How to Be a Locums Dentist in New Zealand in 10 Steps

Hey! Chad here. This post is more so geared for other dentists who may be interested in temporarily working in New Zealand. To our usual readers, feel free to keep reading, but you might find it rather boring (but maybe you'll learn something new!)

Explaining how to work in New Zealand as a U.S.-based dentist is not the shortest answer. It's not necessarily difficult, but there are some things I wish I had known earlier on, such as a breakdown of all the costs that were about to come my way. I figured I would explain the process step by step to make it a smoother process for the next person who decides to venture to this amazing country.

But first, I'll share a few teaser photos to show WHY you would even consider traveling halfway across the world for work!

Do I have your attention yet? Okay, now let's begin!

Disclaimer: costs, immigration processes, job availability, etc. may be different for everyone!

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Before Arriving

Step 1: Connect with a locum tenens agency, such as LANZ Dental

LANZ Dental is a company based in New Zealand that specializes in the recruitment and placement of dental professionals, as well as practice sales. Upon contacting them, they will discuss with you about what you are looking for, such as preferred location, time frame, procedures you're comfortable with, the type of practice you want, etc. Then they get to work trying to match you with practices. There is no cost to utilizing their services -- they are paid by the practice that hires you.

My experience with LANZ Dental could not have been better. They were by far the best locums agency I worked with over this past year of doing travel dentistry. I could not recommend them more! I'm sure there are other agencies available, but I didn't feel the need to reach out to anybody else once I started talking with them.

Step 2: Apply for your Annual Practicing Certificate (APC)

This is the New Zealand equivalent of your dental license. First, the Dental Council offers a questionnaire that helps determine if you are able to practice in New Zealand with your qualifications. After this is determined, there are various requirements you need to submit with your application. This is likely to be the most time-consuming part of the whole process. Most of the required items to submit are similar to any state dental license application. However, there are some additional unique requirements, such as having a notarized copy of your passport alongside a new recent passport-sized official headshot, a log of your CE credits, as well as completed forms from three references.

The application process took me about 3-4 weeks to gather everything needed, then it took about 4 weeks from the time I submitted the application until it was approved. The Dental Council says it can take up to 10 weeks for processing, so I was thankful it was completed much sooner.

Cost:

$1,513 NZD for APC Registration

Step 3: Finalize your job placement

LANZ Dental works with many different offices in many different locations, and as a whole New Zealand is desperate for all healthcare workers, so it should be no trouble to find interested practices. Every locums contract is very similar; it typically is set at 40% of collections. Most U.S. locums jobs are a daily or hourly rate, but this is not the case in NZ. Because of this, you do run the risk of joining a practice that doesn't keep you busy. For this reason, finding a busy practice might be your #1 priority.

After doing 3 phone interviews, I decided to proceed with one that fit my needs the best. I went with a group practice that allowed me to work alongside other doctors and was in a location close to where my partner was working. This was all finalized over 3 months before my start date, which was great to have this set so far in advance so I begin the rest of the planning.

Step 4: Apply for your work visa

This is standard for any international work. There are many different visas available. The most common one is the Accredited Employer Work Visa, but another option would be the Working Holiday Visa if you meet the age requirements. If you want to stay in New Zealand a long time, there is also another option called the Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa that dentists are eligible for due to the overall healthcare shortage across the country. LANZ Dental can refer you to immigration specialists to help you figure out what works best for you.

I personally applied for the Working Holiday Visa, partly due to the lower cost, which worked out well for me.

Cost:

$770 NZD for Working Holiday Visa

Step 5: Activate your APC for the time frame you'll be working

The APC works a bit differently than a standard U.S. state dental license. Once you receive the APC, you then have to indicate if you want it active or inactive for that term, which runs from 1 October until the following 30 September.

In my case, I was approved in July but didn't start work until January. So, once I was approved, I kept my registration inactive from July to September. Then I activated it starting in October so that I would have it ready for work in January.

Costs:

$182 NZD for APC retention fee

$1,203 NZD for APC activation fee

Step 6: Join the local dental society & enroll in Dental Protection

While this is optional, it is recommended by LANZ Dental and others. The New Zealand Dental Association offers a lot of helpful information and support, as well as CE events if you're interested in attending one during your time in New Zealand. They offer reduced membership fees for overseas dentists. Their membership year runs from 1 April to 31 March, so the fees are reduced further if you join part way through the term.

Dental Protection is indemnity insurance offered through NZDA. While suing healthcare providers is far less common in NZ than in the U.S., it can still provide some peace of mind since you are working in unfamiliar territory.

Costs:

$119 NZD for New Zealand Dental Association membership

$157 NZD for Dental Protection (3 month minimum)

Step 7: Set up your bank account

Your new job will need a way to pay you, so you'll need to set up a local bank account. One of the popular banking options is the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ), which offers a process for people who are not currently in the country. You are able to do the initial set-up for the bank account before you arrive, then once you are in country, you just need to go to a bank location to fully activate it (see next step).

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After Arriving

Step 8: Activate your bank account

Once you arrive, you'll need to head to a physical location of the bank. You will need to provide a proof of address, such as a rental agreement or an AirBnB confirmation. Something to keep in mind is that if you are at an AirBnB, your host will need to sign off on you staying at that address -- the AirBnB confirmation isn't enough.

