Post a job for free
Search pre-vetted, qualified locums
Send booking requests to locums for £0
Pay £15/d per locum for verified work only
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Choose your hourly rate
Accept booking requests
Get paid
Why choose Airlocum?
The UK's largest, most highly rated and cost-effective platform for dental locum professionals.
At just £15 per day for locum nurses, we're not just the largest – we're also the most affordable solution in the UK.
Fill shifts in under 15 minutes. Access a vast pool of pre-vetted, locum nurses, dentists, therapists and hygienists instantly.
Join over 1,900 practices already transforming their staffing process with the Über of locum agencies.
Ready to revolutionise your practice management? Sign up now!
Benefits for Practices
Pay from £18.40 per hour for immediate, short-term days. Includes all fees and taxes.
Testimonials
Pay from £18.40 per hour for immediate, short-term days. Includes all fees and taxes.
Benefits for Locums
No more lost earnings on short-notice cancellations. If a practice cancels less than 18 hours before the scheduled time for performance, you will still receive your full daily rate.
FAQ's
Frequently asked questions
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Airlocum offers flexible payment methods to accommodate practice preferences.
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Pay by Card: Practices can add their debit or credit card details to their practice profiles. This is the slickest way to transact. Card details are securely stored by our payment processor, Stripe
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Invoice: Practices can choose to be invoiced. Use the Contact us button once you're in the Payment Methods section. We need to activate this option after a 3 minute credit check.
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Your payment method will not be charged until after successful completion of the shift and after you've approved the locum's timesheet for the day. This ensure you're only billed for verified work.
Your payment method will not be charged until after successful completion of the shift and after you've approved the locum's timesheet for the day. This ensure you're only billed for verified work.
Our policy is to charge for the full day if a practice cancels with less than 18 hours before a job is due to start, or if the day is shortened at the practice. This is to protect the locum who may have travelled and paid for parking and counted on the day’s income. Cancellations are free when there's more than 18 hours to go before a shift was due to start. We’re trying to strike a reasonable balance for both sides.
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Airlocum is a platform that connects dental practices with locum dental professionals.
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Practices can create an account and search for locum professionals based on their skills, experience, price and availability.
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The platform uses algorithms to match the right locum professional with the specific needs of the practice.
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Practices can view the profiles and ratings of locums, ensuring they make an informed decision before booking.
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Because the platform is automated, practices save 15% to 40% per booking compared to other national, old school agencies.
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Access to a pool of skilled and verified locum dental professionals.
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Easy and efficient booking process, saving time and effort.
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15% to 40% cheaper than most national agents through the use of algorithms and automation.
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Flexibility to find locums based on specific requirements, such as skills, experience, and availability.
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Ability to view locum profiles and ratings to ensure a good fit for the practice.
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Streamlined payment process with options to pay by bank card or invoice.
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Transparent communication and real-time updates on bookings.
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Access to a user-friendly interface to track locum bookings and manage schedules.
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Improved practice efficiency by quickly finding reliable locums to cover staff absences.
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Reduced administrative burden with Airlocum handling payment collection and invoicing.
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Excellent customer support and assistance from the Airlocum team.
- Log in to your practice account on Airlocum.
- Pop in your postcode and date you require a locum 📆
- Click Search 👩⚕️ All available locums will pop up in your search.
- Click Proceed with All 🧕🙎🧖
- All available locums will be messaged about your job simultaneously.
- At checkout, you can edit the Arrive and Leave times (if appropriate) ⏰
- Click Send Booking Request 🚀
The first one to accept gets the job. You will only ever be charged for one locum! Once someone accepts the job the link to that shift is severed.
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Visit the Airlocum website at www.airlocum.co.uk and click the Sign Up button.
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Then click Practice
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Fill in your name, mobile number and email address.
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Add your practice name and address.
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In the Payment Method section, add you debit/credit card details or choose to be invoiced.
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Once your account is created, you can start searching for locum professionals.
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Click Sign Up.
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Click sign up as a Practice.
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Fill in the required information about you and your practice, including mobile phone number (this is how you'll be notified regarding your booking requests), email address & practice name and address.
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Tick the checkbox to say you're part of a corporate.
If your corporate has joined Airlocum
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Search for your corporate name in the dropdown list.
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Click Request to join.
If your corporate has not joined Airlocum
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Click Not listed and invite them to Airlocum.
Once your account is approved by head office, you can start searching for locum professionals and sending booking requests.
Speed up the process by contacting Airlocum directly.
Tip 1: Broaden Your Reach
Maximise your chances of getting your shift filled by sending the booking request to as many locums as you can at once. The more locums that receive your request, the higher the likelihood of it being accepted quickly. Remember, the first locum to accept the offer secures the job, and the booking request is then automatically closed to further responses.
Tip 2: Aim for Quantity
Whenever possible, target sending your request to 30 locums simultaneously. This strategy significantly increases your odds of a rapid acceptance, ensuring your staffing needs are met efficiently.
