DFT national recruitment
Dental Foundation Training National Recruitment Timeline For 2027/28 Training Year
Wales is part of the UK-wide DFT National Recruitment process. This pathway ensures trainees gain valuable experience in approved practices across England, Wales, and Ireland.
Here are the key dates to apply to the DFT National Recruitment process:
| Key dates for information 2027/28 | |
|---|---|
| Advert appears and applications open | 23 July 2026 |
| Advert and applications close | 26 August 2026 |
| Online Situational Judgement Test (SJT) | 4 November - 12 November 2026 |
| Applicant Preferencing | 07 April - 06 May 2027 |
| Regions (HEIW) informed of offers | 09 June 2027 |
| Local allocation process |
tbc - Allocated trainees to rank the practices in order of preference. tbc- HEIW will allocate trainees to practices based on their National recruitment rankings. |
| NWSSP onboarding | tbc |
| Dental Foundation Training Start Date | 1 September 2027 |
For any queries relating to Dental Foundation Training recruitment or applications please contact Applicant Support via Applicant Support Portal. Recruitment guidance and timelines for 2027 can be found on the Applicant guide dental hub.
Application process
Application forms will be available on the national recruitment portal once applications open on 23 July 2026. Please note that the vacancies advertised may be subject to change prior to interview.
Eligibility
Before applying please ensure you read the Dental Foundation Training – National Applicant Guide 2019 and the Person Specification to assess your suitability. There are also guides available in the resource bank of the national recruitment portal to assist you with completing your application.
Late applications will not be considered.
View a DFT SJT Practice paper.
- A presentation to Support Entry into training
- A presentation to outline the national recruitment process in Wales
Information to support DFT National Recruitment Preferencing
To support the preferencing process, we have attached the resources below to help you with your preferencing:
Scheme maps
- Cardiff and Barry scheme map
- Glamorgan Vale and Beacons scheme map
- Newport and East Wales scheme map
- North Wales scheme map
- Swansea and West Wales scheme map
- Swansea Vale scheme map
- Longitudinal Posts
If you have any queries / questions, please do not hesitate to contact:
Kirstie Moons- Kirstie.Moons@wales.nhs.uk
Interim Associate Dean for Dental Foundation Training (Wales)
Gabrielle Lloyd - Gabrielle.Lloyd@wales.nhs.uk
Dental Foundation Training Manager