We have compiled a list of commonly asked questions for you to read through to answer a lot of the questions that you may have about the course. We have broken them up into a few sections. Please Read these carefully for any questions you have. If you have questions which are not answered below please feel free to email : info@clarityacademy.ie
- About the Clarity Academy
- Registration Process with the PSI to be a pharmacist in Ireland
- English Speaking EU
- Non-English Speaking EU - IELTS Questions
- Employment in Ireland
- English Language Training
- Pharmacist Skills Training
- Living in Ireland
Clarity Academy Questions:
Question: What is Clarity Academy?
Answer: Clarity Academy is a joint venture between three companies, Babel Academy of English, Clarity Locums and Excellent Pharmacist Academy. The joint venture was created to offer the smoothest registration process for EU registered pharmacists ONLY looking to move to Ireland. We have also created an integrated course with work shadowing to give you the smoothest transition into the Irish system.
Question: How do these companies help you?
Answer: Babel Academy of English will help you get up to the IELTS level 7 qualification that is required by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland. IELTS is one of the English language qualifications accepted by the PSI. Excellent Pharmacist Academy will train you in all you need to know to work in an Irish Pharmacy, these include the laws and prescription types, how to use the computer systems. Clarity Locums will help you with securing a job, help you with the registration process with the PSI and also help you with securing shadowing experience with a pharmacy if you need that as well.
Question: How does the Integrated Clarity Academy English + Pharmacy Course work for me?
Answer: The course is an 8 week long intensive course in English and Pharmacy training held in Dublin. For the first 4 weeks, you will have 120 hours of English language tuition only, For the second 4 weeks, you will have 60 hours of English language tuition and 10 hours of Pharmacy practice tuition and as much shadowing as you can fit in. We suggest that you spend the time with the reduced workload to prepare for the IELTS exam first, and after the IELTS exams are done you can focus more on shadowing a pharmacist in a pharmacy to put into practice what you have learned from the pharmacy practice classes.
Question: Does Clarity Academy provide accommodation ?
Answer: Yes we do provide accommodation for participants of the course. This will be with an Irish host family. Host families provide full-board (breakfast, packed lunch, dinner), so you will not have to worry about cooking or shopping for your meals during the course as well. Accommodation with an Irish family for your entire course gives you full immersion in Irish culture and creates more opportunities for you to practice your listening and verbal skills.
You will also have the opportunity to join social events, to practice English outside the classroom in a more informal environment and develop contacts with other professionals.
Question: What are the requirements to be able to join the course?
Answer: To be able to register you :
- Firstly need to be able to get yourself to Dublin. This course is only done in person.
- The second requirement is that you are already a registered pharmacist in an EU country as at the time of registering with us
- Be able to legally work and reside in Ireland
- Course participants are required to have a minimum B2 (upper-intermediate) level to enter the programme. You can test your English language competencies for FREE using this tool here built by babel academy of English: TEST MY ENGLISH
Question: When does the course start?
Answer : When ever you are ready. The course is run all through the year so get in touch with us before hand about when will suit you and we can plan around you .
Registration Process with the PSI
Question: What is the PSI?
Answer: The PSI or The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland is the regulatory authority responsible for pharmacists. For anyone that wants to register as a pharmacist in the Republic of Ireland needs to be registered as a pharmacist with the PSI. The PSI sets out the minimum requirements needed to be a pharmacist in Ireland and if you do not meet them, you can not register as a pharmacist in the Republic of Ireland.
Question: Can I work as a pharmacist before my registration period?
Answer: No, you can only perform the role of a pharmacist in Ireland if you have been registered with the PSI.
Question: How long does PSI registration take?
Answer: Expect anywhere from 30 -90 days depending on the documents that may be required of you and how long it takes you to get them to the PSI. It honestly depends on a case by case basis.
Question: Do I have to sit an exam to prove my pharmacist competencies?
Answer: No if you are an EU registered pharmacist , you do not need to sit any exams related to pharmacy.
