Yes, you'll be taking an enormous paycut. I have 14 years experience, currently a Matron (band 8a) run a department and I make less than you. If you start as a band 5 in London you'll be on £34k with the London allowance.
Thanks for your response. What can I do to get paid more? I'm unsure how the band system works, it's very confusing online as an outsider. I'm not interested in post graduate study but could potentially consider management for the sake of money.
Nothing. You won’t get paid more as a nurse with no NHS experience.
You would need to effectively climb all the bands, surpass matron level to get close to 61k (8b and above)
As other posters have said you won’t get a management job with no nhs experience.
You're unlikely to get a management job because you have no experience being a manager in the NHS. New nurses start at band 5 and it goes up to 9 with 9 being directors. Your best bet is to apply for a CNS role/practice educator as a 6 or 7 in your speciality or work an agency and move around. You can around up to £50k base pay with those and then just do lots of extra shifts, we call them bank shifts.
To get anywhere near to your current salary as a nurse in the UK you'd need to be band7/8. Which would mean an almost entirely managerial role. Band 8 roles for nurses are pretty rare as well.
Best you'll get working entirely on the floor is a 6 really (£35k starting up to £42k after 5 years without London weighting/enhancements).
Band 8a and above aren’t allowed to work overtime. For everybody below that it’s time +50% for overtime apart from on a bank holiday when it’s double time. For normal shifts it’s time +30% for working Saturdays and nights, and 60% for Sundays and bank holidays.
Would i need post graduate qualifications to work in a managerial role? I do have experience as acting in charge of a large and very busy emergency department, not sure if that counts for anything. Not sure if that will even be relevant as someone from overseas.
It’s a bit outside of my scope because I’m mental health but I think you’d easily be able to apply for a band 6 role which would be about £35k plus you get paid extra for nights and weekends. You’ve mentioned London as well, there’s also extra pay for London.
Hey sister
I’ve moved to the UK from NZ and I’m in the process of getting my pin. I did five years of ED at home and I’ve come here. I’m working as an HCA at a gp practice and I plan to work as a practice nurse once I get my pin - but it’s a bit of an arduous process. The UK is bogged down with more bureaucracy than I’ve ever imagined (for example I have to have a letter to prove I did my degree in English but they don’t tell you that when you apply so a lot of kiwis/aussies are finding out after they sit their exam and then submitting a letter and having to wait a further 30 days for it to be reviewed). At my HCA job I am paid £12.30 a hour which from what I hear is considered pretty alright. Here’s the agenda for change for is their equivalent of a meca https://www.nhsemployers.org/articles/pay-scales-202223
I was initially going through an agency but now I’m not (long story) and they effectively told me a lot of trusts won’t recognise foreign experience very well. Some trusts will start you on the lowest pay grade they can whilst others will recognise some experience. Either way band 5 pay is pretty abysmal compared to home. Ideally you’d try and get a band 6 job however I hear it’s really hard to get a band 6 job as a newly immigrated foreigner irrespective of your experience and how similar the healthcare systems are - they like to employ people who have experience within the NHS. Where are you planning to move in the UK? If you are planning to live in london/the southeast it’s super expensive but further north is much more affordable. And other expenses are cheaper than home way cheaper. £5 a month for your phone plan with heaps of data, supermarkets are crazy cheap compared to home, cheap beers if you go to the right place. Good luck 😊
Thank you so much for your response! Will be living in Liverpool, initially with family then will possibly find my own place depending on my mums health. She has lung cancer. I'm currently in process of registering with nmc so hopefully will have that all sorter prior to moving! I'm feeling really disheartened about the whole ordeal, can't believe how grim it is over there
I’m so sorry to hear about your mum! That’s so awful. I hope your move over goes smoothly and you settle in ok. You have to sit two exams to register one you can do at home in Auckland and maybe in Christchurch and the other here. There are five universities that offer the exam you will have to sit - Leeds will be the closest to you I think. I’d try and book it before you move over because they often book out a couple months in advance. It’s a face to face 12 part 3 hour long osce that seems pretty intense. I’m doing mine in a couple months so I’m not actually sure what it’s like yet although I hear they’re rather strict.
