On Thursday 21 October 2021, the annual 'So you want to be an orthodontist' meeting was held at the British Orthodontic Society's (BOS's) Headquarters in Central London. This was the first face-to-face meeting of the year organised by the BOS Training Grades Group (TGG), having held last year's meeting online. The event attracted a variety of delegates from different backgrounds and at varying stages of their training but all with the common interest in pursuing a career in orthodontics.

The busy day began with a discussion on the StR Orthodontic training programme and research in orthodontics by Mr Owaise Sharif. This provided an insight into the various different training programmes available and the accompanying research component as part of a Master's programme.

In addition, Ms Anjali Sharma discussed the national recruitment and interview process from the perspective of a consultant orthodontist. This was an invaluable talk which provided up-to-date information on the current national recruitment process and clearly outlined what to expect when applying. We were also lucky enough to be given an insight into the national recruitment process by Ms Asma Keshtgar and Ms Niecoo Tajmehr, having recently experienced the selection process first hand. They were able to provide us with their tips and tricks for what they felt had helped them prepare as best they could during their application process.

As expected, applications to specialist training are particularly competitive and Ms Nausheen Siddiqui provided us with advice for building a CV. This was useful guidance to help bolster an application and plan in advance to maximise chances of success when applying for specialist training.

In the afternoon, the focus of the session was to explore career prospects after completion of specialist training. Firstly, Mr Anthony Lam provided his perspective of life in specialist practice, as a practice principal and also as a clinical tutor in the hospital setting. Ms Constance Wong and Mr Stuart Yeaton added to this discussion by highlighting their own experiences of specialist training and notably post-CCST training on the path to becoming a consultant. This was a helpful session which provided information regarding career options and also the possible flexibility that the profession can provide.

The day concluded with a number of round table discussions. This involved open discussions with existing or past specialist trainees and also other delegates. The informal format allowed us to ask questions about any aspect of orthodontic training and also provided the opportunity for us to review examples of previous candidates' portfolios and case presentations.

Overall, the day was excellently organised and provided a comprehensive overview of what to expect of the orthodontic specialist training pathway and the subsequent career thereafter. I would highly recommend this day for anyone currently considering a potential career in orthodontics and I would like to thank the BOS Training Grades Group for organising and facilitating this meeting.