This Privacy Policy sets out how we, The Savvy IMG, collect, store and use information about you when you use or interact with our website, thesavvyimg.co.uk (our website) and where we otherwise obtain or collect information about you. This Privacy Policy is effective 13th November 2019.
Contents
- Summary
- Our details
- When you visit our website
- When you use our website
- Marketing communications
- Information obtained from third parties
- Disclosure and additional uses of your information
- How long we retain your information
- How we secure your information
- Transfers of your information outside the European Economic Area
- Your rights in relation to your information
- Changes to our Privacy Policy
- Children’s Privacy
Summary
This section summarises how we obtain, store and use information about you. It is intended to provide a very general overview only. It is not complete in and of itself and it must be read in conjunction with the corresponding full sections of this Privacy Policy.
- Data controller: The Savvy IMG
- How we collect or obtain information about you: when you provide it to us e.g. by contacting us, registering, uploading and downloading from our website, completing registration forms, posting blogs, or signing up for content such as newsletters. From your use of our website, using cookies and occasionally, from third parties such as mailing list providers.
- Information we collect: name, contact details, social media information, IP address, information from cookies, information about your computer or device (e.g. device and browser type), information about how you use our website (e.g. which pages you have viewed, the time when you view them and what you clicked on, the geographical location from which you accessed our website (based on your IP address), engagement history and transaction history.
- How we use your information: for administrative and business purposes (particularly to contact you, to improve our business and website, to fulfil our contractual obligations, to advertise our and other’s goods and services, to analyse your use of our website, and in connection with our legal rights and obligations.)
- Disclosure of your information to third parties: user information can be shared with partners for specific types of content and events where a user has registered their information. Other disclosures are only to the extent necessary to run our business, to our service providers, to fulfil any contracts we enter into with you and where required by law or to enforce our legal rights.
- Do we sell your information to third parties (other than in the course of a business sale or purchase or similar event): No, The Savvy IMG, does not sell data. However, when you register or sign up for certain types of content, your registration data can be shared with sponsors and partners. Examples of where we do this include event registrations, webinar signups or whitepaper downloads. We will always make it clear where any information provided will be shared with other parties.
- How long we retain your information: for no longer than necessary, taking into account any legal obligations we have (e.g. to maintain records for tax purposes), any other legal basis we have for using your information (e.g. your consent, performance of a contract with you or our legitimate interests as a business) and certain additional factors described in the main section below entitled How long we retain your information. For specific retention periods in relation to certain information which we collect from you, please see the main section below entitled How long we retain your information.
- How we secure your information: using appropriate technical and organisational measures such as storing your information on secure servers, encrypting transfers of data to or from our servers using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology, encrypting payments you make on or via our website using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology and only granting access to your information where necessary.
- Use of cookies and similar technologies: we use cookies and similar information-gathering technologies such as marketing automation tracking on our website including essential, functional, analytical and targeting cookies. For more information, please visit our cookies policy.
- Transfers of your information outside the European Economic Area: By using our website, your information may be transferred outside of the European Economic Area. We take personal data seriously and as such we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including, for example, that the third parties we use who transfer your information outside the European Economic Area have self-certified themselves as compliant with the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield.
- Use of profiling: we use profiling to understand our users better through web and marketing analytics, provide targeted advertising and deliver a personalised user experience.
- Your rights in relation to your information
- to access your information and to receive information about its use
- to have your information corrected and/or completed
- to have your information deleted
- to restrict the use of your information
- to receive your information in a portable format
- to object to the use of your information
- to withdraw your consent to the use of your information
- to complain to a supervisory authority
- Sensitive personal information: we do not collect what is commonly referred to as ‘sensitive personal information’.
Our details
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact the data controller.
The data controller in respect of our website is The Savvy IMG.
You can contact the data controller by sending an email to info@thesavvyimg.co.uk.
When you visit our website
We collect and use information from website visitors in accordance with this section and the section entitled Disclosure and additional uses of your information.
Web server log information
We use a third party server to host our website called BlueHost Inc. the privacy policy of which is available here: https://www.endurance.com/privacy/privacy
Our website server automatically logs the IP address you use to access our website as well as other information about your visit such as the pages accessed, information requested, the date and time of the request, the source of your access to our website (e.g. the website or URL (link) which referred you to our website), and your browser version and operating system.
Use of website server log information for IT security purposes
We collect and store server logs to ensure network and IT security and so that the server and website remain uncompromised. This includes analysing log files to help identify and prevent unauthorised access to our network, the distribution of malicious code, denial of services attacks and other cyber-attacks, by detecting unusual or suspicious activity.
Unless we are investigating suspicious or potential criminal activity, we do not make, nor do we allow our hosting provider to make, any attempt to identify you from the information collected via server logs.
Legal basis for processing: compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject (Article 6(1)(c) of the General Data Protection Regulation).
Legal obligation: we have a legal obligation to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk of our processing of information about individuals. Recording access to our website using server log files is such a measure.
Legal basis for processing: our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation).
Legitimate interests: we have a legitimate interest in using your information for the purposes of ensuring network and information security.
Use of website server log information to analyse website use and improve our website
We use the information collected by our website server logs to analyse how our website users interact with our website and its features. For example, we analyse the number of visits and unique visitors we receive, the time and date of the visit, the location of the visit and the operating system and browser use.