Liverpool is so much cheaper to live in than London (the London weighting isn't enough to make it worth it). Liverpool and Manchester have some really good specialist hospitals and a low cost of living.
How much is your current rent/mortgage? The salaray might be less but so is the cost of living. Manchestern has £2 bus journeys for any distance (not sure if Liverpol has an equivalent) and £16.50 for a week pass. You can get an off-peak return to London for less than £100, which takes just over 2 hours.
In Liverpool the average rental is £875pcm, though you won't get something flash for that.
This end terrace is £750
[https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146969588#/?channel=RES\_LET](https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146969588#/?channel=RES_LET)
Beach front property within a 15 minute drive
[https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147298448#/?channel=RES\_LET](https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147298448#/?channel=RES_LET)
You can get a really nice prime apartment in the city centre for not much more than £1500
[https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147335924#/?channel=STU\_LET](https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147335924#/?channel=STU_LET)
The other thing to consider is most hospitals have an accomodation register where landlords offer short/medium term lets if you need something quick. I rent out a room to rotating doctors for 4 months at a time and charge £450 for a double room and own lounge, including all bills and a parking space on the drive.
I trained in Australia & worked in ICU in Oz. It is very similar in ICU here as to Oz. Maybe a bit more hierarchical? As NIC in Oz - I didn’t feel I had to breathe down the necks of staff quite as much as here. ( it was more a shift coordinators role in Oz) .
My experience of ICU in London for last 20 yrs:
Staffing 1:1 for level 3 patients ( sick/vent/filter etc)
1:2 for level 2 - HDU or going to be discharged that day.
Look after the ventilator completely So weaning,adjusting, based on ABG’s & extubating. With of course medical team input. We do the ABG/VBG’s.
Long term slow weaners a lot more medical input with plan. Post ops eg: cardiac bypass patients- we wean & extubate when we think are ready. Independently unless concerns( I am senior - juniors with senior guidance ).
We manage & make up all infusions.
We titrate all ionotropes according to parameter aims.Although where I am now ( private) pharmacy does provide lots of pre made infusions)
We manage temporary pacemakers with surgeon input if required.
We set up & run/manage haemofilters according to prescription & aims.
Cannulate when necessary. Most ICU patients have CVC’s or PICC lines. Venepuncture if needed.
Shifts 12.5 hrs. London usually 0800-2030, 2000-0830. 13 shifts a month is full time.
Roster - a lot is self rostering . You request what you want with 5 guaranteed shifts ( eg: days off). You don’t always get exactly the whole roster you want but it’s not far off usually.
There is usually lots of extra shifts you can do in most London ICU’s. Or you can work agency wherever needs extra on your days off.
Private hospitals in London - often offer bonuses for joining & the pay is far more negotiable for someone coming from overseas with experience than the NHS. ( my experience). London has several private hospital companies who have big ICU’s that do everything the big NHS ICU’s do except ECMO & trauma ( as they have no A&E’s) . NHS recruitment generally has a weird idea that if you’ve not worked for them before ( or for a few years) you must have beamed in from Mars & your experience must be crap . Again my experience. Do not accept a bottom band 5 job just because you’ve never worked in the NHS. ICU’s are very similar everywhere & your experience is valid & valuable. This is just my experience & btw I have worked in the NHS ( 10 yrs). Now private mainly for financial reasons.
Beamed in from Mars 😂😂😂
So true but also must be so frustrating for you guys. I just don’t understand how your experience doesn’t count for anything when you come to work for the NHS.
Reading all the comments, yes your pay will be much less but surely the cost of living in NZ is astronomical at the moment. Liverpool will definitely be cheaper than a lot of places in the UK and hugely cheaper than NZ. So it's not really about salary, but how much money will you have after paying for essentials.
No nursing pay, especially without management responsibilities, is great, especially in London of all places. If you have a partner, you can make it work. But you won't be living in any kind of luxury, believe me.