Tip 3: Utilise Filters for Precision
Make use of the platform’s filters to narrow down locums based on key criteria such as travel distance, price, and specific skills. This functionality allows you to tailor your search to locums who best fit your practice's requirements, making the selection process more targeted and effective.
Tip 4: Fine-tune Your Selection
Should you wish to exclude certain locums from your request, simply click the green checkmark found in their profile to deselect them. This gives you further control over who receives your booking requests, enabling you to refine your choices based on past experiences or preferences.
Card Payments: Practices that choose card payments ensure a quicker payout for locums. Once a timesheet is approved by the practice, the payment is processed and reaches your account within 8 days.
Invoice Payments: Some practices prefer the invoicing method. While this is a feasible option, it does extend the payment timeline. For these practices, after timesheet approval, you should expect your payment within 18 days.
Summary:
You can see the number of days a payment will take to reach your bank account in the Bookings section. It's next to the payment amount, in the Amount column. You'll see a green hourglass icon and the estimated number of days next to it. It looks like this:
Once a practice books you, you will receive an instant text message. By clicking on the link sent to you, you will be able to view the details of the job, such as the pay you will receive, your travel payment (if applicable), the practice details and the start and finish times of the job. If the job looks good to you, just click on 'Accept' and the booking is yours! If you're not interested in the job, simply tap 'Decline'.
Here is an example of what a booking request will look like:! 👏
If you get cancelled with less than 18 hours to go before the job was due to start you receive 100% of the booking fee. 💰
As an Airlocum worker, you are part of a community of professional, experienced and reliable individuals. 👩 Being part of this community means that you are held to high standards of service.
Airlocum has strict policies regarding not attending a shift as this provides a bad experience for the client that was relying on you and other locums who missed out on the chance to accept that shift. If you are selected for a shift that you’ve applied for, you are responsible for making sure that you are available to work that shift. 👍
🚫 Not attending a shift and failing to correctly withdraw via the appropriate channels (through the Airlocum app or by telling Airlocum support) will result in the immediate deactivation of your Airlocum account. Providing Airlocum, and the practice, with less than two hours’ notice of your non-attendance will also be considered a no show, as it means we will be unable to find a replacement before the beginning of the shift.
Your reliability is tracked via your reliability score. 💯 Your reliability score will start off as 100%. Each time you withdraw from a shift, your score will reduce by 10%. Our minimum allowance for an Airlocum workers' reliability score is 80% to be active on the platform. Your reliability score will take into consideration your withdrawal history within your last 10 shifts accepted on Airlocum.
Reliability Boost Program: Locums Cancelling Late
Overview
What is the Reliability Boost Program? The Reliability Boost Program is Airlocum's initiative to enhance reliability across our platform, benefiting both locums and dental practices. It introduces a late cancellation fee structure and rewards system for reliable locums.
Late Cancellation Fees
What are the late cancellation fees?
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Within 24 hours of shift start: £24 fee
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24 hours to 5 days before shift start: £12 fee
How will I be charged for late cancellations? Fees will be automatically charged to your linked Stripe Express account.
Are there any exceptions to the late cancellation fee? While fees are charged automatically, Airlocum understands that emergencies happen. If you face exceptional circumstances, you can contact Airlocum after paying the fee to explain your situation. Refunds may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Is there a cap on how many late cancellation fees I might incur? There's no specific cap, but your reliability score affects your account status. If your score drops below 70%, your account will be deactivated.
How can I dispute a late cancellation fee? If you believe a fee was charged in error, please contact The Airlocum Team via:
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Online chat: www.airlocum.co.uk
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Mobile: 07716 580305
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Email: hello@airlocum.co.uk
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Contact Form: www.airlocum.co.uk/en/page/contact
Reliability Score
What is a reliability score? Your reliability score reflects your history of attending booked shifts. It starts at 100% and decreases by 10% for each withdrawal from a shift.
How is my reliability score calculated? Your score is based on your withdrawal history within your last 10 accepted shifts on Airlocum.
What happens if my reliability score drops too low? If your score falls below 70%, your account will be deactivated from the Airlocum platform.
Can I see my reliability score? Yes, you can view your reliability score by logging into your profile and clicking/tapping "My Profile".
Benefits of High Reliability
How does the booking request system work? Booking requests are sent based on a weighted sum of four criteria: Distance from the practice, Reliability score, Star-rating, Response time to booking requests.
Requests are initially sent to 10 locums, then to another 4 locums every 60 seconds thereafter.
How does high reliability improve my visibility to practices? Practices can sort locums by their Reliability scores. 100% reliable locums are shown at the top of the search results page.
Are there any other benefits to maintaining high reliability? Yes! Reliable locums often build trust with nearby practices, leading to more job requests. This increased demand allows you to potentially increase your hourly rate while maintaining a busy schedule, resulting in greater profitability.