We use the information gathered from the analysis of this information to improve our website. For example, we use the information gathered to change the information, content and structure of our website and individual pages based according to what users are engaging most with and the duration of time spent on particular pages on our website.
Legal basis for processing: our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation).
Legitimate interest: improving our website for our website users and getting to know our website users’ preferences so our website can better meet their needs and desires.
Cookies
Cookies are data files which are sent from a website to a browser to record information about users for various purposes.
We use cookies on our website, including essential, functional, analytical and targeting cookies. For further information on how we use cookies, please see our cookies policy.
You can reject some or all of the cookies we use on or via our website by changing your browser settings or non-essential cookies by using a cookie control tool, but doing so can impair your ability to use our website or some or all of its features. For further information about cookies, including how to change your browser settings, please visit www.allaboutcookies.org or see our cookie policy.
When you contact us
We collect and use information from individuals who contact us in accordance with this section and the section entitled Disclosure and additional uses of your information.
Email
When you send an email to the email address displayed on our website we collect your email address and any other information you provide in that email (such as your name, telephone number and the information contained in any signature block in your email).
Legal basis for processing: our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation).
Legitimate interest(s): responding to enquiries and messages we receive and keeping records of correspondence.
Legal basis for processing: necessary to perform a contract or to take steps at your request to enter into a contract (Article 6(1)(b) of the General Data Protection Regulation).
Reason why necessary to perform a contract: where your message relates to us providing you with goods or services or taking steps at your request prior to providing you with our goods and services (for example, providing you with information about such goods and services), we will process your information in order to do so).
Enquiry forms
When you contact us using an enquiry form, we collect your personal details and match this to any information we hold about you on record. Typical personal information collected will include your name and contact details. We will also record the time, date and the specific form you completed.
If you do not provide the mandatory information required by our contact form, you will not be able to submit the contact form and we will not receive your enquiry.
Legal basis for processing: our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation).
Legitimate interest(s): responding to enquiries and messages we receive and keeping records of correspondence.
We will also use this information to tailor any follow up sales and marketing communications with you. For further information, see the section of this privacy policy titled ‘Marketing Communications’.
Messages you send to us via our contact form may be stored outside the European Economic Area on our contact form provider’s servers.
Phone
When you contact us by phone, we collect your phone number and any information provide to us during your conversation with us.
We record customer-facing phone calls for training and customer service purposes.
Legal basis for processing: our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation)
Legitimate interest(s): responding to enquiries and messages we receive and keeping records of correspondence.
Legal basis for processing: necessary to perform a contract or to take steps at your request to enter into a contract (Article 6(1)(b) of the General Data Protection Regulation).
Reason why necessary to perform a contract: where your message relates to us providing you with goods or services or taking steps at your request prior to providing you with our goods and services (for example, providing you with information about such goods and services), we will process your information in order to do so).
Post
If you contact us by post, we will collect any information you provide to us in any postal communications you send us.
Legal basis for processing: our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation)
Legitimate interest(s): responding to enquiries and messages we receive and keeping records of correspondence.
Legal basis for processing: necessary to perform a contract or to take steps at your request to enter into a contract (Article 6(1)(b) of the General Data Protection Regulation).
Reason why necessary to perform a contract: where your message relates to us providing you with goods or services or taking steps at your request prior to providing you with our goods and services (for example, providing you with information about such goods and services), we will process your information in order to do so).
When you use our website
We collect and use information from individuals who interact with particular features of our website in accordance with this section and the section entitled Disclosure and additional uses of your information.
Social Media Tools
We have a wide range of social media tools to be able to use on our website. These tools include (but not limited to); Sharing, Likes, comments and submitting content both on and off our website. By using these tools, you are providing your consent to store and use the submitted data whether personal information or general information both on and off our website.
Legal basis for processing: your consent (Article 6(1)(a) of the General Data Protection Regulation). Consent: you give your consent to us storing and using submitted content using the steps described above.
We may also use this information to tailor any follow up sales and marketing communications with you. For further information, see the section of this privacy policy titled ‘Marketing Communications’.
Information you submit may be stored both inside and outside the European Economic Area on our servers as well as third-party servers such as Facebook.
For further information about the safeguards used when your information is transferred outside the European Economic Area.
Registering on our Website
When you register on our website or via teachable, we collect the following information; Your Name, Email.
If you do not provide the mandatory information required by the form, you will not be able to interact with our website or on Teachable.
You can view Teachable's privacy policy here https://teachable.com/privacy-policy
Legal basis for processing: our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation).
Legitimate interest: registering and administering accounts on our website to provide access to content, allows you to download content and facilitates the running and operation of our business.
We will also use this information to tailor any follow up sales and marketing communications with you. For further information, see the section of this privacy policy titled ‘Marketing Communications’.
Transfer and storage of your information
Information you submit to us via the registration form on our website may be stored outside the European Economic Area on our third-party hosting provider’s servers.
Marketing communications
Our content, goods and services
When signing up for content, registering on our website or making a payment, we will use the information you provide in order to contact you regarding related content, products and services.
We will continue to send you marketing communications in relation to similar goods and services if you do not opt out from receiving them.
You can opt-out from receiving marketing communications at any time by emailing info@thesavvyimg.co.uk
Legal basis for processing: our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation).
Legitimate interests: Sharing relevant, timely and industry-specific information on related business services, in order to assist your organisation, grow.