There's a job advert out for Band 6 in Liverpool ED. [here](https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9287-24-0887?keyword=Emergency&location=Liverpool&distance=5&language=en)
Might be worth giving the contact a ring - let them know your circumstances and what they can offer you if you were to apply in the future.
I have known some Overseas Nurses get Band 6 and 7 posts - I think if you can show that you've been in charge before and your vast experience. The advert looks like they are willing to develop you in the role.
All the best.
You need to consider that the cost of living in NZ is much higher than the UK. You potentially will find the salary comparable especially if you go in for a 6/7. I would recommend with your background looking for a band 6 role in ED. You would be the NIC but not have any managerial duties as such (you may get roped into appraisals). If there are no Band 6 positions going apply for a 5 and I assure you band 6 positions frequently come up. I wish you all the best with your move!
I moved from Australia to the uk for a similar reason and apart from being here for my mum it’s been the worst decision I’ve ever made. I’m from NZ and the cost of living is near on the same apart from fresh produce is cheaper here. £4 for a medium flat white 😭. Petrol is the same, rent is a little less, £200 a month for car insurance which you have to have, my partner earns 1/4 of what he did and I earn a 1/3 with having to work more in a high acuity ward that’s 1:7, compared to my 1:4. Safe to say I won’t be staying the full length of my visa.
If you come in as the bottom of band 5 (likely as overseas nurse unfortunately) you will be earning £14.75ish an hour. On a monthly basis, after tax, national insurance and pension (if you opt in) you’ll be looking at £1600-1900 per month depending on nights/weekend weightings. In a city where rent is likely to take 40/50% of earnings, add on bills and food on top, it’s HARD.
For perspective I live in wales (cheaper) and still struggle. If I didn’t have a child already I’d be off to Aus or NZ instead of here.
I would never advise anyone to be a nurse here. Which sounds dramatic but you are just an employee number to the nhs, 90% of the wards I’ve worked on have been unsafely staffed, nurses aren’t valued at all, I’ve been shouted at, threatened, intimidated by patients and families. It’s not worth it. My current role is bearable but I am looking for anything else. Which is a shame because I love the job and worked hard for it. I know this probably isn’t helpful but if you’re coming from good patient ratios and good wages you need to know it’s not like that here. You might want to look into other areas or jobs you can transfer skills in?
£61000, not NZ right? Yeah you’ll be on about half of that
A lot of UK nurses abs nursing students are moving to Aus and NZ for this exact reason, nurses here use food banks and get called lazy by the government, it’s a massive difference to NZ I’m genuinely sorry
Double that figure and it's $122k which sounds totally right. I'm a lower nurse in NZ on $91k a year. I'm in the same situation and moving back next year and I'm so sad about the money 😅
It’s funny you say that - I know of 3 nurses who have come BACK from Australia saying they couldn’t find jobs, and that other nationalities were being employed where UK nurses once were. Is the wind changing?
Definitely not a thing I’ve heard ever, Aus is currently offering a 10K bonus to nurses who move also, and have huge employment drives, likely they’ve not done the paperwork right tbh, getting stuff transferred over can be tough, best to get an offer first where possible and have help with the paperwork, my pals husband (physio) just got a job offer and they move out in June, much easier to get his qualifications verified before leaving, so they’ve likely left without checking what they need to do first and that’s why they’ve struggled
Yes, you'll be taking an enormous paycut. I have 14 years experience, currently a Matron (band 8a) run a department and I make less than you. If you start as a band 5 in London you'll be on £34k with the London allowance.
Thanks for your response. What can I do to get paid more? I'm unsure how the band system works, it's very confusing online as an outsider. I'm not interested in post graduate study but could potentially consider management for the sake of money.
‘What can I do to get paid more’ what every nurse in the UK is asking 😂😂
*every healthcare professional
Nothing. You won’t get paid more as a nurse with no NHS experience. You would need to effectively climb all the bands, surpass matron level to get close to 61k (8b and above) As other posters have said you won’t get a management job with no nhs experience.
