IT ALL BEGINS WITH A CV!

The first step is a simple online registration on the Paragona website. Upon registration you will receive our CV form by email, for you to complete and return to us.

Please note that your CV is the key document used by prospective employers when assessing your qualifications. We therefore recommend that you spend some time making sure the full extent of your experience and qualifications is reflected in your CV.

Our experienced recruitment team has reviewed thousands of candidate CVs and has a deep understanding of information important for the employer. Our team is of course available for support, to make sure that your CV fully reflects your competence and experience.

LET'S GET TO KNOW EACHOTHER!

The next step after receiving your CV is for us to invite you to attend one of the "Mapping Days" at our Assessment Centre. Mapping Days take place over one or two days and can be attended (any time?) at our locations across Europe.

Having attended the Mapping Days, we will actively start looking for suitable opportunities for you based on your preferences. In many cases we will already have requests from employers that match your profile.

For us, the Mapping Day is an opportunity to get to know you better as a person and to assess your strengths.

During attendance at the Assessment Centre, you will:

• Receive more details about available offers, the employers and the destination country
• Get a better understanding of what Paragona and the employer offer you and your family both before and after moving to the new country
• Meet colleagues who will join you in the preparatory course
• Familiarise yourself with the campus and teaching methods used by Paragona
• Undergo language learning tests, psychological tests and personal interviews
  

GET TO KNOW THE EMPLOYER!

As soon as an employer shows an interest in your profile, you will be invited for a visit. Interviews take place at the future workplace abroad, normally over a few days. This allows you to gain first-hand familiarity with the new work/life environment, e.g. working conditions, responsibilities, colleagues, and the surrounding area.

Paragona organizes all practical arrangements for the visit. Shortly before the trip, we also hold a pre-departure meeting to help you prepare for the visit. During this meeting an experienced coach will give you lessons in self-presentation and job-interview conduct skills, as well as providing useful practical tips to increase your chances of success in the interview.

After the visit, the employer makes the final decision about offering you employment.

INK ON PAPER!

When you accept the offer, you sign a Conditional Contract of Employment with the employer.

The contract guarantees your employment in a specific position, on agreed conditions and at an agreed salary. This guarantee is fulfilled upon condition that you successfully complete Paragona's preparatory course.

GET READY FOR YOUR NEW JOB!

You preparatory training begins as soon as the Conditional Contract of Employment is signed.

After completing our training programme you will be prepared for your new job abroad. The goals of the training are demanding. However, with hard work plus support from our fantastic educational team, they are achievable. Our teaching staff brings the experience of having trained over 1 000 medical professionals in foreign languages.

THE TRAINING PROGRAMME

> To start with Paragona provides an introductory online language course during your notice period, with support from our teachers. 

> Next you enroll Paragona's campus-based course, which lasts for 2-4 months depending on language.

The course is always taught intensively, 5 days and 36 hours per week, at our campus in Warsaw, Poland. During this period Paragona provides comfortable accommodation nearby. Typically you spend the weekends resting at home with family and friends. For candidates originating outside Poland, we establish a suitable schedule to allow you to spend fewer but longer periods at home with your family.

Three main teaching modules are covered during the campus-based course:

• Language Training, geared towards professional, medical language and the typical situations to be confronted in the new work environment. Special emphasis is placed on preparing you for good communication with patients and colleagues. 
• Professional Adaptation Training, focusing on procedures and legislation that often vary between countries, regions or even individual places of work. In most cases, this part of the course is taught by officials from the given area's local health authorities. 
• Cultural Integration Training, aimed at minimising the impact of the abrupt change of work and life environment to come. Prior exposure to the foreign culture during the course helps you understand cultural differences that may otherwise appear confusing on arrival.

All board, accommodation and related costs are covered by Paragona. In addition, all participants receive an allowance towards your families' living expenses throughout the duration of the course. Participants also enjoy a wide access to the print and broadcast media of the country of placement, including trade publications, daily press, and local TV stations.

Finally, Paragona provides a range of extracurricular courses and activities, including professional training courses (e.g. computer literacy courses or an RTG course for dentists), recreational activities (swimming, yoga workshops, etc.), and team-building activities (parties, bowling matches, karaoke sessions, etc.).
Throughout the duration of the course, Paragona and the employer offer the support you and your family need in preparation for the move. Click to learn more.

Paragona's campus-based course is an excellent exercise in teamwork. We are glad to see that the spirit of mutual help and stimulation that it engenders among participants results in a very high success rate. Moreover, the friendships established during the course often prove the source of vital social and emotional support for you and your family in the new work and living environment. This is also an important reason as to why on average, 95% of our healthcare professionals stay in the country to which they have been recruited.

> Finally, for Scandinavian languages, the training programme continues after the move, in parallel with introduction at the new place of work. Additional training is given part time during the first few months after arrival.

GET BUSY WORKING, GET BUSY LIVING!

Finally, after completing the training programme, you are ready to start your new professional and personal life abroad.

Experience shows that a good start is essential for achieving good, long-term results, for both employer and candidate. An induction plan is therefore developed by the employer, with support from Paragona.

The ingredients and time scales of the induction plan differ depending on country, employer and specialty. For professionals moving to the Scandinavian countries, induction is performed part time in parallel with additional language training. Initially the focus is on introducing you to colleagues, procedures and the specifics of the department. Responsibility is then gradually increased according to your needs and capabilities.

There is for sure more to learn on arrival. However, the experience of medical professionals that have gone through our programme clearly shows that the preparation and support provided on campus give you all the tools needed to successfully complete this great adventure!