Third party goods and services
In addition to receiving information about our products and services, you can opt in to receiving marketing communications from us in relation third party goods and services by email by ticking a box indicating that you would like to receive such communications.
Legal basis for processing: consent (Article 6(1)(a) of the General Data Protection Regulation).
Consent: you give your consent to us sending you information about third party goods and services by signing up to receive such information in accordance with the steps described above.
Transfer and storage of your information
Information for marketing campaigns will be stored outside the European Economic Area on our third-party mailing list provider’s servers in the United States.
For further information about the safeguards used when your information is transferred outside the European Economic Area, see the section of this privacy policy below entitled Transfers of your information outside the European Economic Area.
Use of tracking in emails
We use technologies such as tracking pixels (small graphic files) and tracked links in the emails we send to allow us to assess the level of engagement our emails receive by measuring information such as the delivery rates, open rates, click through rates and content engagement that our emails achieve.
Information obtained from third parties
This section sets out how we obtain or collect information about you from third parties.
Information received from third parties
We can often receive information about you from third parties. The third parties from which we receive information about you can include partner events within the marketing industry and other organisations that we have a professional affiliation with.
It is also possible that third parties with whom we have had no prior contact may provide us with information about you.
Information we obtain from third parties will generally be your name and contact details but will include any additional information about you which they provide to us.
Legal basis for processing: necessary to perform a contract or to take steps at your request to enter into a contract (Article 6(1)(b) of the General Data Protection Regulation).
Reason why necessary to perform a contract: where a third party has passed on information about you to us (such as your name and email address) in order for us to provide services to you, we will process your information in order to take steps at your request to enter into a contract with you and perform a contract with you (as the case may be).
Legal basis for processing: consent (Article 6(1)(a) of the General Data Protection Regulation).
Consent: where you have asked that a third party to share information about you with us and the purpose of sharing that information is not related to the performance of a contract or services by us to you, we will process your information on the basis of your consent, which you give by asking the third party in question to pass on your information to us.
Legal basis for processing: our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation).
Legitimate interests: where a third party has shared information about you with us and you have not consented to the sharing of that information, we will have a legitimate interest in processing that information in certain circumstances.
For example, we would have a legitimate interest in processing your information to perform our obligations under a sub-contract with the third party, where the third party has the main contract with you. Our legitimate interest is the performance of our obligations under our sub-contract.
Similarly, third parties may pass on information about you to us if you have infringed or potentially infringed any of our legal rights. In this case, we will have a legitimate interest in processing that information to investigate and pursue any such potential infringement.
Information obtained by us from third parties
In certain circumstances (for example, to verify the information we hold about you or obtain missing information we require to provide you with a service) we will obtain information about you from certain publicly accessible sources, both EU and non-EU, such as Companies House, online customer databases, business directories, media publications, social media, and websites (including your own website if you have one.
In certain circumstances will also obtain information about you from private sources, both EU and non-EU, such as marketing data services.
We will continue to send you marketing communications in relation to similar goods and services if you do not opt out from receiving them.
You can opt-out from receiving marketing communications at any time by emailing hello@thesavvyimg.co.uk
Legal basis for processing: our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation).
Legitimate interests: Sharing relevant, timely and industry-specific information on related business services.
Where we receive information about you in error
If we receive information about you from a third party in error and/or we do not have a legal basis for processing that information, we will delete your information.
Disclosure and additional uses of your information
This section sets out the circumstances in which will disclose information about you to third parties and any additional purposes for which we use your information.
Disclosure of your information to service providers
We use a number of third parties to provide us with services which are necessary to run our business or to assist us with running our business
These include the following: Internet services, IT service providers and web developers.
Our third-party service providers are located both inside and outside of the European Economic Area.
Your information will be shared with these service providers where necessary to provide you with the service you have requested, whether that is accessing our website or ordering goods and services from us.
We do not display the identities of our service providers publicly by name for security and competitive reasons. If you would like further information about the identities of our service providers, however, please contact us directly by email and we will provide you with such information where you have a legitimate reason for requesting it (where we have shared your information with such service providers, for example).
Legal basis for processing: legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation).
Legitimate interest relied on: where we share your information with these third parties in a context other than where is necessary to perform a contract (or take steps at your request to do so), we will share your information with such third parties in order to allow us to run and manage our business efficiently.
Legal basis for processing: necessary to perform a contract and/or to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract (Article 6(1)(b) of the General Data Protection Regulation).
Reason why necessary to perform a contract: we may need to share information with our service providers to enable us to perform our obligations under that contract or to take the steps you have requested before we enter into a contract with you.
Disclosure and use of your information for legal reasons
Indicating possible criminal acts or threats to public security to a competent authority
If we suspect that criminal or potential criminal conduct has been occurred, we will in certain circumstances need to contact an appropriate authority, such as the police. This could be the case, for instance, if we suspect that we fraud or a cyber-crime has been committed or if we receive threats or malicious communications towards us or third parties.
We will generally only need to process your information for this purpose if you were involved or affected by such an incident in some way.
Legal basis for processing: our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation).
Legitimate interests: preventing crime or suspected criminal activity (such as fraud).
