At present there is a great need for Dental Nurses in the London area with some recruitment agencies saying that they can place every suitable applicant coming through their doors. Work is available for for both qualified and unqualified nurses, but unqualified nurses should have at least one year's experience.

Duties include assisting the dentists with preparing materials, looking after patients and answering the phone, depending on the size of the practice. Work may either be on a permanent basis with a single employer or as a temporary nurse with different employers and without any long-term commitments.

As far as dental surgeries are concerned they can be loosely grouped under the following types :

• National Health (NHS)
• Community
• Private /Independent
• Mixed (i.e. National Health and Private)

Addresses

The profession is governed by the General Dental Council, The British Dental Association is another controlling body their contact details are as follows :

General Dental Council
37 Wimpole Street
London
W1M 8DQ
Phone no : 0944 (0)207 - 887 3800
Fax: 0944 (0)207 - 224 3294

The British Dental Association
64 Wimpole Street
London
W1M 8AL
Phone no : 0944 (0)207 - 935 0875
Fax : 0944(0)207 - 437 5292

Qualifications/attributes

You do not have to be qualified to work as a dental nurse in the UK, but must have either passed the national UK exam or have worked at the equivalent level in South Africa.

Working Hours

35 - 40 hours per week. Most dentists open their doors at 9 am and work until 6 pm.

Pay

£ 6 - £ 8 per hour

The pay rate is dependant on your level of experience and your qualifications. Some recruitment agencies are also able to offer perks such as holiday pay after 13 continuous weeks in their employ.

For help in finding a job in this area contact the following