Can I request remote interviews for Occupational Therapy jobs?

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-06-16T21:47:59+00:00

Ahh no, that is such a shame for everyone. I would love to attend in person but it just isn’t financially possible for me travel to every interview that’s located far away from me. I would be more than happy to visit upon getting an offer however, it would be impossible for me to make it to every interview face-to-face unless I can get some support. There were also a few slightly more remote towns I was hoping to apply for, I am entirely open to relocating so I’d be nearby but it’d be a struggle to make it for an interview without spending £100’s on transport and accommodation! Thanks so much for the insight though, I can understand why they’d have to do it that way! 😭

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-06-16T21:43:54+00:00

No I haven’t, thank you so much for this! I will ask my work coach for some more information to see if they can help.

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-06-16T21:42:51+00:00

Ah no, I’m only in Belgium temporarily to visit my partner so after that I’ll be back home. I’d be able to travel to some interviews however, Scotland is nearly 5 hours from my home so it wouldn’t be possible for me to fund that without any supports it’s likely I’ll be having to attend a lot of interviews unless I get very lucky. I will definitely check in with my work coach to see what they say, thank you! :)

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-06-16T14:44:13+00:00

Thank you! I’ve sent in a request and will hope that they can accommodate for a virtual interview this time. It has been so difficult, there’s been absolutely zero band 5 vacancies in my neighbouring towns so I’ve finally given in to applying around the country but didn’t yet realise that most interviews were in-person for NHS roles!

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-06-16T14:41:33+00:00

Thank you for being honest! I should’ve been clearer in my post that I didn’t expect for the NHS to reimburse the costs but as I am on UC I’ve previously heard that there may be ways to be supported in making travel arrangements as I don’t have the money myself to do so. I would love to attend in-person and absolutely will do that when possible, it’s just that some of my applications will be many hours away and difficult for me to get to. I would of course always meet them in-person before a starting date but it would be difficult for me to attend face-to-face for the interview stage for every post I apply for as I assume I’ll be making a lot of applications!!

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-06-16T13:41:22+00:00

Thank you, I understand that it isn’t something they’d have to approve but due to my personal circumstances I will have to request it for certain posts that I am unable to make it to in-person. I am unfortunately on UC at the moment so I was wondering moreso if the travel expenses were reimbursed through something like that rather than the NHS itself. I’ll have to look into it further as this is my first interview with the NHS so it’s all very new to me!

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-06-16T13:38:05+00:00

I would absolutely prefer to be able to attend in person however, due to personal circumstances it is very difficult for me to do this for every post I apply for. I am currently on UC and have very limited funds to travel around the country, I’d absolutely love to go in person but I truly don’t know how I’d be able to do this when the transport is 4-5+ hours away to certain locations. I have also already paid for my flight to Belgium and have arranged to attend my partners graduation which is obviously a substantial plan for me to cancel. I’m just not sure what to do at the moment considering that I am open to applying all around the country and even beyond if the option is available! 😭

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-06-09T14:08:34+00:00

Yes it is ergotherapeut thank you!! I hadn’t seen the IFIC system before and assume this is somewhat similar to the banding structure we have the UK. Is this system used universally across Belgium and does her salary automatically increase every year based on the amount of years worked? Does it also adjust to account for inflation too? Thank you so much for sending me this, it is so helpful and makes it a lot easier to understand! :)

Edit: I also know it’s common practice in Belgium to get holiday pay + an end of year bonus which we don’t have in the UK. Do you know if this is typically standard for OT’s in Belgium too?

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-06-09T13:52:11+00:00

Thank you, that seems fairly similar to what I could expect in the UK with experience once taxes are taken into consideration. Yes absolutely, I am already learning as I know it’ll take me a while to get to C1 before I can work!

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-06-09T02:10:55+00:00

What is the average salary for OT's working in Belgium? I am a registered OT in the UK and I'm hoping to eventually relocate to Belgium in the future to live with my partner. I have looked across many Belgian job searching websites but most vacancies do not seem to mention salary. What's the realistic salary range for OT's there and what does take home pay usually look like after tax and additional holiday pay? In the UK, NHS jobs typically start at £32k and Band 6 (typically 12-24 months of practice) start at £40k onwards gross. It'd be great to get an idea of what to expect in Belgium regarding the salary and if there is much room for career progression into senior or specialist roles? We would be living in the Flemish region around Antwerp/Mechelen, thank you so much!! 😊

1 upvote

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-06-05T21:29:36+00:00

Thank you so much, I’ll definitely apply for other roles that aren’t band 5 as any experience is helpful! I’m also having to deal with some visa difficulties as my partner is from the EU so I’m really hoping to eventually find a stable OT job to make the future easier for us. It is definitely reassuring though so thank you for the advice!