Miscellaneous
What happens if I don't show up for a shift? Not attending a shift without proper notification (through the Airlocum platform or by informing Airlocum support) will result in immediate account deactivation. Providing less than two hours notice is considered a no-show.
Does this program affect new locums joining the platform? Yes, new locums are subject to the same reliability standards and late cancellation fees.
Will this program be reviewed or adjusted in the future? Yes, Airlocum will assess the program monthly, evaluating its impact on late cancellation rates and locum experiences. Fee structures and refund policies may be adjusted based on this review.
If you have any questions not covered in this FAQ, please don't hesitate to contact our support team. We're here to help you succeed on the Airlocum platform!
You choose your hourly rate. It comes down to only 3 things: your location, your soft skills (are you good with people) and your clinical experience.
If a practice chooses you above another less expensive locum, it's because they want the best. You want to meet their expectations. Setting inappropriate expectations may make it difficult to satisfy your client and could adversely impact your reputation. Practices can rate and review you after each assignment.
After you've completed a shift, the practice is asked to provide feedback based on five key questions. Your overall rating directly influences how soon you're notified about new shifts. Here's what we ask the practices:
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Punctuality - "Did the locum arrive on time?"
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Professionalism - "Was the locum's appearance professional?"
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Attitude - "Did the locum display a positive attitude towards work and the team?"
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Value - "Did the locum demonstrate worth for their hourly rate?"
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Rehire Potential - "Would you rebook this locum for another shift?"
Every “Yes” boosts your score, which can catapult you to 5-star status:
5 yeses = 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
4 yeses = 🌟🌟🌟🌟
And so on.
Stars are your ticket to more shifts and better visibility on Airlocum. Stellar ratings = More eyes on you = More work.
Quick Tips for Star Power:
Be on time, every time.
Dress the part.
Bring a can-do attitude.
Deliver top-notch value.
Make them want you back.
If a locum has a rating of 100%, that means you’ve attended 100% of the last 10 shifts you’ve accepted. If you have a 50% rating, that means you’ve only attended 50% of the last 10 shifts you’ve accepted. 💯
There is some nuance with withdrawals, however. If you withdraw or cancel more than 24 hours before the shift was due to start, you don’t incur a penalty because the practice will have time to accept a different locum to that shift. However, if you withdraw less than 24 hours before the shift, the practice will most likely not be able to backfill that locum and your Reliability rating will be affected just as if you didn’t show for the shift. A no-show to a job and cancelling with less than 24 hours to go before the shift was due to start is treated the same. Locums are penalised on their Reliability score.
The reliability rating only looks back at the last 10 shifts you accepted. If you’ve worked 20 shifts in the month, only the most recent 10 shifts would be used to calculate your Reliability. This is done to ensure only your current reliability is showing. ✅
Your timesheet is digital, no paperwork.
⏰ Airlocum will send you a reminder to submit your timesheet at 7pm the day of your booking. This text and email reminder will contain a link to that day's timesheet. Tap Update and you're done.
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⏰ Go to the Bookings section of your Airlocum profile.
On the far right there's a View Timesheet icon. Click that.
Tap Submit and you're done.
Here are some insights on how practices evaluate your performance. Understanding this feedback system will help you excel in your assignments and boost your profile on our platform.
After each shift, practices answer questions about your performance. We've included tips to help you shine in each area:
1. Did the locum arrive on time for their shift? Tip: Aim to arrive 10-15 minutes early. This shows professionalism and allows time for any unexpected delays.
2. Was the locum's appearance professional? Tip: Ensure your attire is clean, pressed, and adheres to the practice's dress code. When in doubt, opt for a more formal look.
3. Did the locum have a positive attitude towards their work and your team? Tip: Engage with the team during breaks. Instead of using your phone alone in the surgery, join colleagues in the staff room and participate in conversations.
4. Did the locum proactively ask where they could help or take initiative during downtime? Tip: Ask a team member, owner or PM if there's anything you can do to help.
5. How would you rate the value provided by the locum relative to their hourly rate? Tip: Deliver amazing service and make sure the rate you charge matches your abilities. Practices are often happy to pay a little more, but then they expect more.
6. Did the locum use their time productively, avoiding distractions like personal phone use? Tip: Have your phone on silent and hide it somewhere out of view.
7. Would you have this locum back for future shifts? Tip: All of the above criteria needs to be met to get a 'Yes' on this one!
Practices also provide an overall rating: 5 stars (Excellent), 4 stars (Very Good), 3 stars (Good), 2 stars (Fair), or 1 star (Poor).
How This Feedback Impacts You:
Star Rating: Your visible profile rating is based on the overall ratings you receive.
Favourites List: If a practice answers "Yes" to question 7, you're added to their 'Favorites' list, increasing your chances of being booked by them again.
Booking Opportunities: Higher ratings and positive feedback can lead to more booking requests and earlier notifications about new shifts.
Remember, every shift is an opportunity to showcase your skills and professionalism. If you have any questions about improving your performance or need any support, we're always here to help!
