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UK vs Australia Part 3

Life of a doctor in UK vs Australia

Professional Life

Despite less work hours and less work in general, compared to the UK, one might find it slightly more difficult to adjust to the Australian health care system in the beginning. This is because Australia has far less IMGs compared to the UK and hence colleagues might not be aware of the challenges that come up during the process of transition, thereby being less supportive. That said, nothing should be difficult if you have a sound knowledge base and good clinical skills.

Considering that Australia is a smaller country than UK in terms of population, naturally there are less training spots making it highly competitive to get into training. Also the process of getting into training is not as well structured as UK. However, local experience and local contacts are highly valued and it is your quality of work/ experience/ethics that will help you get a training spot. Once you have local experience, you are evaluated at par with any local graduate. I was able to successfully secure of training position within 6 months of starting work in Australia.

Once you become a consultant, Australia offers more flexibility and power to chose what you want to do, especially if you work in the private sector. The more you work, the more money you make. I personally know consultants who work long hours, but make great money (Read over 1 million AUD an year!) in return.

Personal Life

The work-life balance that Australia offers is probably the best in the world. 38 hour work week means one has lots of free time to themselves. It is not uncommon for doctors to have hobbies like camping, trekking, fishing or playing a musical instrument. Furthermore, Australia enjoys a warm weather round the year, which means you can spend most of your time outdoors/ basking in the sun- a major difference compared to the UK. For me, being able to enjoy life outdoors/ try new hobbies is a massive advantage, especially given that I live alone.

For people coming from the tropical/ sub-tropical countries, another major advantage is the easy availability of cheap, locally grown tropical fruits and vegetables- be it mangoes, guava, custard apples or different species of gourd. I personally enjoy having the same kind of food here in Oz as that back home.

IMGs (and immigrants in general) are able to maintain closer ties with parents and siblings considering the ease of long term visa availability for parents as well as the option of sponsoring visas for siblings. Almost every doctor that I know of, who has lived in this country for more than 10 years has had their parents move to Australia permanently.

Average Australian houses are larger compared to the UK. Most houses have a huge backyard and a pool- in keeping with the outdoor lifestyle.

As mentioned in my other posts, you earn a lot more in Australia compared to UK. Earnings will rise exponentially once you become a consultant and have your own private practise.

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UK vs Australia- Part 2

Salary in UK vs Australia

The following table compares the average salary of a PGY2/3 doctor in UK vs Australia.

 United KingdomAustralia
Annual income (Basic/Pre-tax)AUD 55,231AUD 89,852
Monthly income (Basic/Post-tax)AUD 4,603AUD 7488
Tax paid (based on income slab)20%32.5%
Average hours/week worked48 hours38 hours
Hourly pay (Basic/Pre-tax)AUD 24AUD 46

Disclaimer: Please note that I have calculated the above by comparing my PGY2 salary received in UK in the year 2019 with my PGY3 salary received in Australia in 2020.

Other important thing to note:

  1. Weekend rates
    • If you are rostered to work on Saturdays, you are paid 50% extra for every hour worked, whereas if you work on Sundays, you are paid 100% extra/ double your basic pay for every hour worked.
    • For instance, if your basic hourly pay is AUD 40, you will be paid AUD 60 for every hour of work that you do on a Saturday and AUD 80 per hour on a Sunday.
  2. Overtime rates
    • For every hour of rostered overtime work i.e beyond 76 hours/fortnight, you are paid double the basic pay.
    • For instance, if you basic pay is AUD 40/hour, you will be paid AUD 80 for every work worked beyond 76 hours a fortnight.
  3. Night rates
    • You are paid 15% extra for every hour worked between 7pm and 8am (provided that the majority if your shift lies between this time).
aussieimg1 Life in Australia, Uncategorized

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.