In connection with the enforcement or potential enforcement our legal rights
We will use your information in connection with the enforcement or potential enforcement of our legal rights, including, for example, sharing information with debt collection agencies if you do not pay amounts owed to us when you are contractually obliged to do so. Our legal rights may be contractual (where we have entered into a contract with you) or non-contractual (such as legal rights that we have under copyright law or tort law).
Legal basis for processing: our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation).
Legitimate interest: enforcing our legal rights and taking steps to enforce our legal rights.
In connection with a legal or potential legal dispute or proceedings
We may need to use your information if we are involved in a dispute with you or a third party for example, either to resolve the dispute or as part of any mediation, arbitration or court resolution or similar process.
Legal basis for processing: our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation).
Legitimate interest(s): resolving disputes and potential disputes.
How long we retain your information
This section sets out how long we retain your information. We have set out specific retention periods where possible. Where that has not been possible, we have set out the criteria we use to determine the retention period.
Retention periods
Server log information: we retain information on our server logs for 3 months.
Correspondence and enquiries: when you make an enquiry or correspond with us for any reason, whether by email or via our contact form or by phone, we will retain your information for as long as it takes to respond to and resolve your enquiry, and for 36 further month(s), after which point we will archive your information.
Newsletter: we retain the information you used to sign up for our newsletter for as long as you remain subscribed (i.e. you do not unsubscribe).
Membership: we retain the information you used to sign up for our memberships for as long as you remain subscribed (i.e. you do not unsubscribe).
Criteria for determining retention periods
In any other circumstances, we will retain your information for no longer than necessary, taking into account the following:
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- the purpose(s) and use of your information both now and in the future (such as whether it is necessary to continue to store that information in order to continue to perform our obligations under a contract with you or to contact you in the future);
- whether we have any legal obligation to continue to process your information (such as any record-keeping obligations imposed by relevant law or regulation);
- whether we have any legal basis to continue to process your information (such as your consent);
- how valuable your information is (both now and in the future);
- any relevant agreed industry practices on how long information should be retained;
- the levels of risk, cost and liability involved with us continuing to hold the information;
- how hard it is to ensure that the information can be kept up to date and accurate; and
- any relevant surrounding circumstances (such as the nature and status of our relationship with you).
How we secure your information
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to secure your information and to protect it against unauthorised or unlawful use and accidental loss or destruction, including:
- only sharing and providing access to your information to the minimum extent necessary, subject to confidentiality restrictions where appropriate, and on an anonymised basis wherever possible;
- using secure servers to store your information;
- verifying the identity of any individual who requests access to information prior to granting them access to information;
- using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) software to encrypt any payment transactions you make on or via our website;
- only transferring your information via closed system or encrypted data transfers;
Transmission of information to us by email
Transmission of information over the internet is not entirely secure, and if you submit any information to us over the internet (whether by email, via our website or any other means), you do so entirely at your own risk.
We cannot be responsible for any costs, expenses, loss of profits, harm to reputation, damages, liabilities or any other form of loss or damage suffered by you as a result of your decision to transmit information to us by such means.
Transfers of your information outside the European Economic Area
Your information may be transferred and stored outside the European Economic Area (EEA) in the circumstances set out earlier in this policy.
We will also transfer your information outside the EEA or to an international organisation in order to comply with legal obligations to which we are subject (compliance with a court order, for example). Where we are required to do so, we will ensure appropriate safeguards and protections are in place.
Your rights in relation to your information
Subject to certain limitations on certain rights, you have the following rights in relation to your information, which you can exercise by writing to the data controller using the details provided at the top of this policy.
- to request access to your information and information related to our use and processing of your information;
- to request the correction or deletion of your information;
- to request that we restrict our use of your information;
- to receive information which you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format (e.g. a CSV file) and the right to have that information transferred to another data controller (including a third-party data controller);
- to object to the processing of your information for certain purposes (for further information, see the section below entitled Your right to object to the processing of your information for certain purposes); and
- to withdraw your consent to our use of your information at any time where we rely on your consent to use or process that information. Please note that if you withdraw your consent, this will not affect the lawfulness of our use and processing of your information on the basis of your consent before the point in time when you withdraw your consent.
In accordance with Article 77 of the General Data Protection Regulation, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence, place of work or of an alleged infringement of the General Data Protection Regulation.
Further information on your rights in relation to your personal data as an individual
You can find out further information about your rights, as well as information on any limitations which apply to those rights, by reading the underlying legislation contained in Articles 12 to 22 and 34 of the General Data Protection Regulation, which is available here:http://ec.europa.eu/justice/data-protection/reform/files/regulation_oj_en.pdf
Verifying your identity where you request access to your information
Where you request access to your information, we are required by law to use all reasonable measures to verify your identity before doing so.
These measures are designed to protect your information and to reduce the risk of identity fraud, identity theft or general unauthorised access to your information.
How we verify your identity
Where we possess appropriate information about you on file, we will attempt to verify your identity using that information.
If it is not possible to identity you from such information, or if we have insufficient information about you, we may require original or certified copies of certain documentation in order to be able to verify your identity before we are able to provide you with access to your information.
We will be able to confirm the precise information we require to verify your identity in your specific circumstances if and when you make such a request.
Your right to object
You have the following rights in relation to your information, which you may exercise in the same way as you may exercise by writing to the data controller using the details provided at the top of this policy.
