The Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA)

If you’re thinking about going to work abroad as an SLT, you will need to know about the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA), an arrangement between the RCSLT and five other professional associations from English-speaking countries: USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Republic of Ireland.

What does this mean for me?

Being part of the MRA has many benefits for RCSLT members—employers in MRA countries know that you have completed speech and language therapy education and training of a similar standard to their own SLTs, and you know that the country has a similar scope of practice to the UK. It also allows for an easier information and practice exchange between SLT colleagues internationally.

You can access the MRA if you are a certified RCSLT member, completed your university degree in speech and language therapy in the UK, and have completed the RCSLT NQP Framework. For more information, see our page on working internationally.

You should also look into the professional association of each country, if you are considering practicing there and becoming a member:

• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
• The Irish Association of Speech & Language Therapists (IASLT)
• New Zealand Speech-language Therapists’ Association (NZSTA)
• Speech-Language and Audiology Canada (SAC)
• Speech Pathology Australia (SPA)

What’s happened recently?

The RCSLT attended a meeting with the other associations in Orlando, Florida, in November 2019 to recalibrate the agreement in light of recent regulatory changes in some of the MRA countries. There was general agreement that this is a positive initiative which benefits members of all associations and we all recognise that the international speech and language therapy workforce is becoming more mobile.

However, there was also agreement that improvements can be made to make the MRA more fit for purpose in the future. Each MRA association has identified a work plan going forward.

The next steps include the following:

• We will continue to work together with the other MRA associations to make the application process more streamlined and easier to use.
• We will update the information on the website to reflect the discussions held at the recent meeting, and hold a webinar in April to support this information.

If you have any questions about the MRA process, please email info@rcslt.org