Accommodation

• It is very difficult to rent any accommodation for less than 6 months. This can be a problem if you come to work for a short period of time. Normally the Agencies will offer or help you find accommodation, most of the time it is Hospital accommodation, either a flat or sometimes a shared flat. This is important if you come with your partner/wife and children. You have to negotiate the type of accommodation you want or need.

• The Agency will probably offer a contribution to help you pay for the accommodation or pay it in full.

• The cost of housing, and the cost of living in general is far more expensive if you are in the South of England, or is you are in (or nearby) the big cities such as London, Manchester, etc. Living costs in the cities northbound may be as expensive or even cheaper than in Spain, believe it or not.

• Hospitals in North England usually pay better, due to the difficulty in recruiting doctors especially in the winter due to the intense cold, snow sometimes and it subsequent problems.

The cost of living

The cost of daily food (supermarket), transport, water, electricity, gas supply and other services are daily issues and are too numerous to list. There is, however, a website called “El utilitario” with a lot of very useful information regarding this. Click here to visit it and select “costo de vida” in the option list on the left.

Negotiations with the Locum Agencies in your contract

• It depends on the extent of your contact. Before taking a job, you should ask for a Job plan beforehand, so you know exactly what the Hospital expects from you including terms and conditions. It you are not happy with it, you can then negotiate.

• Ask the Agency to pay for your flight tickets, round trip before you leave the country and come to work in the UK, most of the Agencies normally do.

• If your intention is to work for long periods, you can negotiate some weeks off regularly to go back to your country or a break elsewhere, obviously these weeks are unpaid.

Register with your General Practitioner

You have to register with a GP (General Practitioner) so you can have health coverage in the UK. We will advise you.
We can also advise you – should you wish – on aid in the language to improve your “Medical English”. We can help you with information on how to register with professional bodies in the UK that are of interest to you.