- to object to us using or processing your information where we use or process it in order
- to carry out a task in the public interest or for our legitimate interests, including ‘profiling’ (i.e. analysing or predicting your behaviour based on your information) based on any of these purposes; and
- to object to us using or processing your information for direct marketing purposes(including any profiling we engage in that is related to such direct marketing).
You may also exercise your right to object to us using or processing your information for direct marketing purposes by:
- clicking the unsubscribe link contained at the bottom of any marketing email we send to you and following the instructions which appear in your browser following your clicking on that link;
- sending an email to info@thesavvyimg.co.uk, asking that we stop sending you marketing communications or by including the words “OPT OUT”.
Sensitive Personal Information
‘Sensitive personal information’ is information about an individual that reveals their racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, genetic information, biometric information for the purpose of uniquely identifying an individual, information concerning health or information concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation.
Our website does not allow you to register any ‘Sensitive Information’, however if we ask for this, you will be considered to have explicitly consented to us processing that sensitive personal information under Article 9(2)(a) of the General Data Protection Regulation.
Changes to our Privacy Policy
We update and amend our Privacy Policy from time to time.
Minor changes to our Privacy Policy
Where we make minor changes to our Privacy Policy, we will update our Privacy Policy with a new effective date stated at the beginning of it. Our processing of your information will be governed by the practices set out in that new version of the Privacy Policy from its effective date onwards.
Major changes to our Privacy Policy or the purposes for which we process your information
Where we make major changes to our Privacy Policy or intend to use your information for a new purpose or a different purpose than the purposes for which we originally collected it, we will notify you by email (where possible) or by posting a notice on our website.
We will provide you with the information about the change in question and the purpose and any other relevant information before we use your information for that new purpose.
Wherever required, we will obtain your prior consent before using your information for a purpose that is different from the purposes for which we originally collected it.
Children’s Privacy
Because we care about the safety and privacy of children online, we comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA). COPPA and its accompanying regulations protect the privacy of children using the internet. We do not knowingly contact or collect information from persons under the age of 18. The website is not intended to solicit information of any kind from persons under the age of 18.
It is possible that we could receive information pertaining to persons under the age of 18 by the fraud or deception of a third party. If we are notified of this, as soon as we verify the information, we will, where required by law to do so, immediately obtain the appropriate parental consent to use that information or, if we are unable to obtain such parental consent, we will delete the information from our servers. If you would like to notify us of our receipt of information about persons under the age of 18, please do so by contacting us by using the details at the top of this policy.
68 Responses
Hi both,
I have a few questions. Sorry about that.
Firstly, I wondered how you would prove you have 12 months of post-GMC registration experience. Because at the time of application in November/December you may still be working in that post. Let’s say you started working a post in June then you would only have 6 months by the time of application.
Secondly, there is a difference in start dates between London and the rest of the UK. In order to be eligible for the London intake in October you’d have to start a job by September the year prior the latest, correct? And for the rest of the UK in July at the latest?
Thirdly, for those 12 months do they need to be in a permanent post or would locum work be acceptable?
And lastly, in order to get the CREST form signed, do you need a permanent post or is that possible with irregular locum work? Does it really just depend on finding a consultant to sign it off?
Thank you in advance
Hi Marv!
1. They just assume you’ll continue working until the start of the training job. If you get accepted but then quit your job and don’t complete 24 months clinical experience, they can withdraw your place in training.
2. Most training jobs in London and throughout the UK start in the first week of August so it’s best to plan for that.
3. If by locums you mean irregular shifts, it will probably be difficult to get that accepted. You need 12 months full time equivalent after internship, so unless you can find regular work with locums for 12 months, it may not be accepted. But you don’t need a permanent job either, tbh there aren’t many permanent jobs for juniors. By permanent I mean there’s no end date to the job. Most jobs are just contracts for a set period of time, like 6-12 months. You can use these. Some of these posts are termed “locum” posts but this is different from irregular shifts.
4. You may be able to get it signed off through locum posts, but you still need to fulfill the requirement of working with the same consultant for the equivalent of 3 months.
Hope that helps! Definitely download the latest CREST guidance for the most up to date info.
Hi, I am currently a resident in paediatrics for over 1year. But I have attempted and failed plab2 once. Will I be eligible to apply for specialty training in paediatrics in the UK?
Hi Osas, failed attempts of the PLAB exams do not affect your application to specialty training as long as you eventually pass the exams and gain GMC registration.
Hello, Nick. God bless you for this tremendous work you have been doing.My Query: What are the best options available for a Senior General Surgeon in India with 20 years of experience, recently appearing the MRCS, if planning to explore options in UK or Ireland? Can I get an admission into CT3? If not, what are the chances of getting a Non-training job (SHO, etc) and later FRCS – Speciality register – Consultant? I think satisfying the documentations of CSER pathway are too cumbersome and not practical. I will try to consult you on Calendly once I pass both teh MRCS parts, OET and get a GMC regn.
Hi Raju! Great to hear from you. As a very experienced surgeon, you will be penalised in your application to training but it’s still possible to enter successfully. Although I have to say, it’s unlikely that you’ll be satisfied working as a trainee again with long hours and relatively low pay compared to a consultant. You might find it more fulfilling to work as a locum consultant and go through the CESR route over time. But all routes are possible!
I look forward to speaking with you in the future.
