Our mission

We are Leander Pronk and Gabrielle Laarhoven, and in 2018 we immigrated to Australia. We want to use our knowledge and experience to help other physiotherapists take the same step.

“Australia: A land of sweeping plains. Of ragged mountain ranges. Of droughts and flooding rains”. But also, the country of high-quality physiotherapy and a significantly higher salary than in most other countries. We want to help you make your dream a reality.

There is a high percentage of physiotherapists leaving the profession. This is caused by a combination of factors:

- High workload:
Working long hours and having unfavourable working conditions contribute to dissatisfaction. A combination of high patient loads and administrative duties leads to stress and burnout.
- Limited career prospects:
Young physiotherapists often see little future in the profession, making them more likely to quit or switch to another sector.
- Complex regulations:
Complicated regulations in combination with high demands for professional development make the job even more demanding.
- Low pay:
Many physiotherapists experience salaries as too low, especially considering the length of education, responsibilities, and ongoing professional development.

In Australia, the workload is lower and salaries are higher. This leads to more job satisfaction and a better work–life balance.

Leave your frustrations behind and give your career a boost!

G’day mate, and welcome to our website.

You’ve probably landed on our website because you’re planning to move to Australia—permanently or temporarily —to work as a physiotherapist. You may have questions about the process, how long it takes, and what it costs. On this page, we’ll explain it all.

For many people, the registration process for overseas physiotherapists in Australia is quite overwhelming, and many end up abandoning this dream because it seems too complex, too time-consuming, or too expensive.

We are now experienced firsthand experts, having gone through this process ourselves. It’s certainly not easy, but the investment in time, energy, and money is more than worth it! Our mission is to help people like you, and we’re convinced we can make this process much easier to navigate.

Outside the comfort zone is where the magic happens!

From experience, we can tell you that living and working as a physiotherapist in Australia is truly special. The knowledge and experience you gain, the adventure, and exposure to a new culture are things no one can ever take away from you.

Down Under

First, a bit more about Australia. Before we moved to Australia in 2018, we actually didn’t know that much about the country. Of course, we were familiar with typic Australian images of red sand, kangaroos, koalas, and the Sydney Opera House—but that was about it. We now know that Australia is much more than sun, sea, beaches, and koalas. It’s a vast country, with six states and an island state. There’s the outback, there are mountains (you can even ski in Australia!), and of course the coastline and the ocean.

Australian history and culture are complex, sports are different, and nature is overwhelming. Over the past seven years, we’ve gotten to know the country well—and fallen in love with it.

Professionally, even before our move in 2018, we were already familiar with the many scientific publications coming out of Australia. We knew the work of leading researchers such as Professor Lorimer Moseley, Professor Peter O’Sullivan, and Professor Jill Cook. This was one of the reasons Australia appealed to us.

In addition, we were tired of the physiotherapy climate in the Netherlands: the constant frustration with health insurers and the mediocre salary (especially considering the education, workload, and mandatory continuing education). We wanted something different—out into the world, a new adventure. You may find yourself in a similar situation.

Work Visa and Physiotherapy Registration
The first step towards living and working in Australia is obtaining a visa with work rights. Australian immigration authorities are strict, and without the correct paperwork, you won’t be allowed into the country, or aren’t allowed to work.

If you are under 31 years old at the time of application, you can apply for a Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417), which allows you to live and work in Australia for one year.

If you are over 31, you’ll need a different visa that grants work rights. This was the case for us, and we were ultimately granted a student visa. This visa is granted if you are enrolled in a study program (Gabrielle enrolled in the Master of Advanced Clinical Physiotherapy at the University of South Australia), and it gave us working rights. We did have to prove that our relationship was legitimate.

If you’d like to know more about moving to Australia with your husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend, we can certainly tell you more about this.

We can also connect you with an immigration consultant in Adelaide that we work with, so we can explore which visa best suits your situation.

APC Registration
The next step is registering with the Australian Physiotherapy Council (APC). This can be done online and free of charge while you’re still overseas.

You then need to complete an eligibility assessment (costing AUD $1,010), which mainly involves submitting several documents (identification documents, graduation certificates etc.). The required documents are listed on the APC website, but we’re happy to help you with this.

Once you pass the eligibility assessment, you’ll receive an Interim Certificate from the APC and can apply for a Limited Registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). More on this under the header AHPRA registration.

Previously, physiotherapists had two options:
1. Equivalence Pathway
2. Standard Assessment Pathway

This meant either proving your education was equivalent to the Australian physiotherapy degree or you needed to complete four exams (one written exam and three practical exams: cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neurological). This was very expensive and time consuming.

