CONSULTANT OPHTHALMOLOGIST – Relocation to South West France
IMPORTANT — RELOCATION REQUIRED
READY FOR MORE CONTROL OVER YOUR CAREER — AND YOUR TIME?
Choose your working days and hours | No nights, weekends or on-call commitments | Plan your own holidays | €1,000–€3,500 indicative gross professional income per clinical day | Established patient base | Relocation support
Imagine an ophthalmology career with no night duties, no weekend clinics and no on-call rota — with genuine control over the days and hours you work and when you take your holidays.
No NHS appraisal cycle. No GMC revalidation requirement for your French practice. No e-portfolio. No annual job-planning round. No hospital rota.
Create a working pattern that fits your life, rather than organising your life around a hospital rota. Develop the clinical and surgical areas that interest you within an independent, doctor-owned private clinic where clinical priorities remain in the hands of doctors.
Support from someone who has made the same move
Dr Alina Stalker worked for many years within the NHS before relocating to France and establishing Centre d’Ophtalmologie Votre Vision.
Having made this transition herself, she understands first-hand the professional, administrative and personal challenges involved in leaving the NHS, registering in France, learning to navigate a different healthcare system and building a new life abroad.
The successful candidate will receive practical, personalised support in English from someone who has genuinely been through the process.
Centre d’Ophtalmologie Votre Vision in Albi offers UK-based ophthalmologists the opportunity to move into French private practice without having to establish and finance a clinic from the ground up.
We are particularly interested in hearing from doctors with a recognised European medical and ophthalmology specialist qualification and a minimum of two years’ public-hospital experience who may be eligible to practise in France and apply for French Sector 2 status.
A ready-established private practice
You will be able to begin working in a fully operational private clinic, with the infrastructure, patient demand and experienced team already in place.
The opportunity includes:
- an established and growing patient base;
- genuine control over your regular working days and hours;
- no night duties, weekend clinics or on-call commitments;
- flexibility to plan your own holidays, subject to reasonable notice and continuity of patient care;
- modern, fully equipped consultation rooms;
- experienced orthoptists and medical secretaries;
- orthoptist-led pre-consultation examinations, refraction and diagnostic imaging;
- fluent English-speaking doctors and management, providing practical support throughout your transition;
- management of appointments, billing and day-to-day administration;
- freedom to develop your own clinical and surgical interests;
- no requirement to finance or manage the creation of a new clinic;
- the possibility of becoming a minority partner in the future for the right doctor seeking a long-term commitment.
All pre-consultation assessments, refraction and required diagnostic imaging are performed by experienced orthoptists before the patient is seen by the ophthalmologist.
The doctor receives the examination findings and imaging results and can focus on interpretation, diagnosis, clinical decision-making, treatment planning and communication with the patient.
This established workflow enables the ophthalmologist to work efficiently while maintaining medical oversight and control of each patient’s care.
Indicative professional income
Based on current activity levels, collaborating ophthalmologists typically receive approximately €1,000–€3,500 in gross professional income per full clinical day, after the centre’s contractual share and before their own social contributions, professional expenses and income tax.
Actual income depends on the doctor’s working pattern, patient volume, fees, case mix and procedures performed. This range is indicative and does not constitute a guaranteed minimum.
Develop your own surgical practice
Operating capacity is available at the private Clinique Toulouse-Lautrec, immediately adjacent to the ophthalmology centre.
The successful doctor will therefore have the opportunity to establish or expand their own surgical activity. The operating facilities accommodate several areas of adult ophthalmic surgery, including cataract and retinal surgery.
Operating sessions can be developed according to the doctor’s experience, clinical interests and preferred level of activity.
Who we would particularly like to hear from
You may be a suitable candidate if you:
- hold a medical degree and specialist ophthalmology qualification obtained in the EU, EEA or Switzerland and potentially recognisable in France — or another qualification eligible for recognition under current French legislation;
- have completed at least two years of effective ophthalmology service in a public hospital, ideally in a formal specialist or senior hospital post;
- have a hospital title and professional pathway that may be considered equivalent to one of the French titles permitting access to Sector 2;
- are eligible to register with the French Medical Council, the Conseil de l’Ordre des Médecins;
- are considering your first liberal/private-practice installation in France within your registered specialty.
Please note that two years of public-hospital experience alone does not automatically guarantee Sector 2 eligibility. The final decision is made by the relevant French authorities following an individual assessment of the doctor’s qualifications and hospital career.
French-language requirement
Doctors must have sufficient French to communicate safely and independently with patients and healthcare professionals.
Our practical minimum standard is CEFR B2 French by the time clinical work begins. Perfect French is not expected at the application stage.
Candidates who currently have approximately B1 French and are committed to progressing may still apply. We can help arrange tailored lessons, including medical French, before relocation and throughout the transition period.
Comprehensive administrative and relocation support
Moving country and entering French private practice can appear complicated. Our English-speaking doctors and management can provide personalised support throughout the process, including:
- preliminary review of qualifications and hospital experience;
- preparation of the application for registration with the Conseil de l’Ordre des Médecins;
- assistance with the CPAM application and Sector 2 equivalence procedure, where applicable;
- guidance regarding professional registration, insurance and other establishment formalities;
- assistance with immigration or residency procedures where required;
- support in finding suitable temporary accommodation and longer-term housing;
- access to tailored French-language lessons.
Recognition, registration and Sector 2 status remain subject to approval by the competent French authorities, but we will help the candidate prepare and coordinate the administrative process.
Why Albi?
Albi offers the opportunity to combine a rewarding private ophthalmology career with an excellent quality of life.
Its Episcopal City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the surrounding region offers the lifestyle of South-West France: excellent food, beautiful countryside, a rich cultural heritage, short daily journeys and a more reasonable cost of living, while remaining within easy reach of Toulouse.
It is particularly well suited to doctors looking for greater professional independence, more control over their time and a better long-term balance between medicine, family and life outside work.
A first conversation can be simple, confidential and conducted entirely in English, directly from doctor to doctor.
Contact
Dr Alina Stalker
Centre d’Ophtalmologie Votre Vision
8 rue Jacques Monod
81000 Albi, France
Email: [email protected]
Telephone/WhatsApp: +33 6 78 41 82 35
Job Types: Full-time, Part-time
Work Location: In person