Kimberly
Hello Doctor,
I have a question regarding Mrcp of Ireland, since I am a fresh graduate I can apply for MRCP of Ireland but not the UK as i didn’t complete one year of experience. Would MRCP of Ireland be acceptable if I did my core training and GMC registration in UK and plan to apply for higher specialty training in the UK. In other words, use the MRCP of Ireland to register and do my entire specialty in the UK without the need for the MRCP of the UK.
Another questions, can CREST form be filled by local doctor or UK doctor
Hi there, the person specifications for higher specialty training state that as an alternative to MRCP(UK) you can use completion of Irish Basic Specialty Training in medicine and the MRCPI full diploma by
time of application.
CREST can be completed overseas as long as you have fulfilled all the criteria and competences on the form. But you would not need that to apply for higher specialty training. The certificate of core competences assumes you have foundation competences.
Best of luck!
Hi,I’m a 9 years experienced i ophthalmology and for 3 years experiencing Hematology. My dreamis to become a ophthalmologist in UK. I’m 43years now . Please let me know on how will be the my opportunity get fulfil my dream.
Hi there! Please check out our guide for Ophthalmology here https://thesavvyimg.co.uk/ophthalmology-guide-uk/ All the best!
Hi Nick! Thank you for your super helpful blog, really appreciate it.
I have a question. If a histopath trainee in overseas country wants to come to the UK and reapply histopath training from the scratch(st1) after clearing out ilets/plab exams, do they still need a crest form? Can they get it from their home country ? I am asking because histopath trainees don’t see patients at all but do they need an experience stated on the crest form? Thank you
Hi Ekin, unfortunately yes, if you apply for ST1 then you’d still need the CREST form. To gain the form you’d need a minimum of 3 months in an acute medical specialty seeing patients where you can gain all the competences on the form.
Hello Nick!
Thank you for those valuable articles. Really helpful
I checked the specialty competition ratios and I’m aware that plastic surgery is a highly competitive specialty.
But, for an IMG, is it doable? Or is it nearly impossible? (just like in the US)
Thank you !
Hi Cal! UK and IMG applications are treated equally in the UK so there’s no reason why you can’t get a place in plastic surgery if you have a good application!
Hi Nick, I am a Caribbean IMG currently in the process of doing my family medicine residency in the United States, however, I would love to pursue general surgery. If I wanted to obtain a surgical residency in the UK after the completion of my 3 year residency, would I be entering at a CT1/ST1 level or would I need to do additional training in the UK prior (I do have surgery rotations within my current residency training)? Another issue I was curious about is that although my school is recognized by WHO, apparently the medical council in the UK does not recognize it. Will this still be an issue even though I will have already completed a residency and will be a licensed GP? Thanks!
Hi Stacey! You would enter at ST1/CT1 level as long as you meet the clinical experience criteria for full registration. You should fit pattern B described here https://thesavvyimg.co.uk/internship-gaps-and-full-gmc-registration/
Is your medical school on the GMC blacklist, grey list or not on any list? Please see this article about what to do depending on which list it’s on. https://thesavvyimg.co.uk/requirements-for-registration-with-the-gmc/
Hello Nick, thank you very much for all the information, te blog is really complete.
I wanted to ask, if I am a medical graduate (Argentina) and had completed a 12month internship in my country, I understand the steps for applying to a specialty training in the UK program would be:
1. Register at GMC (for that I need to pass PLAB test)
2. Then have a 12 month doctor working experience in the UK
3. Then apply for an application to speciality training in the UK
Are these steps correct?
Thank you very much for your help
Catalina
Hi Catalina! Yes those are the general steps! But just a few things to keep in mind:
1. You also need to pass an English test such as IELTS or OET before you can book PLAB.
2. You do not need to have 12 months UK experience, you need 12 months experience after internship. Part of that can be in Argentina and part of that can be in the UK.
3. You can apply for training before you complete 12 months, as long as you complete the full 12 months by the time you start training.
Hope that clarifies things! Be sure to enrol in our free course for more guidance 🙂
https://thesavvyimg.teachable.com/p/img-shortcut
Dear Tan,
Thank you for the very comprehensive article.
I would like a question where I have been getting several different answers to.
I am an IMG currently doing residency outside of the UK and would like to apply to CT1. I am will soon be done with my plabs and be GMC registered.
Can I obtain CCT without fy1/fy2/nontraining and still become a consultant as an IMG?
Hi Ziad! No, you do not need to complete fy1/fy2/non-training to become a consultant. As long as you complete your specialty training programme, you will get a CCT.
Hi. My name is Nick and I am a medical graduate from India. I graduated in 2018 and have no clinical experience post graduation. Will I have a problem applying for an FY2 job? And having a clinical gap problematic for my job?
Hi Nick! Did you complete a house job or any kind of internship? If not, and if you don’t intend to complete it before coming to the UK, then you’re only option is to apply for the UK Foundation Programme. In that case, a clinical gap is not a problem because it’s just internship level. Please see this guide https://thesavvyimg.co.uk/category/uk-pre-specialty-training/
If you have completed a house job/internship, then having no recent clinical experience may disadvantage you when applying for jobs as those with recent clinical experience are usually favoured for obvious reasons. Hope that helps!
Hi,
I am an IMG and will be getting my full GMC registration within the next month. I will then be starting a nom training position. Can I apply for GP training this August if my 12 months of post GMC registration experience is not fulfilled at the time of application?
