Are there jobs for foreign pharmacists in South Africa?

Hello people,

So, did you ever ask yourself if there are any jobs for foreign pharmacists in South Africa? If you did, you might as well thought about how long is it gonna take for yourself to be a pharmacist in South Africa. Here i come to answer all your questions and clear all your doubts.

Let's begin with job availability.

"Yes"...... There are plenty of opportunities for pharmacists in South Africa. It is a fact that South Africa has a footling number of pharmacists and is still looking forward to expand the profession as wide as possible by bringing in new blood into the country. Aspiring pharmacists across the world are now eyeing on South Africa to grab this opportunity.

Why is the scarcity so severe?

You might have asked yourself and wonder, why is the scarcity of pharmacists so severe in a country of 52 million people? well, the answer is simple, there are only few universities in this country who offer pharmacy degree, and most of these universities require high percentages in metric to get into this professional course. Another reason is poverty, though Govt. provide various modes of funding to the students in the form of bursaries and loans. And another most important factor is drop out rate. Not every student that gets into this course will come out with the degree, believe me, atleast 50% of these students drop out from the university for various reasons. So, minding all these factors, there is a clear and undoubtful scarcity for pharmacists in the country.

Job preferences hierarchy:

1st : South African bursary holders
2nd : South African Non-bursary holders
3rd : International Students ( studied in SA)
4th : Foreigners who failed to find a position previous year
5th : foreigners who passed the current year

                                    

How Long Does It Take For A Foreigner To Become a Pharmacist intern In South Africa?

Unfortunately, very long......
Yes, it takes a lot of time for a foreigner to become a pharmacist intern here. Unless, you study B.pharmacy in this country, its a pretty difficult task to start practicing here. According to the situation now in South Africa, an average student (who qualified outside South Africa) can become a pharmacist intern successfully in 2 years of time, given that you clear all the exams in 2 attempts atleast. clearing all the exams is one task, and finding an intern position for yourself is another.
Foreigners are finding it very difficult to find Internship positions in the country, it is strange how health department is acting these days, even though there is scarcity for pharmacists in this country, even though there are plenty of positions available in various provinces, the dept. is failing to take the responsibility to fill them up with what ever options they have ( foreigner). Foreigners who have already cleared all the exams and have the endorsement letters in their hands are still waiting and are still searching for positions.

What problems would you probably face?

Well, here we need to keep one thing in mind, "permit expiry".

1. If you clear all your exams in single attempt, then you'll have a plenty of time in your hands to find an intern position which takes roughly 5 to 6 months if you are lucky enough to find a position for yourself. Remember, your initial visit permit expires in 3 months, and you will get one extension for 3 more months ( If you are extremely lucky you might sometimes get the permit for 6 months). This period must be sufficient to find a position. If your luck is hitting back, forget 3 months, it might even take a year. FWMP and SAPC got nothing to do with your internship position ( atleast that's what they say) Health dept. can help you find a position but they take very long, so it's good if you hunt for it by yourself but obviously you would seek help of the people in health dept.

2. If you clear all your exams in 2 attempts, you got limited time. You'll have to fly back to your country once the extended visit permit expires. you'll have to search for a position sitting in your country. which is extremely difficult and expensive.

3. If you did not clear your exams in 2 attempts, you'll get one last chance, as three is the maximum number of attempts you can do to clear all your exams. By this time your visit permit should have expired and you'll have to find your own ways to take your final attempt. Finding a position is difficult in any case, doesn't matter if you pass in single attempt or 3 attempts.

What options you can look into?

Firstly, you'll have to decide for yourself whether you want to do your internship in private or in govt., It is obvious that everyone wants to work in Govt. but if the situation gets worse you must be prepared to work even in private( even for less money for that matter). working in private will be a good option, it will atleast put you through in a track and gives you a start. ( But your first preference must always be the Govt.)
Secondly, You can apply for intern jobs in Pharmaceutical companies.

Bottom line:

It is very difficult to settle down here, but it is not impossible, in fact if you have strong will and dedication and enough time, starting a career in South Africa is a great option. If you can pass all the hurdles, nothing can stop you from being successful here.
It's your hardwork and your execution of your own plans and strategies that will take you to success. patience and hardwork are the key factors.

I just wanted to share my thoughts here, and this post is coming out of experience and after seeing people who are struggling and who got success instantly.


                                                     THANK YOU
                                 
                           we are open for questions and doubts, feel free to ask