UK vs Australia-Part 1

Why I chose to move to Australia?

The weather

This was probably main reason as to why I chose to move to Australia. I moved to UK in the end of September, by then the days had started to become short. It was dark when I left for work in the morning and dark when I returned home. I could never see the sun for days at a stretch. This drastically affected my mental well-being.

Australia, on the other hand has great weather. While the southern parts of the country can get very cold in winters (with the weather being very similar to that of UK eg Hobart or Launceston is Tasmania), rest of the country enjoys a pleasant, warm weather with plenty of sunshine.

Coming from a tropical/subtropical country, this change in weather made a HUGE positive impact on me- the same/similar species of flowers, grass and birds as that in India made me miss Home a bit less and living away from Home more tolerable.

Better working conditions

NHS is amazing, but the work load is immense. Australian hospitals are way less busy than the NHS, thanks to the tiny population of Australia- which is less than half of UK. This means less work, leaving work on time and better working conditions in general

Better pay

Part 2 of life in UK vs Australia will compare the salary of a doctor in UK vs Australia

Better outdoor activities

Better weather translates into better outdoor activities! Camping, fishing, hiking, fossicking and so on. Do not forget the amazing beaches!

Laid back attitude/ less formal

People in UK are polite, extremely polite. Polite even if they don’t like you. While some might like the countless ‘thank yous and sorrys’, it felt fake to me. I could never really understand as to why people were not straightforward and to the point.

Australians are polite, but not ‘fake’ polite. You will not hear ‘thank yous and sorrys’ for no reason- a culture very similar to that back home.

Less training time, especially when dual training

Training time in Australia is less compared to UK for most specialties by a year or so. Although 1 year less does not matter much in the long run, it matters if you want to dual train ie train in 2 specialties together. For instance, if you want to dual train in renal and palliative care or endocrine and nuclear medicine, you can complete your training in 7 years if you plan well (3 years of basic training+ 4 years of specialty training)

Easier access to community based services

This is something that I did not know while making the move to Australia, but I do know of people who moved for this very reason. If you have someone in your family who require community based healthcare services (for instance, a child who is autistic that needs regular occupational therapy), it is much easier to get that funding and support in Australia compared to UK

Less time to get permanent residency and citizenship

I have mentioned about permanent residency here. You can apply for an Australian citizenship after living in Australia for atleast 4 years (need to be a permanent resident for atleast 1 year before applying for citizenship)

Easier long stay visa for parents

Getting your parents to stay with you in the long run is much more easy in Australia than UK. Parents can also apply for permanent residency.