Hi there, yes you can as long as it will be fulfilled by the time GP training starts. But it doesn’t have to be post-GMC registration, just post-internship. So experience overseas after internship can count too.
Hello. I have just completed my internship overseas, and i wanted to know that can an IMG get into CT1 via giving MRCS?
Hi there, I’m not sure what you mean exactly. You can get GMC registration with MRCS but applying for CT1 is a completely separate process. You need to have 12 months experience AFTER internship, plus a good portfolio and a good interview performance. MRCS Part A gets you some points in your application but it is not a requirement to apply and passing the exams doesn’t exempt you from all the other requirements mentioned. Best of luck!
Hello, I am currently working as a SHO in a surgical job and I want to pursue medicine training because of some issues, so will this one year of surgical experience be accepted as a post-licensing experience??
Hi there, yes it should!
Hello Dr. Tan
I’m working as a junior resident in ICU of a reputed hospital in India since last 1 year after completing my internship, under supervision of critical care consultants. I’m planning to apply for the psychiatry post. I have done almost everything mentioned in the Crest form. Even for audit, have started doing one with the help of a fellow resident.Can I get my Crest form signed by consultant here and what kind of evidence do I need to show that I did an Audit, as not many doctors do it here, therefore I’ll need to ask my consultants to help in that?
Hi there! If you have done everything on the CREST form and meet all the other criteria then yes you can get it signed overseas. For audit, a letter from your supervising consultant should suffice.
I have done my DM cardiology( University Degree course) that is 3 years specialization in cardiology post my MD medicine which is equivalent to CCT in cardiology in UK. I am interested in doing only fellowship in inter cardiology
Do I need to do mrcp, then medicine training to do Fellowship in interventional Cardiology. If I clear my MRCP is it enough to get GMC license?
No, you also need to clear OET or IELTS and a few other requirements.
You may find this guide helpful
https://thesavvyimg.co.uk/cardiology-uk-guide/
Thank you very much for the infos you provide!
I graduated in 2018 and after I worked as a rural doctor for one year. Now I am in my first year of residency in Paed Surgery in Greece. I would like to ask you if I am eligible for the CT1. The 12- months service as a rural doctor is a post- internship job. I would like to clarify if the CREST form should be completed by my consultant in the hospital I worked during these 12 months.
Hi thanks for stopping by! The 12 months post-internship should a be a supervised hospital post or approved training programme. If the consultant who supervised you there can sign you off for all the competences you’ve completed in the CREST then that should suffice. Please go through the CREST form and accompanying guidance for the full instructions to ensure your form will be accepted!
Hi Nick, thank you very much for this information. I have learned a lot.
I graduated in 2017 as an MD. I have 3 years of working experience. Can I apply for residency in General Surgery in the UK? Is the 3 years of working experience considered as 24 months of Professional Internship?
Hi there, it depends. The 24 months clinical experience needs to be in supervised posts. This is usually made up of 12 months approved internship programme + an additional 12 months in a supervised post. If you are working independently with no supervising Consultant, then it may not count.
As a fresh IMG who has completed 12 months of internship, am I eligible for specialty training (PG) from UK?
Unfortunately no. Before you can start specialty training in the UK, you’ll need 24 months of clinical experience.
Hope this helps explain: https://thesavvyimg.co.uk/category/uk-pre-specialty-training/
Hi nick your article is very informative. I am working in ireland at the moment amd my plan was to apply for ST3 in respiratory this year. But recently i received an email mentioning that there will be no ST3 recruitment and they are only recruiting for ST4 and CMT year 3 candidates can only apply. Im not sure if thats accurate but this is what my understanding is. They have mentioned that recruitment will resume in 2021 for st4. Can you please explain this if you have any information on how are things going to change for someone who wants to apply for CESR CP pathway. Can i apply for ST4 next year?
Hi there! Thanks for stopping by. Group 2 specialties will be recruiting as normal, only a few Group 1 specialties are recruiting for ST3 this year. You can find more information here: https://www.st3recruitment.org.uk/news/st3-2021-timeline-published-and-information-about-specialties-recruiting
I recommend checking the news section there for updates. The CESR-CP pathway remains unchanged. Best of luck with your application next year!
Hi there, thank you for all this valuable information.
Do I need an online portfolio if I am practicing outside the UK ? If not, how can I show the procedures that I have done to the panel ?
Thank you.
Hi there, if the specialty requires a portfolio then yes, you need to submit a portfolio. This article may help https://thesavvyimg.co.uk/img-guide-uk-portfolio-training-job/ best of luck!
Hi ,
You are doing an amazing job by helping IMGs.
I am a Pediatric cardiologist p( 2 years fellowship in India ). I completed my MD paediatrics in 2013 and 2015-1017 I did my pediatric cardiology fellowship. I am working as an assistant consultant since 3 years now. I have a total of 5 years of peds cardiology experience. I am preparing for mrcpch for GMC reg. What should be my approach ? what stage do I enter? how many years does it take to become a consultant if I apply through the NTN ? or do I apply through CESR? I plan to come to Uk next year sept 2021
Many thanks in advance : )
Hi there, thank you for visiting our website and for your kind words! CESR is an option, you can collect your evidence while in India and apply for senior level jobs in the UK where you can complete the rest of your documentation and then submit an application for CESR. You could also consider entering paediatric cardiology training at ST4 level and you might be able to request accelerated training on account of your previous experience, but of course it’s also very competitive. It’s really up to you, you’ll need to research each route and weigh the pros and cons for you personally. Hope this article helps! https://thesavvyimg.co.uk/paediatrics-img-guide-uk/ Best of luck!