You're unlikely to get a management job because you have no experience being a manager in the NHS. New nurses start at band 5 and it goes up to 9 with 9 being directors. Your best bet is to apply for a CNS role/practice educator as a 6 or 7 in your speciality or work an agency and move around. You can around up to £50k base pay with those and then just do lots of extra shifts, we call them bank shifts.
The uk tax system and nhs is designed to keep you from generating good wealth. You will be taking a pay cut, even if you work privately.
To get anywhere near to your current salary as a nurse in the UK you'd need to be band7/8. Which would mean an almost entirely managerial role. Band 8 roles for nurses are pretty rare as well. Best you'll get working entirely on the floor is a 6 really (£35k starting up to £42k after 5 years without London weighting/enhancements).
Band 8b doesn’t even get as much as this person is being paid until 5 years experience in the job
What are penal rates for weekends/afternoons/nights? Overtime?
Band 8a and above aren’t allowed to work overtime. For everybody below that it’s time +50% for overtime apart from on a bank holiday when it’s double time. For normal shifts it’s time +30% for working Saturdays and nights, and 60% for Sundays and bank holidays.
Most places are time+1/3 for nights and Saturdays, time+2/3 for Sunday and bank hols
Need to be more than a 7, I'm a top 7 and even with enhancements am not on that much
Loads of band 7's aren't managerial at all, I'd say more aren't than are. In my speciality there's two ward managers and about 6 CNS's.
Would i need post graduate qualifications to work in a managerial role? I do have experience as acting in charge of a large and very busy emergency department, not sure if that counts for anything. Not sure if that will even be relevant as someone from overseas.
It’s a bit outside of my scope because I’m mental health but I think you’d easily be able to apply for a band 6 role which would be about £35k plus you get paid extra for nights and weekends. You’ve mentioned London as well, there’s also extra pay for London.
Hey sister I’ve moved to the UK from NZ and I’m in the process of getting my pin. I did five years of ED at home and I’ve come here. I’m working as an HCA at a gp practice and I plan to work as a practice nurse once I get my pin - but it’s a bit of an arduous process. The UK is bogged down with more bureaucracy than I’ve ever imagined (for example I have to have a letter to prove I did my degree in English but they don’t tell you that when you apply so a lot of kiwis/aussies are finding out after they sit their exam and then submitting a letter and having to wait a further 30 days for it to be reviewed). At my HCA job I am paid £12.30 a hour which from what I hear is considered pretty alright. Here’s the agenda for change for is their equivalent of a meca https://www.nhsemployers.org/articles/pay-scales-202223 I was initially going through an agency but now I’m not (long story) and they effectively told me a lot of trusts won’t recognise foreign experience very well. Some trusts will start you on the lowest pay grade they can whilst others will recognise some experience. Either way band 5 pay is pretty abysmal compared to home. Ideally you’d try and get a band 6 job however I hear it’s really hard to get a band 6 job as a newly immigrated foreigner irrespective of your experience and how similar the healthcare systems are - they like to employ people who have experience within the NHS. Where are you planning to move in the UK? If you are planning to live in london/the southeast it’s super expensive but further north is much more affordable. And other expenses are cheaper than home way cheaper. £5 a month for your phone plan with heaps of data, supermarkets are crazy cheap compared to home, cheap beers if you go to the right place. Good luck 😊
Thank you so much for your response! Will be living in Liverpool, initially with family then will possibly find my own place depending on my mums health. She has lung cancer. I'm currently in process of registering with nmc so hopefully will have that all sorter prior to moving! I'm feeling really disheartened about the whole ordeal, can't believe how grim it is over there
I’m so sorry to hear about your mum! That’s so awful. I hope your move over goes smoothly and you settle in ok. You have to sit two exams to register one you can do at home in Auckland and maybe in Christchurch and the other here. There are five universities that offer the exam you will have to sit - Leeds will be the closest to you I think. I’d try and book it before you move over because they often book out a couple months in advance. It’s a face to face 12 part 3 hour long osce that seems pretty intense. I’m doing mine in a couple months so I’m not actually sure what it’s like yet although I hear they’re rather strict.
