British doctor moves to Australia to earn £1k-a-month more than in the UK and has "no reason" to return home
- 11 months ago
A British doctor moved to Australia to earn £1k-a-month more than she did in the UK and says she has "absolutely no reason" to return home.
Aoibhín Bradley, 27, decided to turn her back on the NHS and find a job in the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, after hearing about the opportunities out there.
Aoibhín has been a doctor the three years - graduating in April 2020 from Queens University, Belfast, where she studied medicine - and worked on the frontline during the Covid pandemic.
She struggled with the long shifts - claiming she often worked three hours past her end time - and took home £2.1k-a-month based on a 48.5-hour week.
After completing further foundation training, Aoibhín took the plunge to move to Australia in September 2022 with her boyfriend, Matthew McQuaid, 29, who is also a doctor.
They both secured jobs in the emergency room of Gold Coast University Hospital, Queensland, and are able to work the same shifts so they get days off together.
Aoibhín now earns $6,000 AUSD a month - £3,202.53 - for a 36-hour a week. The doctors are paid a double rate if they stay late and for Sundays.
Aoibhín says the salary rate "blew her mind" and she is now able to spend her days off exploring and camping in Sydney and Melbourne - compared to being too tired to do anything in her free time while working for the NHS.
Aoibhín, a doctor, from Belfast, Ireland, said: "You're working to live - not living to work.
"Australia is more expensive but I'm still making multiple times more than what I was making at home.
"At home, you did so many extra hours that your life consisted of working.
"I lived in Northern Ireland and there wasn’t anything to do in MY spare time.
"I was so tired - I didn’t have the energy to do much.
"In Australia, pay-wise it's incredible.
"You get paid per hour that you work. It blew my mind.
"Here you leave on time – if not, the consultants come around and tell you to leave.
She decided to finish her foundation training first - so she could return to the UK to work if she didn't like Australia.
She said: "I heard about opportunities to work in Australia through word of mouth.
"I Googled hospitals in Brisbane and Perth and applied to them all. I must have extended to the Gold Coast.
"They interviewed over zoom and then offered us the job."
Aoibhín moved in September 2022 and says it has been "nothing but positive."
She said: "Everybody is so friendly.
"I realised everybody is so happy.
"They are getting paid what deserve.
"There is a good work life balance. It’s amazing."
She said: "My workforce is UK doctors.
"It's rarer to have an Australian consultant.
"They all say 'why the hell would I go home?'.
"I don't know why people go home."
Aoibhín Bradley, 27, decided to turn her back on the NHS and find a job in the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, after hearing about the opportunities out there.
Aoibhín has been a doctor the three years - graduating in April 2020 from Queens University, Belfast, where she studied medicine - and worked on the frontline during the Covid pandemic.
She struggled with the long shifts - claiming she often worked three hours past her end time - and took home £2.1k-a-month based on a 48.5-hour week.
After completing further foundation training, Aoibhín took the plunge to move to Australia in September 2022 with her boyfriend, Matthew McQuaid, 29, who is also a doctor.
They both secured jobs in the emergency room of Gold Coast University Hospital, Queensland, and are able to work the same shifts so they get days off together.
Aoibhín now earns $6,000 AUSD a month - £3,202.53 - for a 36-hour a week. The doctors are paid a double rate if they stay late and for Sundays.
Aoibhín says the salary rate "blew her mind" and she is now able to spend her days off exploring and camping in Sydney and Melbourne - compared to being too tired to do anything in her free time while working for the NHS.
Aoibhín, a doctor, from Belfast, Ireland, said: "You're working to live - not living to work.
"Australia is more expensive but I'm still making multiple times more than what I was making at home.
"At home, you did so many extra hours that your life consisted of working.
"I lived in Northern Ireland and there wasn’t anything to do in MY spare time.
"I was so tired - I didn’t have the energy to do much.
"In Australia, pay-wise it's incredible.
"You get paid per hour that you work. It blew my mind.
"Here you leave on time – if not, the consultants come around and tell you to leave.
She decided to finish her foundation training first - so she could return to the UK to work if she didn't like Australia.
She said: "I heard about opportunities to work in Australia through word of mouth.
"I Googled hospitals in Brisbane and Perth and applied to them all. I must have extended to the Gold Coast.
"They interviewed over zoom and then offered us the job."
Aoibhín moved in September 2022 and says it has been "nothing but positive."
She said: "Everybody is so friendly.
"I realised everybody is so happy.
"They are getting paid what deserve.
"There is a good work life balance. It’s amazing."
She said: "My workforce is UK doctors.
"It's rarer to have an Australian consultant.
"They all say 'why the hell would I go home?'.
"I don't know why people go home."