Hi guys ,
I am qualified urologist and a renal transplant surgeon in India . I finished my urology residency in 2017 and have been working as consultant specialist in urology in a medical college in India . I am planning to do a fellowship in renal transplantation or urooncology and I am using the MRCS route for getting a GMC registration. I just want to know that is it possible to apply for the CESR route after registering in a fellowship program . I also want to know if I can give the FRCS (UK) exam after working in the UK and getting approval from seniors there or is it necessary to do a CCT programme
Hi there, great to hear from a senior surgeon! To answer your questions: 1. Yes, you will need to meet all the CESR requirements which will likely include evidence from your residency back home. 2. It is not necessary to be in a UK training programme to sit FRCS. You can check the eligibility requirements on the JCIE website. Best of luck!
Hi,
Does working as a resident in my country for a year, count as postinternship experience?
Hi, yes.
hi nick and kim,
fantastic work
your blog has been instrumental in clarifying my concepts baout training in the uk and inspiring me to take this very hard decision..
so,i am an IMG with masters in OBG from home country followed by teaching experience as asst prof in medical college and mrcog and 6months training in reproductive medicine as well as gynec endoscopy.im keen to work at a nont raining post followed by getting into st3 specialty.
i have 8 years experience including my post graduate residency.
so,if i do work hard and smartly to get into st3 level,will my overqualifed status be deterrant for gettin into st3 training post?
Hi, please see our guide for OBGYN here: https://thesavvyimg.co.uk/obstetrics-gynaecology-guide-uk/
Unfortunately yes, overqualification will work against you. You can still apply but according to the person specifications for ST3, those with less than 60 months experience in OBGYN are preferred for training.
Hi.
If I’m an IMG (fresh graduate) and I take the MRCP exams after my 1 year internship, once I have the MRCP degree I can apply for a non-training post and then to an ST3 post right? Is that a path that’s taken by people and what are your thoughts on it? Grateful for any guidance. Thank you.
Hi there, no you still need at least 24 months experience after internship + other requirements as well as MRCP to be eligible for ST3. Please see this article for more information, best of luck! https://thesavvyimg.co.uk/once-i-hold-full-mrcp-or-mrcs-i-can-skip-core-training-right/
If i have more than 4 year experience would this be a problem?
4 years experience in what specialty? And what specialty are you planning to apply for?
hi nik
im a general surgeon working in india at a medical college as a consultant with 7 years of surgical experience after attaining my primary medical degree and post graduate surgical degree. i have recently completed MRCS. i intend to get into ST3 general and colorectal surgery.
1) how difficult is it to get all the PBAs, WBAs and everything required to build up a portfolio for ST3 while working in a non training job?
2) is the workplace attitude generally conducive and encouraging towards attainment of portfolio targets?
3) do they consider my surgical experience in a non uk country?
4) is the CESR route preferable ?
Hi there, with 7 years of surgical experience you would be deemed overqualified for ST3 general surgery. You can still try to apply but do look into the CESR route. 1-2. Depends on the department, this should be clarified at interview. 3. Yes. This article should help, best of luck! https://thesavvyimg.co.uk/general-surgery-guide-uk/
Hi Nick,
Thanks for the info, does clinical research fellowship count as clinical experience
Hi there, if you are not actively practising as a doctor and not involved with patient care then I would think it should not count.
Hello,
Does working as an Instructor in Medical college in Clinical Pathology counts in experience? I understand it is not exactly a clinical job.
The IMT webiste specifies this in the experience section:
Any ‘specialty’ – experience in all specialties/programmes counts (provided this is postgraduate working/training), irrespective of whether this is a training programme (eg foundation in the UK), medical specialty, general practice, psychiatry, etc.
I mailed the IMT recruitment team about this but they sort of referred me back to the same link 😛
Hi there, it says “candidates must have at least 24 months experience working as doctor to be eligible”. If you were an instructor then you’re not working as a doctor because you’re not seeing or treating patients or making any management decisions so I would think it does not count as experience. You’d also not be able to get CREST signed from that post. Hope that helps!
Hello
Want to know, if I apply for Round 1 and did not qualify then can i apply for Round 2 or not??
If there is a Round 2, then yes.
Hi… If I am on dependent visa, will I be exempted from rlmt test??
Thanks
Hi, it depends on who your sponsor is. This post should answer your question in detail.
Hello
For the 12 months experience in another country post internship, does clinical attachment count as such?
No, clinical attachments involve observation only and therefore do not count. If you are actually treating patients then it can’t be labelled a clinical attachment and you will need to provide work references.
Hello Nick. I really find your blog very helpful. Keep the good work up!
It would be great if you tell us more about relocation to the UK. Do we actually receive assistance from the hospitals to help us settle in? What about tax relief also? These are very common questions among IMG doctors and it would be of huge help if you provided us with some guidance regarding that matter.
Thanks Nick.
Hi Mohamed, we’re definitely looking to add more topics to the blog in the future and relocation will be one of them! We have a long list of topic requests we’re currently working on so I do hope you can be patient with us. Thank you for visiting the blog and I’m glad you’ve been finding it helpful!