If you have a diploma in physiotherapy (or another qualification or certificate allowing you to practice the profession of physiotherapist) obtained outside a Member State of the European Union, you can apply to a training institute through a specific procedure and obtain exemptions from schooling.

To do this, you need to find a training center.

On the France Travail website , you can type "physiotherapy" and filter by locations and current or upcoming training courses.

Among the offers, you should choose those that prepare you for the State Diploma in Physiotherapy.

You will find here the list of training centers.

You will need to contact the centre or go to the website to check that the registration procedure for people with a non-EU diploma exists (see article 27 of the decree of 2/09/2015).

Once you have found the training centre, download and send the registration file according to the conditions indicated.

You will find the required documents on this page. As indicated, refugees do not have to provide a transcript of their course of study.

After your registration, you will receive an invitation for two selection stages:

1. The eligibility test (written)

It is an anonymous written test consisting of five general knowledge questions, designed to assess, among other things:

• your mastery of the French language,
• your knowledge, particularly in the health and social fields.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Grading: out of 20 points

To be eligible, you must obtain at least 10/20.

2. The admission tests

If you are eligible, you will be summoned to two tests organized during the same session:

Oral interview

The interview in French allows the jury to assess:

• your professional background
• your motivations
• your training project.

It is based on your registration file.

Duration: 30 minutes maximum
Grading: out of 20 points

Practical application

This test focuses on a clinical situation in physiotherapy and includes:

• the study of a randomly selected clinical case
• the performance of a clinical examination
• establishing a diagnosis
• a proposal for a massage therapy intervention in the practical work room.

This test allows us to assess your knowledge, analytical skills, as well as your technical and practical abilities.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes maximum (including 30 minutes of preparation)
Grading: out of 20 points

A score below 10/20 on any of the admission tests is disqualifying.

Selection jury

Candidates are evaluated by a jury composed of:

• the institute's management
• a trainer
• a professional who has been practicing for at least three years and who hosts students for internships.

To be admitted to a physiotherapy training institute (IFMK), you must obtain at least 30 points out of 60 in total across the three tests.

Depending on the exemptions from schooling granted based on your training and background, you will be able to enter the second or third year.

Training funded by the Region

Depending on your situation and the region where you are studying, it may cover all or part of the training costs.

Regional funding is usually paid directly to the training organization. To find out if this assistance is available, it is important to contact the training institute directly.

France Travail Assistance

If you are registered as a job seeker, talk to your France Travail advisor about your training project before starting training.

Depending on your situation, you can look for assistance to finance your training.

Costs to expect

Even when the training is funded, some costs may still be your responsibility.

• University registration fees: approximately 175 euros for undergraduate studies, approximately 250 euros for graduate studies
• CVEC (Student and Campus Life Contribution):
  105 euros. Refugees, beneficiaries of subsidiary protection and asylum seekers are exempt from these fees.
  
  Read the Refugees.info fact sheet: " Requesting a CVEC payment certificate "

• Purchase of equipment and course books (lab coat, computer, manuals…).

After obtaining your physiotherapy degree, several possibilities are open to you.

You can work as a freelancer or as an employee and specialize in areas such as sports or thalassotherapy. In a solo or shared practice, or in a public or private healthcare center, physiotherapists often work with other healthcare professionals (doctors, educators, occupational therapists, etc.).

In hospitals, after four years of professional experience, you can prepare for the health management diploma in one year or the director of care diploma in two years.