Work Downunder FAQ

In order to live and work as a dentist in Australia - you will need:

  1. An appropriate visa (see below)
  2. An appropriate qualification (see below)

If you are an Australian permanent resident or are a New Zealand citizen, you do not need a visa to live and work in Australia. For everyone else, the type of visa you need will depend upon who you are, how long you are planning on being in Australia, and what your plans are while you are in Australia.

Tourist visa

A tourist visa is generally a 3-month visa. It will allow you to visit and travel around Australia, however you cannot work in Australia on this visa.

Working holiday visa

A working holiday visa allows you to work in Australia as much or as little as you want, for up to 12 months.
In order to get a Working holiday visa for Australia

  1. You must have a passport from the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, Republic of Ireland, Republic of Korea, Malta, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China, Finland, the Republic of Cyprus, France, Italy, Belgium, Estonia or Taiwan.
  2. You must be between 18 and 30 years of age.
  3. You must not exceed 12 months in the country.
  4. You must not exceed 6 months with any one employer.
  5. You must not exceed 6 months with any one employer.
  6. You must not have previously been issued a Working holiday visa. This visa is only issued once per person and cannot be renewed.

Long stay visa (457 work visa)

A long stay visa is suitable if you wish to work in Australia for up to 4 years. In order to get a 457 work visa you generally need a sponsor that serves as your sole employer for the duration of the visa. You will generally need to commit to working full time for your sponsor. It is up to you to find a sponsor willing to sponsor and employ you. Dentist Job Search cannot assist with that process as we no longer offer sponsorship.

Permanent residency

If you wish to come to Australia permanently then you will need to investigate Permanent residency. Usually to achieve residency you need to be under 45 years old however, exceptions can be made for dentists who are prepared to live outside capital cities. With such a big move it is necessary to take the time to experience life in Australia to make sure you really want to commit.

Detailed information is available on www.immi.gov.au (where you can also apply online).

Not necessarily. While a Visa does entitle you to work in Australia, it does not mean that your dental degree is recognised.

In order to see which dental qualifications are recognised see below.

Provided your dental qualification is from Australia, New Zealand, Canada (post 2010), UK or Ireland OR you have passed ADC or DCNZ requirements / qualifications, you are qualified to work in Australia.

If your base dental qualification is from Australia, New Zealand, Canada (post 2010), UK or Ireland OR if you have passed the Dental Council of New Zealand (DCNZ) requirements/examinations, you do not need to sit for any further exams to work in Australia as a dentist, however, we recommend that you check with the ADC (Australian Dental Council) for current regulations.

Otherwise, you will need to meet the Australian Dental Council (ADC) requirements to be able to work in Australia and this usually involves sitting for exams.

Please note: This only means that your dental qualification is recognised. You may still need a visa to live and work in Australia.

Provided you have the appropriate visa and qualifications, we can help you. Dentist Job Search's website contains the largest listing of employment opportunities for dentists in Australia. We have positions in private and government practices all over the country. Best of all for you, there are no fees charged to employee/locum dentists.

Your exact remuneration cannot be estimated accurately in advance, without knowing details like:

  1. Whether the practice that you choose to work in is private or government.
  2. How busy the practice is.
  3. The type of dentistry and dental procedures that they practice there.
  4. The fees of that practice.
  5. The economics of the area.
  6. Your ability to communicate treatment planning.

In private practice in Australia, the industry standard commission rate is generally between 35-40% on collections/receipts (the money paid to the practice by the patient), inclusive of super. In the capital cities this can drop to 35% or lower. However, it is always wise to try to find out expected earnings, rather than percentages, as 35% is not a good indicator of expected income.

Dentist Job Search is aware of other dentists working as dental assistants while they are studying or undertaking the ADCs.

Yes, you do need to get registered. No-one may practice dentistry in Australia unless the person is registered as a dentist by the National Dental Board.

For details on Registration and Licensing Bodies please click here.