Our mission

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

Australia: the country of sun, sea, nature, and adventure. But also the country of high-quality physiotherapy and a significantly higher salary than in the Netherlands.

We want to help you make your dream a reality.

As many as 6 out of 10 physiotherapists leave the profession. In 2023, 3,068 employees stopped working as physiotherapists—a decrease of 10.8% compared to the previous year. In 2024, an additional 11% of practices closed their doors or were taken over. Physiotherapists rated their working conditions with an average score of just 5.9 out of 10. This is caused by a combination of several factors:

- Poor working conditions:
The lack of a collective labour agreement (CAO) and unfavourable working conditions contribute to dissatisfaction.
- Low pay:
Many physiotherapists experience salaries as too low, especially considering the length of education and the physical demands of the job.
- High workload:
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 and administrative red tape make the job even more demanding.

In Australia, the workload is lower and salaries are higher (around 30–40%). This leads to more job satisfaction and a better work–life balance. Leave the frustrations with health insurers behind and give your career a boost!

G’day mate! Welcome to our website.

You’ve probably landed on our website because you’re planning to move to Australia—temporarily or permanently—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 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 clearer and 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 and language are things no one can ever take away from you.

On top of that, it gives your career a boost, with salaries around 30–40% higher than in the Netherlands.

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 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 (the Netherlands fits into Australia 185 times!), with six states and an island state with Dutch history: Tasmania. 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 the nature is overwhelming. Over the past seven years, we’ve gotten to know the country—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, towards 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.

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 admitted via a student visa. This visa is granted if you are enrolled in a study program (Gabrielle completed the Master of Advanced Clinical Physiotherapy), and it gave Leander work 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 in the Netherlands.

You then need to complete an eligibility assessment (costing AUD $1,010, approximately €565), which mainly involves submitting several documents. 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)—the Australian equivalent of the Dutch BIG register. More on this under AHPRA registration.

Previously, Dutch 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 completing four exams (one written exam and three practical exams: cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neurological). This was very expensive, but at the time it was the only option, and we completed the entire process ourselves.

This has since changed. Due to a shortage of physiotherapists in Australia, the APC now recognises all Dutch physiotherapy degrees as equivalent to Australian qualifications. As a result, Dutch physiotherapists can follow the FLYR Pathway.

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

This makes it much easier, faster, and less expensive for Dutch 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 being processed and while you 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 in the “Finding a Job” section.

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

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 we know what we’re talking about.

The exam can be taken in many countries, including the Netherlands. Officially, the certificate is valid for one year, so don’t take it 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 also multiple ways to find a job, such as job websites, LinkedIn, and recruitment agencies—and we’re happy to help you with this as well.

Australian Physiotherapy Association (Equivalent to KNGF)
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 liability insurance. They also offer a wide range of courses.

There is no central quality register in Australia, and annual CPD points are largely based on trust.

Staying Longer in Australia
If you’d like to stay in Australia 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 a no-obligation conversation so we can assess your personal situation and advise you on the next steps.

If you’d like, I can also:
- Make the language more marketing-focused
- Simplify it for a shorter web version
- Adapt it for native Australian English
- Proofread or refine the tone