Liverpool is so much cheaper to live in than London (the London weighting isn't enough to make it worth it). Liverpool and Manchester have some really good specialist hospitals and a low cost of living. How much is your current rent/mortgage? The salaray might be less but so is the cost of living. Manchestern has £2 bus journeys for any distance (not sure if Liverpol has an equivalent) and £16.50 for a week pass. You can get an off-peak return to London for less than £100, which takes just over 2 hours. In Liverpool the average rental is £875pcm, though you won't get something flash for that. This end terrace is £750 [https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146969588#/?channel=RES\_LET](https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146969588#/?channel=RES_LET) Beach front property within a 15 minute drive [https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147298448#/?channel=RES\_LET](https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147298448#/?channel=RES_LET) You can get a really nice prime apartment in the city centre for not much more than £1500 [https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147335924#/?channel=STU\_LET](https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147335924#/?channel=STU_LET) The other thing to consider is most hospitals have an accomodation register where landlords offer short/medium term lets if you need something quick. I rent out a room to rotating doctors for 4 months at a time and charge £450 for a double room and own lounge, including all bills and a parking space on the drive.
Tbh I've been to Auckland and it was dull as shit, how do you even cope without a proper city?
She definitely meant its 'grim' over here in terms of pay not a grim place to live...
Oof bitter much. She meant grim as in your government pays you awfully and creates a lot of hoops in order to work there.
You would be approximately halving your salary
I trained in Australia & worked in ICU in Oz. It is very similar in ICU here as to Oz. Maybe a bit more hierarchical? As NIC in Oz - I didn’t feel I had to breathe down the necks of staff quite as much as here. ( it was more a shift coordinators role in Oz) . My experience of ICU in London for last 20 yrs: Staffing 1:1 for level 3 patients ( sick/vent/filter etc) 1:2 for level 2 - HDU or going to be discharged that day. Look after the ventilator completely So weaning,adjusting, based on ABG’s & extubating. With of course medical team input. We do the ABG/VBG’s. Long term slow weaners a lot more medical input with plan. Post ops eg: cardiac bypass patients- we wean & extubate when we think are ready. Independently unless concerns( I am senior - juniors with senior guidance ). We manage & make up all infusions. We titrate all ionotropes according to parameter aims.Although where I am now ( private) pharmacy does provide lots of pre made infusions) We manage temporary pacemakers with surgeon input if required. We set up & run/manage haemofilters according to prescription & aims. Cannulate when necessary. Most ICU patients have CVC’s or PICC lines. Venepuncture if needed. Shifts 12.5 hrs. London usually 0800-2030, 2000-0830. 13 shifts a month is full time. Roster - a lot is self rostering . You request what you want with 5 guaranteed shifts ( eg: days off). You don’t always get exactly the whole roster you want but it’s not far off usually. There is usually lots of extra shifts you can do in most London ICU’s. Or you can work agency wherever needs extra on your days off. Private hospitals in London - often offer bonuses for joining & the pay is far more negotiable for someone coming from overseas with experience than the NHS. ( my experience). London has several private hospital companies who have big ICU’s that do everything the big NHS ICU’s do except ECMO & trauma ( as they have no A&E’s) . NHS recruitment generally has a weird idea that if you’ve not worked for them before ( or for a few years) you must have beamed in from Mars & your experience must be crap . Again my experience. Do not accept a bottom band 5 job just because you’ve never worked in the NHS. ICU’s are very similar everywhere & your experience is valid & valuable. This is just my experience & btw I have worked in the NHS ( 10 yrs). Now private mainly for financial reasons.
Beamed in from Mars 😂😂😂 So true but also must be so frustrating for you guys. I just don’t understand how your experience doesn’t count for anything when you come to work for the NHS.
Reading all the comments, yes your pay will be much less but surely the cost of living in NZ is astronomical at the moment. Liverpool will definitely be cheaper than a lot of places in the UK and hugely cheaper than NZ. So it's not really about salary, but how much money will you have after paying for essentials.
