Practice Without Borders: A Dental Hygienist's Field Guide to Working Abroad

Many hygienists who want to work abroad get stuck on things nobody warned them about: how credential recognition really works, what a contract needs to say, and what the move costs before the first paycheck.

Practice Without Borders is a ten-chapter field guide to working as a dental hygienist in Germany and Switzerland, plus the checklists and worksheets to use alongside it. It comes from more than twenty years of working in and around the European system as a dental hygienist.

What's covered:

• How credential recognition works in Germany and Switzerland: the pathways, typical timelines, and costs
• Employment models and contracts: salaried, hybrid and commission roles, notice periods, termination protections, and what to confirm in writing before you accept
• Scope of practice differences, including local anesthesia in Germany vs. Switzerland
• What a day in the clinic looks like, and how to read the job market
• Cost of living and what you'll spend before your first paycheck
• Moving with children: childcare, school planning, and what to arrange before you arrive

What's included (7 PDFs):

• Practice Without Borders field guide
• Country Research Guide: eleven destination snapshots and a research framework
• Contract Review Checklist
• Interview Preparation Checklist
• Country Preparation Checklist: Germany
• Country Preparation Checklist: Switzerland
• School and Childcare Planning Worksheet
• The Interview Preparation Checklist, both Country Preparation Checklists and the School and Childcare Planning Worksheet are included only with this full guide. The Country Research Guide and Contract Review Checklist are also available separately.

Not ready for the full guide? Start with the free Country Evaluation Checklist — it helps you figure out whether a specific country is worth pursuing before you go deeper. → Get the free checklist

PWB includes the Country Research Guide and Contract Review Checklist — also available individually if you only need one piece.

This resource is licensed for individual use only and is not for redistribution.

This guide provides a framework and general information. It is not career advice, legal advice, or a guarantee of any outcome. Decisions about international employment are yours to make based on your own circumstances and research.