For some countries, this has since changed. Due to a shortage of physiotherapists in Australia, the APC has developed the FLYR program. It recognises the following physiotherapy degrees as equivalent to Australian qualifications:
• Express FLYR Pathway: Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong (SAR of China), and South Africa.
• Standard FLYR Pathway: Netherlands, Singapore, and the United States (specifically California, Massachusetts, and Texas).

FLYR Pathway:
1. Eligibility assessment
2. Written assessment
3. Cultural Safety Training

This makes it much easier, faster, and less expensive for international physiotherapists to start working in Australia.

We can help you prepare for both the written exam and the cultural safety training. Once you complete both, you’ll receive a Final Certificate from the APC.

AHPRA Registration
AHPRA registration is the gateway to employment—without it, you simply cannot work as a physiotherapist in Australia.

To obtain AHPRA registration, you must meet several requirements:
1. A valid APC certificate (interim or final)
2. An IELTS Academic English exam (see Language Exam section)
3. A job

* If you hold an Interim APC Certificate, you can only apply for a Limited Registration with AHPRA. This allows you to work as a physiotherapist under supervision, but you must already have a job before AHPRA will process your application.

There are four levels of supervision (Level 1 requires extensive supervision; Level 4 minimal supervision). We can explain this in more detail later if needed.

The challenge is that limited AHPRA registration requires a job, while many employers require AHPRA registration as a condition of employment. This can leave you stuck in between. You’ll need to find an employer willing to hire you while your registration is still pending. Once approved, you can only work under supervision.

Another—and often better—option is to complete the FLYR Pathway as quickly as possible.

Once you’ve successfully completed the FLYR Pathway and hold a Final APC Certificate with unrestricted AHPRA registration, you can apply for jobs. More on this under the header Finding a Job.

Language Exam
There are different ways to get your English language skills recognised.

1. The combined education pathway
To satisfy this pathway, you must have a combination of secondary education and qualifications, where you have carried out and successfully completed:
a. at least two years of your secondary education which was taught and assessed solely in English in a recognised country, and
b. your qualification(s) for your profession, which were taught and assessed solely in English in a recognised country.
2. The school education pathway
To satisfy this pathway, English is your main language and you have carried out and successfully completed:
a. at least 10 years of your primary and secondary school education which was taught and assessed solely in English in a recognised country, and
b. your qualification(s) for your profession, which were taught and assessed in any country solely in English.
3. The advanced education pathway
To satisfy this pathway, you have carried out and successfully completed at least six years in total of (full-time equivalent) education, all taught and assessed solely in English in a recognised country which includes:
a. your qualification(s) for your profession, and
b. advanced education (tertiary) at a degree level (AQF level 7 or higher) which requires you to read, write, listen to and speak English.
4. The test pathway.

To satisfy this pathway, you must achieve the required minimum scores in one of the following English language tests and meet the requirements for test results as specified in Appendix one.
1. Cambridge (C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency)
2. International English Language Testing System (Academic) (IELTS)
3. Occupational English Test (OET)
4. Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic)
5. Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based test (TOEFL iBT)

The language exam is—excuse our French—a pain in the ass. As mentioned, it’s a requirement for AHPRA registration.

We committed to do the IELTS language test. There are two versions: IELTS General and IELTS Academic. Only IELTS Academic is accepted by AHPRA, and you must score at least 7.0 in all four components (listening, reading, writing, and speaking). Listening, reading, and speaking are manageable—but writing is tough. Between us, we’ve taken this exam 7 to 8 times, so it’s tough. The exam can be taken in many countries, all over the world. Officially, the certificate is valid for one year, so don’t sit the exam too far in advance. Finding a Job Due to the shortage of physiotherapists in Australia, finding a job is relatively easy. There are many options, including private practice, (neuro) rehabilitation, hospitals, and aged care. We can tell you much more about this. There are multiple ways to find a job, such as job websites, LinkedIn, and recruitment agencies—we’re happy to help you with this as well. Australian Physiotherapy Association You can join the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) once you have an APC certificate. If you hold an Interim Certificate, APA membership is free and includes professional indemnity insurance, they also offer a wide range of courses. Once you have an unconditional AHPRA registration, membership to the APA is no longer free. Then it’s your choice to organize professional indemnity through the APA, or explore other options.

Staying Longer in Australia
If you’d like to stay in Australia for longer, sponsorship options are available. These are usually arranged through an employer who invests in sponsoring you for a specific period. Many practices are willing to do this.
We’ve used this option ourselves in the past when our current employer decided to sponsor us.

One Step at a Time
We hope the information above has given you a clearer picture of the process. It can be overwhelming, which is why we recommend taking it step by step.

Feel free to contact us for an introductory video call so we can assess your personal situation and advise you on your next steps.