PHYSIOTHERAPY students from York are warned they might not find an NHS job for up to two years.

Undergraduates starting their studies at York St John College are worried about the lack of junior posts available to complete their training.

Of the 26 people who graduated from the university in June, only five have found full-time hospital jobs. It costs the taxpayer £20,000 to put each physiotherapist through a degree - and they are desperate to start treating people. But the graduates have applied to scores of hospitals across the country - and been told there are no places.

Nick Johnson, 35, who graduated this year, said: "Earlier in the year, ten junior posts were advertised at Leeds Teaching Hospitals and 400 people applied for them.

"But after going through an expensive interview process they had to tell everybody there was no funding available next year so they weren't taking anybody on."

He said new undergraduates were being warned they may have to wait two years for a job at the end of their course.

Mum-of-four Angela Shepherd, 42, gave up a career in nursery nursing and underwent a two-year access course before embarking on the three-year physiotherapy degree.

"I feel like I have put my family through five years of stress for nothing," she said.

"Luckily my husband is an insurance manager and has been supporting us while I've been studying.

"If anyone had been a single parent or on a low income, they would have dropped out of the course."

Dave Pritchard, 25, completed the course as a second degree and needs to start paying off debts.

"I took this course because I really wanted to be a physiotherapist and I was told there was a huge shortage in the NHS," he said.

"But I've had to take a job as a physio assistant, which is for someone without training. It means I can accompany a physiotherapist but not treat anybody - even though I know how to do it."

The Evening Press revealed in July how student Kirsteen Young could not find a junior post - even though patients wait 12 weeks to see a physiotherapist in York, 15 in Selby and 18 nationwide.

Students blame the Government's plan to cut waiting lists by introducing 9,000 new physiotherapists into the system by 2006 - without providing funds for new junior posts.

"The Government pays £20,000 on each of our tuition fees and bursaries because it does desperately need more physiotherapists," said Nick.

"But juniors already in the profession are not moving up because of problems with pay in senior roles - so there are no new jobs about."

Many physiotherapy students such as Colin Wright, 26, are looking into work overseas.

"I've been told I could get a two-year visa for a post in New Zealand and then be considered for a full-time job," he said.

"It would be terrible if the Government spent all this money training physiotherapists for people to use theirs skills abroad."

A Department of Health spokesman said: "We acknowledge there are problems, which is why we are working closely with the Chartered Society.

"There is a shortage of physiotherapists and we wanted to train more people to bring them into the service - but at the moment all the vacancies are for senior posts.

"Once people move up, we will be able to employ more junior physiotherapists.

"We are working with NHS employers to encourage Trusts to make junior posts available and, where suitable, fast track people into to more senior posts to create more graduate jobs."

Jacqueline Sidney, head of programme for part-time physiotherapy at York St John College, said: "This is an acute national situation which has not occurred before.

"We at York St John will be running teaching sessions for newly-qualified unemployed graduates to help them to maintain their skills until such time as they gain employment. The Chartered Society for Physiotherapy has expressed confidence that all of these graduates should be in employment within the year."

Updated: 10:03 Monday, September 26, 2005