Putting social responsibility at the heart of business has proved a winning formula for international nurse recruiter Aristos Group, according to its managing partner. 

Mark Linden, whose company recruits between 75 and 100 nurses a month from the Philippines to work in the UK, told Recruiter that “the major part of the reason” he set up Aristos Group a year ago was “the social responsibility that should be borne by organisations who are recruiting from the Philippines”.

With 25,000 newly-qualified nurses a year leaving Philippines’ universities but only enough jobs for 5% of these in the home health system, many nurses are desperate to come to the UK, said Linden.
  
However, he explained that with only 11% of nurses who take the IELTS (International English Language Test) – Level 7, proving their ability to speak, read and write English – a requirement before they can practise in the UK, many who are made job offers but subsequently fail the test are left in debt by having to pay for the cost of the test (13,000 Philippine Pesos or £207). Linden reckons that only 1% or 2% of those offered jobs actually take up roles in the UK.

“I do not want anyone in debt who wants to make a better life for themselves, and therefore we are set up to carry the cost of their IELTS exam to make sure they can get through and start a life in the UK in a profession that we are desperately in need of their skills,” said Linden. 

Aristos covers the cost of the test, and it also trains nurses to help them pass it, with an 82.5% pass rate, Linden said.
  
According to Linden, this has proved to make good business sense, with NHS clients attracted by his company’s ability both to provide IELTS-qualified candidates, but also by its ethical approach of covering the cost of the test.