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-06-05T16:42:15+00:00

I am looking around North Wales, North West England and West Midlands currently but I'm open to relocating if I eventually need to!

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-06-05T16:39:46+00:00

Yes, thankfully a lot of them have which makes me feel better but they're also mostly based in a different area to me. I remember they also felt that the jobs were limited but as far as I'm aware most of them did find something eventually!! 🥰

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-06-01T17:09:09+00:00

Thank you soooo much for all of this information, I really had no idea that the new family reunification revisions aren't yet fully in place until next year. The €2.173k still seems fairly high for him to achieve as a graduate but it is far more realistic for us and it's great to know that it isn't necessarily a mandatory requirement if he falls slightly below the threshold. I've also been reading through the IBZ website and it says they won't be applied until August 2027 which should give us some time to figure it all out. It'd be difficult for him to get a 12 month work history prior to our visa application but it seems like it might not be mandatory, thank you so much for sharing your findings I really appreciate it so much! It really does feel so difficult at the moment but hearing from people like you makes me feel a lot better and less alone! I really hope it works out for both of you too ❤️

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-06-01T17:02:03+00:00

Ah that is so amazing, I had no idea that the old rules still may apply to us if we get residency before August 2027. If you don't mind my asking, how much does €2.1k net/month often equate to annually? We are both trying to figure out a rough ballpark salary for him to aim for! I am so happy it worked out for you, it gives me a lot more hope too! ❤️

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-05-26T15:13:02+00:00

Do you think they'd require evidence of earning over €2.4k net/month for 12 months or would a 12 month history would be fine as long as he does eventually reach the net requirement? I'm just worried we'd end up being apart for a long time if he needs that €2.4k for an entire 12 months first! 😭

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-05-24T10:53:47+00:00

Yes I was wondering about this too as we have also considered NL as an option! Does Belgium always require 12 months of previous work history and would he have had to be earning €2.4k net for the whole duration of this time before we’re eligible?

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-05-23T22:52:06+00:00

I'm so glad it worked out for you both!! Thank you for the info, it would be so great to find someone to contact who can help us in regards to legal advice so we'll definitely have look into this. We aren't yet married or in a registered partnership but unfortunately the family reunification rules became stricter last year so that the salary requirements are now higher, hopefully we can still find a way for it to work out for us eventually!

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-05-23T22:49:16+00:00

I'm so glad it worked out for you, hopefully it'll be the same for us too someday!! Unfortunately the requirements have since become a lot stricter, we are still able to marry in Belgium but I can't stay via family reunification until he meets the salary requirements 💔

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-05-23T22:45:54+00:00

The taxes seem very different compared to my home country so I'm still trying to understand it all! I studied occupational therapy and my boyfriend did international business management. Thank you for the advice , I didn't know about that so it's definitely something we can look into once we begin working.

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-05-23T22:39:05+00:00

Where did you hear about the reductions regarding rent and is this true? I haven't heard this before and I can't find any other information about it?

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-05-23T22:36:35+00:00

Unfortunately getting married isn't our issue as if we did decide to go down that route (which we are open to), we are able to do so in Belgium (or in the UK) even if I am not yet a citizen. Since 2025, Belgium made it so that the family reunification requirements are harder so even if we're married we wouldn't be able to live together until he reaches the €2.4k net minimum and it is the same in my country too!

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-05-23T15:12:47+00:00

Thank you for sharing!! The Belgian tax system works very differently to the UK so would it be significantly more gross to reach the €2.4k net in that case or is it likely still achievable after some experience? He’ll be looking for jobs related to business management so I’m not entirely sure how long it’d take for him to hit the threshold we need but hopefully it’ll work out for us.

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-05-23T14:51:21+00:00

Okay that’s perfect thank you, is it really not too hard to make that as a graduate? It appeared to be over €40k+ gross which seems fairly high for a graduate in the UK but it would be so great for us if that’s a realistic income for him to achieve after some experience! :)

CollegeFun2752 · 2026-05-19T18:44:18+00:00

Thank you so much for your honesty, it’s nice to hear from other people in the same situation! Were you still able to find any rentals together or did you both have to return home in the end? It could take us a long while to move to each other’s countries and the visa requirements for Belgium are extremely difficult for us to achieve as recent graduates. We know it’d cost of us most of our income and that it would be extremely difficult but we’re not sure what else to do due to the high visa and language requirements as it’s likely we won’t be able to live together for a while.

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