From Lagos to Leeds: how Ada moved on a CoS in 11 weeks

Ada had her NMC PIN, two years of post-grad experience and an OET B in writing. What she didn't have was a sponsor. She'd been applying through agencies for six months with little traction.

She built her profile on the platform on a Tuesday evening. By Friday, an NHS trust in West Yorkshire had featured her against a Band 5 vacancy. The first message — automated, from the matched employer — landed in her inbox before she'd finished her shift.

Interview round one was a 30-minute Teams call. Round two was a clinical scenario. CoS issued nine days later. Her Skilled Worker decision came back in 14 working days on the priority service the trust paid for.

She flew into Manchester on a Saturday, picked up her BRP on Monday, started induction the following week. Total elapsed time from profile creation to first NHS payslip: 11 weeks and 2 days.

What worked: a tight profile (no walls of text), an honest skills list, and replying to the employer's first message within 24 hours. What slowed it down: waiting on a reference from a previous employer who'd changed email systems — get those lined up before you start applying.