How GPs Work
Forget the 12 hour day...
UK GPs who make the move to Australia to work find it positively life-transforming!
GPs live, work and earn well in Australia. They work fewer hours than in the UK and usually earn more. It’s this ability to balance work and leisure without loss of income that sets Australia apart for work-weary UK GPs.
Essentially, as a GP working in Australia, you will be in control of your working life. You can choose how long you work, when you work, and for how much.
You will have more time to spend with your patients during a consultation, allowing you to take a more considered view and a more holistic and preventative approach to their care. You will be able to treat patients as your were actually trained to treat them which in turn will give you the joy of feeling that you are following your calling.
There’s never been a better time to make the move, nor a better move to make! Check out the details below, or call us today to kick-start the process…
How GPs work in Australia
What your working day will be like
Working as a GP in Australia you will be in charge of your working day and, in consultation with the practice, will choose how many hours per week you work and the number of patients per hour you will see. Perhaps the icing on the cake for a work-weary UK GP is that at the end of your consults for the day, there is no paper work to complete - you are free to go home!
How you earn
Australian GPs are not salaried but are contracted to the practice. When you start work in Australia you will set up your own business entity and will charge patients a consultation fee. A percentage of that fee will be retained by the practice to cover their costs, and the remainder, typically 65%, is your income. This gives you much greater autonomy in the way you work and, consequently, how much you earn.
Typical hours you will work
As you will be contracted to a practice rather than salaried when working as a GP in Australia, you will be able to choose how many hours per week you will work. Typically, full time is approximately 35 to 40 hours per week, but you can choose to work less or more hours, subject to the needs of the practice. And if, say, you agree to work 38 hours per week, you will work 38 hours to include paperwork, after hours, and weekend work. You are in control of your life!
Where you can work
Australia has a shortage of GPs across the country, but there are areas which have a particular need, known as District Priority Areas (DPA). As a GP from overseas you will be required - and positively incentivised - to work within a DPA location. This does not mean you have to live and work in the outback - most DPA jobs are in rural or outer suburban areas - but we work with you to get the best job and the lifestyle of your dreams in spite of these constraints. This is where we shine!
Bulk billing
Medicare pays for everyone to see the GP at the point of need and the practice bulk bills Medicare for all patients seen.
Private billing
Patients pay a top-up on Medicare's consult fee from their medical insurance to give them more choice about their consultation.
Australian medical system
Primary care in Australia is funded by a unique blend of state and private funding. Medicare pays for everyone to see the GP at the point of need, but some choose to pay privately to see the GP which gives them more control over their consultation.
The government offers tax incentives for those who use their own money or take out medical insurance, and this element of private funding eases the pressure on the state, making the whole system work rather well and, crucially, offering patients choice.
Patients therefore have the choice to see their GP at the expense of Medicare – and we call this bulk billing because the practice will bulk bill Medicare for all such patients at the end of each week – or to pay a premium on top of the Medicare element to see their GP as a private paying patient.
Most practices have now changed from exclusively bulk billing to mixed billing and the GP will therefore be expected to bill both private and bulk billing patients. Naturally, some practices will have a higher concentration of bulk or private patients, and this may be a factor which influences your choice of employing practice.
You will earn a smaller fee from a bulk billed patient than you will with patients who pay privately, but this does not necessarily mean you will earn less if most of your patients are bulk billed or that your earnings will be higher if you consistently bill privately. A private patient will often expect a longer consult than will a bulk billed patient.
There is some complexity to unpick here, so why not give us a call to discuss? Or take a look at our downloadable guide –
Types of practices
Working as a GP in Australia you will be able to choose the type of practice model that best suits your way of working.
- Single, independent, privately owned practices are generally smaller with anywhere from two to ten GPs, for example. Such a practice will suit a GP who is keen to contribute to the running of the practice, or just prefers a more ‘family’ way of working.
- More entrepreneurial owners of smaller practices will sometimes decide to open further practices in their area, exploiting economies of scale and their local knowledge. These groups of practices offer good financial support and orientation for UK GPs on starting work in Australia.
- The corporate practices will have an Australia wide footprint, most are listed on the stock exchange and benefit from significant financial investment which makes them highly profitable and well able to invest in their medical centres and their GPs. They offer generous packages, are well set-up to take on UK GPs and support them in getting to know the Australian medical system.
All these practice types will offer excellent career opportunities for UK GPs wishing to relocate to Australia. But talk to us about your preferences – we can provide you with more detailed information about the practice types and which offers not just the best package but the best training and support in integrating into the Australian system.
Independently owned practices
Groups practices
Corporate practices
What will I earn
How long is a piece of string? Seriously, there are so many factors which have a bearing on what you will earn as a GP working in Australia. Currently, the average annual income of a GP is approximately $350,000 but to put this in context, this will vary based on :
- the hours per week you work
- the percentage of billings you are offered
- the number of patients you see per hour
- whether you are primarily bulk billing or billing privately
- the patient demand at your practice
- the number of treatments, minor surgeries, or care plans you do
- whether you prefer to work quickly or take more time with each patient
Will I earn more if I bill privately
These days most practices are mixed billing – you will be able to do a mix of bulk and private billing. But each practice will have a different weighting of bulk to private billing patients, so you will have some choice as to which group to focus on in your work. We have done endless calculations and have come to the conclusion that there is very little difference between the earnings of a GP predominantly privately billing to one predominantly bulk billing. And as we have explained, there are so many other factors which affect your earnings.
We are happy to talk you through in detail how each of these factors may affect your earnings as a GP, why not give us a call? Or download our ‘How GPs work in Australia’ guide….
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What if something goes wrong with my job?
Things do sometimes go wrong…
At Aussie Bound GPs together with our partners in Australia, we have a wealth of experience in placing UK GPs and, happily, in our experience, things rarely go wrong. We guide you carefully through all the options, looking at the benefits of each job and how it will suit your circumstances and lifestyle.
And if anything does go wrong, we will fix it! We are in there with you not just for the lifetime of your job, but for the lifetime of your work in Australia, should you wish us to be.