Question: How do I find out the requirements to register with the PSI?
Answer: The PSI has all the information about registration requirements on their website and depending on your country and language of study and practice the requirements may vary. you can view them by following this link. We have compiled a registration process email if you want to receive it from our partner excellent pharmacist academy. Fill in your details below and we will send you a very detailed explanation of how to register with the PSI and all the documents that are required. This information only applies to EU registered Pharmacists.
Registration Process Questions- English Speaking EU Pharmacists
Question: Do I have to sit an English language exam?
Answer: No, you do not have to sit an English language exam if you meet the following criteria: " Training to become a qualified pharmacist has been carried out in a country that has English or Irish recognised as an official language of that country " - The PSI English Language requirements
Question: Can I just do the Pharmacy training course on its own?
Answer: Yes, you can. Excellent Pharmacist Academy runs courses at least twice a month and you can find out more details by following this link:
Registration Process Questions - Non-English Speaking EU Pharmacists
Question: How does the PSI determine if I need to do an English language test?
Answer: The PSI has certain criteria which can prove your English language competencies.
Training to become a qualified pharmacist has been carried out in a country that has English or Irish recognised as an official language of that country.
OR
The applicant has lived and practiced as a registered pharmacist for three out of the preceding five years in a country that has English or Irish recognised as an official language.
OR
A certificate issued by an internationally recognised body or authority, recognised by the PSI Council, attesting that the holder has attained a standard of competence in the English language.
If you do not meet criteria 1 or 2, you will need an English language test to prove your competency. For more information about English language competency follow this link PSI ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMPETENCIES.
Question: What English language tests are approved?
Answer: The following tests are acceptable by the PSI
- International English language testing system (IELTS) - Academic Format
- Test of English as a foreign language - Internet based test (iBT)
- Test of English as a foreign language (TOEFL) - Paper-based test
- OET
- Certificate issued by the State Examinations Commission attesting that the applicant has passed at least six subjects in the Irish Leaving Certificate examination with English or Irish being one of the subjects that has been passed in that examination*.
Question: What are the extra rules surrounding my English language test results?
Answer :
- Applicants must meet or exceed the minimum in each of the individually scored components, in addition to meeting the minimum total score.
- All components of the IELTS, and iBT-TOEFL fluency tests must be attempted at the same sitting.
- The test must have been undertaken no more than two years prior to the date of submission or the applicant must provide evidence of having resided and worked/studied on a full time basis in an English speaking environment** since having completed the evaluation.
- Applicants must arrange to have the Test Report Form, in respect of the IELTS or TOEFL, sent directly to the PSI by the test centre where the applicant undertook the evaluation.
- * Pass means a Grade D or above on ordinary or higher level papers 1. Applied Leaving Certificate will not be accepted for Leaving Certificate Papers.
Employment Questions
Question: How will I find a job? Who will help me?
Answer: Clarity Locums our recruitment arm will be able to help you secure a job once you are registered as a pharmacist with PSI. Clarity Locums is Ireland's number 1 recruitment company for the pharmacy sector. Clarity Locums will be able to find a job either as a locum pharmacist or a full-time position if you are able to fill the role.
Question: What is a locum pharmacist?
Answer: A locum Pharmacist is a pharmacist who temporarily fulfills the duties of another pharmacist while that pharmacist is absent. This is common in Ireland and the UK, as pharmacists are not restricted to work in one shop by law, unlike some other jurisdictions. You can find locum work after your registration with the PSI by registering with Clarity Locums, and they have a big list of a lot of jobs which need to be filled, and you will never be out of work. Some people may find this the best way to start out. You can find out more here on Clarity Locums Website
Question: What other jobs are out there for me, apart from Locum pharmacists?
Answer: Pharmacists in Ireland work in a number of areas and roles across the healthcare system and people do move across sectors subject to the training requirements of the new job, some of the roles are below:
Support Pharmacists: This will be the role where you are the second pharmacist in one specific pharmacy and employed by one pharmacy or pharmacy group. This role will be suited to someone who has some experience in the Irish system.
