UK and Irish Trained Doctors
Why have so many British and Irish doctors moved to Australia?
A friendly place to live and work
Salaries, tax and the cost of living Down Under
Competent authority pathway and professional registration
There are lots of reasons for British and Irish doctor to move to Australia. Some of the many attractions are that Australia is a sun-blessed country with plenty of space, offering beautiful beaches, attractive lifestyle and low cost of living, as well as a resilient, growing and modern economy despite the global financial slowdown.
With the changes in the structure and funding of the NHS and the current economical climate, Australia offers an attractive alternative for UK and Irish doctors.
In Australia you can find a comparable standard of healthcare system with job security, high living standard and a more relaxed lifestyle.
Due to the similarities in language and training standards, Australia is particularly keen on Irish and British doctors. UK and Irish medical graduates who are eligible for the Competent Authority Pathwayare not required to pass the AMC MCQ or Clinical Examination to be registered.
Why have so many British and Irish doctors moved to Australia?
There has been a big interest among UK trained doctors in working Down Under. A census of the medical workforce in Australia found over 4000 British-trained doctors working in Australia. That was over 8% of Australia’s entire medical workforce! In addition, Irish doctors also make up a sizeable proportion of the medical workforce.
Australia - A friendly place to live and work
The main reasons that tend to come up in conversations about why people choose Australia are lifestyle and work related factors:
- Lifestyle - better climate accompanied with the famous Aussie 'easy way-of-life', stunning scenery, glorious beaches, exciting cosmopolitan cities, affordable living, abundance of recreational opportunities such as surfing, sailing, diving water-skiing, skiing, etc
- Work – good pay, less hours, better conditions, increased career opportunities
Salaries, tax and the cost of living Down Under
Doctors Salaries Australia
Salaries in Australia vary slightly from state to sate but the table below provides a guide on what you can expect in terms of basic salaries in Australia. After overtime and on-call work the salaries tabled below will be approximately 15-25% higher.
Salary packaging is a perk that doctors who are working in the public system in Australia are offered. It involves “sacrificing” a portion of your salary and then claiming it back tax free, through your spending on mortgage payments, personal loans (including car loans), private health, dining out etc. Each hospital has its own scheme and expenses that can be packaged may vary between different states.
| Seniority | Intern/Resident |
Registrar |
Career Medical Officer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approximate Basic Salary | $48,000 - $76, 200 |
$77,000 - $130,250 |
$110,250 -$180,420 |
Tax
Although the rate of income tax Australia is slightly higher in the top tax bracket this is more than compensated for by the affordability of basic necessities such as fuel or car prices.
The cost of living in Australia is substantially cheaper than that of the UK or Ireland and generally all major household expenses are less expensive, from house prices to the weekly shopping. Australian cities are still among the cheapest in which to live, yet with the highest quality of living*.
(* Source: Mercer Human Resource Consulting – Cost of Living Survey, 2001-2006 (March survey comparisons) Mercer Human Resource Consulting – Cost of Living Survey annually ranks 144 cities using their cost of living index. The index is calculated by comparing the cost of more than 200 items including housing, food, clothing, transport and entertainment).
Competent authority pathway and professional registration
In order to meet the criteria under the competent authority pathway you are required to:
- Be a graduate of a medical course conducted by a medical school in the United
Kingdom accredited by the General Medical Council, AND HAVE THEN: - Successfully completed the Foundation Year 1 or 12 months supervised training (Internship equivalent) approved by the GMC in the United Kingdom or another AMC designated Competent Authority country.
Alternatively:
- have successfully completed the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test since 1975, AND THEN:
- have successfully completed the Foundation Year 1or 12 months supervised training (Internship equivalent) approved by the GMC in the United Kingdom or another AMC designated Competent Authority country.
To get started with your professional medical registration, the Australian Medical Council (AMC) website is the first place to visit. The AMC processes applications from all international medical graduates; but does not grant medical registration. In Australia, each state/territory has its own medical board and currently all medical practitioners are required to register in the state /territory in which they will be working.
However, changes to nationalise the accreditation and registration process are currently underway.
In terms of practice location, there are some restrictions whereby overseas trained doctors (OTDs) have to work in either an Area of Need (AON) and/or District of Workforce Shortage (DWS). However you will still be eligible to work in many fantastic Coastal, outer metropolitan and rural areas of Australia.
You will need to provide the AMC with:
- evidence of English language proficiency -you will need to demonstrate English competency by completing the IELTS examination -with a minimum score of 7 in each element), or the alternative Occupational English Test.
Exemptions may apply when the applicant can provide evidence of secondary education in either UK, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, USA or South Africa, where English is the native or first language. Further information about the IELTS can be found on the IELTS website.
- evidence of current medical registration in your jurisdiction
- verification of medical qualifications
Tell us your dream
As we said earlier, our service is absolutely free to doctors. We will start with an initial consultation to discuss your individual requirements and also give you a briefing on the process ahead of you, particularly:
- Location preferences (what type of lifestyle are you after)
- Length of stay
- Ideal position
- Remuneration requirements
-Your family situation
We advertise non–specialist vacancies on our website, but encourage you to contact us as we do not advertise all positions.
Read an listen to testimonies from UK doctors who work in Australia
For some British and Irish doctors, moving to Australia has been the best decision of their lives.
"You use a wider range of your skills than in an office-based practice in the UK," according to Dr Margaret Smith having left Scotland to take up a position in a small country town, some three hour drive from Sydney.
"Australia offers a fresh start in more ways than one way. You have a much sunnier outdoor lifestyle here and a more relaxed pace of life, with more time to spend with friends and family”.
http://www.doctorconnect.gov.au/internet/otd/publishing.nsf/Content/work-australian-of-the-year
http://www.doctorconnect.gov.au/internet/otd/publishing.nsf/Content/work-australian-of-the-year-2006
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