I hadn't known beforehand that I would need to provide proof of address to the bank. On our first day, our AirBnB host gave us a ride to the mall where the bank was so we could activate my account while she did some grocery shopping. Turns out, she needed to come back to sign off that I was staying with her at the listed address. I was very thankful to have such an involved and gracious AirBnB host!

Step 9: Apply for your IRD (Tax #)

It initially may appear that you need an IRD number before starting any work, or else you will be taxed by NZ the maximum rate of 45%! To get an IRD number before arriving in NZ, you need to have a fully-functioning bank account. To have a fully-functioning bank account, you need to arrive and activate it in person. Makes sense, right? (There's a way around this, but it's complicated and the information about it online is unclear.) However, it turns out you just need your IRD number before your first pay date.

I started looking into this about a month before coming to NZ and started worrying I was going to get taxed a crazy amount if I didn't have it by my first day of work. I was only going to have 3 days between arriving in the country and my first day at the practice, and 2 of those days were the weekend. I reached out to multiple people for clarification about this and didn't have much luck, until I finally received confirmation from a local tax attorney that I only needed it by my first pay date. Phew! All was well again. After activating my bank account on our first day in NZ, I completed the online form for the IRD number and it processed within hours. So even with only 3 days to work with, I still had my IRD number by my first day, even though this wasn't technically necessary.

Step 10: Start working!

Enjoy doing dentistry in an amazing country!

My experience working for a month at a practice in Christchurch was nothing short of amazing. The patient base was a unique blend of local Kiwis, immigrants from all over (particularly Australia and the U.K.), and travelers with untimely dental pain. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, and share some additional thoughts below.

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Total costs for becoming licensed:

$1,513 NZD for APC Registration

$770 NZD for Working Holiday Visa

$182 NZD for APC retention fee

$1,203 NZD for APC activation fee

$119 NZD for New Zealand Dental Association membership

$157 NZD for Dental Protection

TOTAL: $3,944 NZD or ~$2,360 USD

Total income for 4 weeks of work (18 working days):

$17,914.75 NZD or ~$10,800 USD, equivalent to ~$600 USD/day

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Additional thoughts to share:

• Ingrained in the New Zealand culture is a work-life balance that you don't find in the U.S. However, I was surprised to find that many dental offices have extended hours compared to the usual Monday through Thursday 8:00 am-5:00 pm you find in the states. For example, I was at a group practice that was open from 8:00 am - 8:00 pm Monday through Saturday, including NZ holidays. Crazy, right? Turns out they have a large number of dentists and staff that rotate through that allow those hours to work. I learned that the work-life balance people refer to meant that work stays at work, not really the hours one works. For example, there were a few times my office went out for drinks on the weekend, and I don't recall discussing dentistry one single time! Everyone has a life outside of work, and they all love to talk about that instead.

• New Zealand uses the FDI (or ISO) tooth numbering system, which I didn't realize until my first patient on my first day. It would have been a little smoother of a first day if I was familiar with this system beforehand.

• At least at the practice I was at, I was surprised to find that many of the materials and equipment are exactly the same as I've used in the U.S. It was a relief to realize that once you're looking at teeth, dentistry is dentistry.

• Dentistry in New Zealand is primarily fee-for-service. There is no Delta Dental-like insurance. If someone does have private dental insurance, they deal with it on their own -- the practice does not deal with it directly. It was absolutely incredible to work in an environment not bound by dental insurances and felt quite freeing to have complete control of fees and procedures without specific rules and guidelines.

• Unlike healthcare, dental work is not funded by the government, except for two things: 1) kids and 2) accidents. All dentistry for children up to age 18 is free for the patient. Then there is something called the Accident Compensation Commission (ACC) which covers any care needed for injuries from accidents/trauma (ex. a broken tooth from a car accident). Pretty cool, right?

• There is not a culture of suing doctors in New Zealand. While they still recommend having the Dental Protection that I mentioned earlier, the risk of being sued for malpractice is very small. Overall, there is a sense of trust between the patient and provider. In the U.S., it's easy to get caught up in doing everything possible to avoid litigation, to the point where it can negatively affect how you do your job. This is not the case in NZ, which was a breath of fresh air.

In summary, serving as a locum tenens dentist in New Zealand can be a wonderful experience. While it's not overly difficult to become licensed and find a job, it isn't necessarily fast or cheap to do so. Additionally, after converting your earnings from NZD to USD, the average dentist will make quite a bit less than they are used to in the US. All that being said, it can be a perfect change of scenery while allowing you to live in a different part of the world. Not to mention the amazing adventures available to you outside of the office. If you're a dentist interested in doing something like this and have questions, don't hesitate to reach out!

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If you've made it this far, enjoy some more photos from our time spent in this beautiful country!

Our AirBnB in Christchurch and my office Garden City Dental, including some of the other dentists and staff.

Some of our weeknight and weekend adventures: hiking, surfing, wine tasting, live music and exploring the area.

Highlights from our week-long road trip around the South Island before returning to the U.S., featuring Mount Cook, Queenstown, Milford Sound and the Catlins.