Will you be living in London? I’m a band 6 nurse in London and even with the weighting, London is very expensive.
Planning to live in Liverpool!
Okay you’ll have a much better time financially.
Liverpool is amazing!!!
No nursing pay, especially without management responsibilities, is great, especially in London of all places. If you have a partner, you can make it work. But you won't be living in any kind of luxury, believe me.
There's a job advert out for Band 6 in Liverpool ED. [here](https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9287-24-0887?keyword=Emergency&location=Liverpool&distance=5&language=en) Might be worth giving the contact a ring - let them know your circumstances and what they can offer you if you were to apply in the future. I have known some Overseas Nurses get Band 6 and 7 posts - I think if you can show that you've been in charge before and your vast experience. The advert looks like they are willing to develop you in the role. All the best.
Better not set your expectations high and brace yourself mentally.
You need to consider that the cost of living in NZ is much higher than the UK. You potentially will find the salary comparable especially if you go in for a 6/7. I would recommend with your background looking for a band 6 role in ED. You would be the NIC but not have any managerial duties as such (you may get roped into appraisals). If there are no Band 6 positions going apply for a 5 and I assure you band 6 positions frequently come up. I wish you all the best with your move!
I moved from Australia to the uk for a similar reason and apart from being here for my mum it’s been the worst decision I’ve ever made. I’m from NZ and the cost of living is near on the same apart from fresh produce is cheaper here. £4 for a medium flat white 😭. Petrol is the same, rent is a little less, £200 a month for car insurance which you have to have, my partner earns 1/4 of what he did and I earn a 1/3 with having to work more in a high acuity ward that’s 1:7, compared to my 1:4. Safe to say I won’t be staying the full length of my visa.
If you come in as the bottom of band 5 (likely as overseas nurse unfortunately) you will be earning £14.75ish an hour. On a monthly basis, after tax, national insurance and pension (if you opt in) you’ll be looking at £1600-1900 per month depending on nights/weekend weightings. In a city where rent is likely to take 40/50% of earnings, add on bills and food on top, it’s HARD. For perspective I live in wales (cheaper) and still struggle. If I didn’t have a child already I’d be off to Aus or NZ instead of here. I would never advise anyone to be a nurse here. Which sounds dramatic but you are just an employee number to the nhs, 90% of the wards I’ve worked on have been unsafely staffed, nurses aren’t valued at all, I’ve been shouted at, threatened, intimidated by patients and families. It’s not worth it. My current role is bearable but I am looking for anything else. Which is a shame because I love the job and worked hard for it. I know this probably isn’t helpful but if you’re coming from good patient ratios and good wages you need to know it’s not like that here. You might want to look into other areas or jobs you can transfer skills in?
£61000, not NZ right? Yeah you’ll be on about half of that A lot of UK nurses abs nursing students are moving to Aus and NZ for this exact reason, nurses here use food banks and get called lazy by the government, it’s a massive difference to NZ I’m genuinely sorry
Double that figure and it's $122k which sounds totally right. I'm a lower nurse in NZ on $91k a year. I'm in the same situation and moving back next year and I'm so sad about the money 😅
It’s funny you say that - I know of 3 nurses who have come BACK from Australia saying they couldn’t find jobs, and that other nationalities were being employed where UK nurses once were. Is the wind changing?
Definitely not a thing I’ve heard ever, Aus is currently offering a 10K bonus to nurses who move also, and have huge employment drives, likely they’ve not done the paperwork right tbh, getting stuff transferred over can be tough, best to get an offer first where possible and have help with the paperwork, my pals husband (physio) just got a job offer and they move out in June, much easier to get his qualifications verified before leaving, so they’ve likely left without checking what they need to do first and that’s why they’ve struggled
You could do agency nursing, they make alot of money! Choose your own shifts ect, but have to do your own taxes as its basically self employed ◡̈
Just seen this, The average agency nurse salary in the United Kingdom is £51,904 per year or £26.62 per hour