within 12 months of admission to the RCSLT membership ; they must also complete any additional training stipulated (see below) in this 12-month period.

The RCSLT has set standards for the SLT workforce that may exceed the threshold standards set by the regulator (HPC). The regulatory standards are largely generic and are applied for all allied health professionals. Therefore, in order to uphold standards for the SLT workforce, the RCSLT may recommend that additional training in, for example, phonetics or dysphagia, be included in the competence framework.

For further enquiries write to: The Membership and Information Manager, RCSLT, 2 White Hart Yard, London SE1 1NX, email: sharon.silvera@rcslt.org, tel: 00 44 207 378 3011.

Frequently asked questions about coming to work in the UK