Money and medicine, who talks about that, right? Growing up and even in med school, it was all about the passion, the drive to save lives, and definitely not the pounds in the bank(it still is that way). But hey, after reading “Psychology of Money” by Morgan Housel and “Money: A Users Guide” by Laura Whateley, my eyes popped a bit. Money isn’t a villain; it’s a tool, and a dang useful one to live a little easier!

So, let's chew the fat over what junior doctors in the UK really pull in, and yeah, I’m gonna spill the beans on my own payslip, no secrets here. The term "junior doctor" here in the UK is a wide net, catching everyone who isn’t a consultant, aged anywhere between 23 and 60. But let’s keep the lens on the trainee doctors' pay scale today, and let those consultants wait their turn for another chat.

My payslip, base pay, hours, extra premium, tax, pension, and what I actually get to spend. Oddly, no tax this month. Dunno why, but a friendly note from HMRC says they’ll be grabbing that back soon - cheers :((

Another payslip, from a 1st year GP trainee, tells another tale, not a particularly happy ending though. Getting into the nitty-gritty - Starting off, a fresh outta school Foundation 1 Year Doctor gets £29,384/year base pay. But throw in some nights, weekends, and on-call duties, and “enhanced rate pay” and “weekend allowance” will toss a few more coins in the purse. And yeah, specialists like neurosurgeons may pull in more but kiss those sweet weekends and serene nights goodbye.

Doctors usually see a pay rise as they climb the experience ladder, from F2 doctors to ST1/ST2 to ST3-5, and ST6-8, with each level having its own base pay and added perks depending on the hours and specialty. And all the doctors fighting the good fight in pricey London get an extra “London Weighting” to help manage those steep living costs.

Now “locum shifts,” that’s where some quick cash can come in, with 2-3x the base pay. Some mates of mine doing full-time locum work are raking in between 80-120k a year, not too shabby!

But remember folks, the taxman cometh, and he’s taking a hefty slice of that pie. Still, when stacking UK junior doctors against US and Indian residents, our deal isn’t too rough. But dream of swimming in gold coins Scrooge McDuck style, and you’re in for a letdown. So, what do you think? Fair pay or short change for all those years and hefty education tabs?

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⚡️Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:25 Why am I making this video?
01:57 Who is a “junior doctor”?
02:57 My payslip and breakdown
07:25 Rest of the pay scale and recent hikes
08:34 Foundation Year 1 (FY1) doctors’ salary, enhanced rate and weekend allowance
11:47 Foundation Year 2 (FY2) doctors’ salary
12:47 Specialist Trainee Year 1 and 2 (ST1-2) doctors’ salary + GP Premium
14:31 ST3-5 Doctors’ salaries
15:10 ST6-8 Doctors’ salaries
15:54 Locum shifts and taxes


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WHO AM I?👨🏻‍⚕️
Hi,👋🏼 My name is Ajay. I'm a GP trainee in Cambridge, UK.I post videos (almost) every Wednesday at 4pm IST/11:30am BST/5:30am ET about productivity, studying and some medical entertainment peppered in-between.

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