Salary of junior doctors in the NHS

Pay structure in the NHS is very different from other countries and thus important to understand for International Medical graduates. While the salaries do vary a bit with experience and place of work, the basic structure is the same, depending on the grade/level.

Most IMGs usually start their journey in the NHS in a non-training post. You can use this guide for reference:

Salary structure

2016 contract

Basic salary is for working basic hours i.e 40 hours a week with no weekends or shifts or on-calls.Working more than 40 hours a week or working outside hours-before 7 am or after 7 pm, brings ‘banding’ into the picture.

Banding

Also known as enhancement, banding is compensation for work beyond the basic hours. When you are applying for a job, do take note of whether the job demands working out of hours or not as that would make a significant difference to the salary you earn.
There are various bands that increment the salary based on

• Number of hours worked in a week

• Overall pattern of the hours

Depending on the grade and hours, you may expect to earn around 30-40 % of increment if banding is applicable.

Total salary= Basic salary + (salary x %supplement)
The % supplement depends on the banding.

Locums

A term to be aware of is locums- a way to earn extra if you wish or need to. These are extra duties that you can take up if you have spare time at your hands e.g on your off days. The upside to locums is that they get paid at hourly rates that tend to be higher than your regular job. The downside though is that you are sacrificing your off time. It is possible to strike a balance and get some extra in your pockets.

Take home salary

What you earn is not what you take home. Income tax, National insurance and NHS pension(if you opt for it) result in some deductions in the salary. Once you know the offered salary, you can easily use online calculators(available widely) to calculate your take home salary. 

There is no figure to define a good salary. The cost of living of different areas in the UK varies greatly and that makes a lot of difference as well. E.g the same salary in London won’t help you save as much as you can if you live in Manchester.

It is important to note that salaries of junior doctors are sufficient for a good lifestyle, though not a luxurious one and money is not the only reason you planned to make the move!