Hospital Pharmacists: These roles are for pharmacists who choose to work in the hospital pharmacy setting. These roles are highly sought after and so previous experience is definitely required.
Industry Pharmacists: These roles are varied in the descriptions and experience may be required. Your experience from your home country may be relevant here especially for highly specialised roles. Clarity Recruitments will be able to guide you through this.
Question: What jobs can I do while I am waiting for my PSI registration or IELTS results?
Answer: While you are waiting for your PSI registration, it is possible to work as a locum pharmacy technician. You do not need to be registered with the PSI to perform this role. However, the employer will need to know you are competent before they can offer you the role. After a training day with us on pharmacy in Ireland and a few shadowing days, you should be able to perform this role without any problems. You also do not need PSI registration to do any shadowing days.
Question: How much will I earn as a pharmacist in Ireland?
Answer: Most locum jobs pay between €25-30 per hour and you can expect to make between €50,000-€60,000 depending on the employer if you get a full-time job as a support pharmacist.
Question: I have experience in my home country , will employers look at this ?
Answer: Yes your experience will be useful, but you will still need to get a lot of Irish experience under your belt, as this will be more useful to you current employer. We can provide shadowing days for you to get used to what you will learn from the classes.
Question : Can Pharmacists prescribe in Ireland?
Answer: No, pharmacists in Ireland, can not prescribe medicines that are prescription only medicines.
English Language Training Questions
Question: I am not yet a B2 level , what can I do?
Answer : Babel can help you . They have English classes for all levels. If you would like to do a preliminary course of General English B1 level then of course you're very welcome to book that with us.
Their General English morning classes are €170 per week. You could book General English first, see how you get on and after that, think about joining the IELTS preparation programme. However, if you want to study in your home country first and join our programme when you are at B2 level, that's no problem.
Question: Is two months enough time to get level 7 in the IELTS ?
Answer: The requirement to have B2 level to join the English + Pharmacy Programme is so that students begin the course with a level of English strong enough to progress to C1 (or ability to achieve grade 7) within our 8 week programme. The 8 week programme is based on 4 weeks of intensive lessons (morning+afternoon) followed by 4 weeks of mornings only. Combined with the extra online self-study materials we provide, students who are motivated and work hard would have a very good chance of achieving the grade they are aiming for. After the first 4 weeks, students complete a practice IELTS exam. This will give you a good idea of how you are progressing. If students find that their progress is slower than expected, they have the option of adding on afternoon classes in the last 4 weeks, or extending their morning course for longer.
Pharmacists Skills Training Questions
Question: What will I learn on the Pharmacists Skills Training Course ? Why is this important ?
Answer: we will have Pharmacy based classes that will teach you about laws, the types of prescriptions , using the computer systems , and so forth. You can find more information on www.excellentpharmacist.com/curriculum
We also offer the option of doing what we call shadowing days. We will find pharmacies close to you where you can go in and practice what you have learnt from the class. These will be unpaid, but if you want to secure employment as a pharmacy technician before your registration with the PSI is approved, we can help you find a job depending on vacancies available.
In Ireland , the prescription types are extremely nuanced and complex, and you require help in being able to process them and work effectively.
Living in Ireland
Question: Will you be able to help me get the necessary paper work , to organise my taxes ,etc ?
Answer: Yes we will be able to assist you get your PPS number, which is required to help you pay taxes and get employed. We will also be able to assist you in other aspects of relocation which may also occur.
Question : How expensive is living in Ireland? Food, apartment, taxes, transport...?
Answer: https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/ireland
Or
https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Ireland
will give you an idea of the cost of certain goods in ireland.
You can also look at www.daft.ie for the current prices for rental property in different parts of the country.
If you require any answers that are not listed here , please fill in the form below with your question.