Offers FAQs

Each deanery/UoA can begin making offers as soon as as they have completed their interviews, and have compiled and confirmed all scores.

This will vary between different deaneries/UoAs - obviously, a major factor will be the point at which each deanery/UoA completes its interviews. These interview dates can be viewed on the interview dates page of this website.

An additional factor to take into account will be the size/popularity of the deanery/UoA (please see the post numbers page of this website for an indication of this). Those deaneries/UoAs with a larger number of interviewees will have a larger number of scores to compile and verify, and so this may see a larger delay between interview completion and offers being made.

One other point to note is that not all candidates will receive a post offer in the first 'batch' of offers that are made. A deanery/UoA with, say, 10 vacant posts will make offers to the highest-scoring 10 candidates they have interviewed; should any of these candidates decline an offer, that post vacancy can then be offered to the next-highest scoring candidate; and so on.

All the above being said, the majority of CT1 offers will be made during February and March 2012.

The post will be offered to you via the application system. Once you have been made a post offer, you will be notified of this via email - with a message sent to the email address with which you have registered on the system, as is the case with all messages relating to your application form.

In addition to the email you receive, a copy of the offer message will also be recorded in your candidate portal (ie your account on the application system) in the 'My messages' section.

You will only receive one offer in round 1. If you are to be offered a post, it will be at the deanery/UoA by which you were interviewed. Should you accept the offer, your application will proceed to pre-employment checks. Should you decline the offer, as this was the best available offer to you based on your rank and preferences, your CT1 application will become inactive and you will receive no further offers in the round.

Should it be possible to hold a second round of CT1 recruitment in spring/summer 2011, then all candidates who applied in round 1 will be welcome to re-apply, as rounds are entirely independent of each other; and whether or not a candidate received an offer in round 1 would have no effect on whether they could receive an offer in round 2.

I am afraid we cannot say. As noted above, while deaneries/UoAs can begin making offers within a short time of interviews being completed, this does not mean that offers will always be made straight away. In addition, the speed with which offers are 'recycled' depends on how quickly higher-scoring candidates decide whether to accept or decline offers.

As such, it is not possible for us to advise any candidates on the subject of whether they will receive a post offer, and if so when this would be. Firstly, this is entirely the decision of each deanery/UoA; and secondly the number of factors involved mean that it is unlikely that even the deanery/UoA would be notify candidates in advance that they would receive a post offer.

Something to note is that candidates can hold offers until 19 March whilst they are waiting for an offer from another specialty. As other specialties make offers there is the chance that candidates will release offers, however, we would expect the majority of offers to be completed by the end of March once the offers of candidates who were holding up until the deadline have been recycled.

The message you receive notifying you of the offer will include full details (which are also included on the offers & employment page of this website.)

However, in short - to respond to an offer, you should log in to the application system; you will then see details of the offer in your candidate portal. Here you will be given three options: 'accept', 'decline' or 'hold' (hold is only an option until midday on 19 March).

'Accept' and 'decline' are fairly self-explanatory - to take one of these options, click on the relevant button to highlight the right option; and then click 'submit' lower down the page. You will then receive an email confirming you have accepted/declined the offer.

To 'hold' the offer, the process is much the same; however you will be asked to notify the deanery/UoA of your reason for holding (eg you are waiting on the outcome of an application to another specialty).

Should you encounter any difficulties, you should contact the deanery/UoA to notify them as soon as possible to resolve any issues.

Yes - if you receive an offer, you must respond to the deanery/UoA making the offer within 48 hours of the offer being made.

This time limit includes weekends and bank holidays - so for example, even if you receive a post offer at 2.00pm on a Friday, you must respond by 2.00pm on Sunday.

This 'response' deadline still applies if you wish to hold an offer. Even if you would expect to be holding the CT1 offer for a number of days/weeks, you still must respond to the offer - ie go into your application and choose the 'hold' option - within the usual 48 hours.

Failure to respond to an offer within the 48 hour deadline could see deaneries/UoAs assume you do not wish to be considered for the post, and they may then withdraw the offer as a result.

One other point to note is that offers cannot be held beyond Monday 19 March 2012. At this point, any candidates who are holding offers must choose whether to accept/decline them; and any offers made after this date will not include the holding option.

No, you don’t have to accept a post if one is offered to you. You will, however, be expected to accept or decline any offer within 48 hours of receiving it.

Please be advised that the GMC states, in 'Good Medical Practice', that if you do accept an offer, you must withdraw any other ongoing applications you have made to other specialties; and that you should not withdraw an application to a specialty once you have formally accepted a post resulting from that application.

As noted above - and in the offers & employment section of this website - the actual process of choosing the 'hold' option is fairly straightforward. Upon receiving an offer, log into your candidate portal (ie your account) on the application system, select the 'hold' option, give your holding reason, then click 'submit'.

This will notify the deanery of your wish to hold the offer beyond the standard 48-hour limit.

Please note that offers can only be held up until Monday 19 March 2012. After this date, anyone holding an offer must elect to either accept or decline it; and any offers made after this point will not include the 'hold' option.

In general candidates will be allocated according to their rank and preferences. The highest ranked candidate will be offered their first preference, each subsequent candidate will be offered their highest preference available, bearing in mind that higher ranked candidates may have already been offered their preferred programmes. However, we cannot be absolutely specific here, as each deanery/UoA may have some local considerations which they need to factor.

Individual deaneries/UoAs may be able to provide further information relating to their specific allocation processes - please view the deanery/UoA contacts page of this website for contact information.

The DH Gold Guide states that:

"...the start of training may only be deferred on statutory grounds (eg maternity leave, ill health)."

If you believe your particular circumstances will make it necessary for the start date of any post offered to you to be deferred or delayed, but are not covered by the text above; then please contact the deanery/UoA managing your application.

The final decision over whether a start date can be deferred will be at the UoA's discretion.

[The Gold Guide can be viewed at this link: http://www.mmc.nhs.uk/pdf/Gold Guide 2010 Fourth Edition v08.pdf

In the majority of cases, no. It is not usually possible to apply for an inter-deanery transfer (IDT) within a training programme. In exceptional circumstances, after you have been in post for at least 12 months, and if you can show that your personal circumstances have changed since your appointment, you can apply to transfer.

However, inter-deanery transfers are only possible if the proposed destination deanery has a vacant slot that can accommodate your remaining training requirements. Not all approved transfers will actually be able to transfer.

You cannot transfer to another deanery during your training just because you feel like a change. Please bear this in mind when identifying your preferred deanery/UoA choices.

Guidelines for IDT requests are available from deaneries.

The offering deanery/UoA / employing trust will confirm this at the time, but CT1 posts usually begin on the first Wednesday of August. In 2012, this date will be Wednesday 1 August 2012.