3rd May 2024
Although it is not all about money, it’s natural to wonder about the average doctor’s salary in the UK. The process of becoming a doctor is long and time-consuming, and money can affect your future lifestyle. The salary of doctors can also be a topic of conversation during your medical school interview, so it is a good idea to read about what an average doctor’s salary is and how this differs from stage to stage of doctor training.
In this guide, we break down the stages of doctor training and what you can expect to earn during each stage. From a foundation doctor’s salary to a consultant doctor’s salary, here’s what your future salary could look like through the years.
Based on the recent pay deal for 2023/24, here are doctors’ basic salaries based on the training stage.
Also known as F1/2 or FY1/2, this stage of doctor training starts after graduating from medical school. Junior doctors rotate through different specialities every four months to ensure they can get a feel for each before choosing a specialty in the future.
This particular stage of doctor training will only take two years to complete. An F1 doctor’s salary starts from £32,397. This will rise to £37,303 once they have completed their first year and move on to F2.
Core training follows the foundation years of being a junior doctor. This stage lasts two years and can differ between Core Medical Training and Core Surgical Training depending on the speciality you decide to pursue.
The base salary for junior doctors in the UK at this stage of training is £43,922.
Speciality training is typically the longest part of training for a junior doctor. This is where you begin training in your chosen field. There are various speciality training pathways, such as the core medical pathway, the core surgical pathway and the run-through training programme.
Junior doctors taking the core medical pathway aim to specialise in areas such as Anaesthetics, Cardiology or Oncology. The core surgical pathway is generally for those wanting to specialise in areas like General Surgery, Paediatric Surgery and Plastic Surgery. Both of these pathways typically take 5-6 years.
The run-through training programme allows junior doctors to skip core training and immediately specialise in certain areas. This is common in doctors wanting to go into areas like Neurosurgery, Gynaecology and Paediatrics. The total time in this pathway works out to 8 years, but as this cuts out the core training, this pathway takes the same amount of time as other pathways.
The specialist registrar’s salary in the UK starts between £55,328 – £63,162.
If you’ve made it this far, you’ve officially made it! You’re finally a consultant after potentially 15 years of being a junior doctor. A consultant doctor’s salary in the UK can be anywhere between £93,666 – £126,281.
This pay can increase over time depending on factors such as length of service and weekend or evening work. Additionally, awards such as the Local Clinical Excellence Awards (LCEAs) can also add anything from £3,016 to £36,192 to your pay.
Many medical students may decide to become GPs, as this career path entails the shortest amount of training as a junior doctor. With only five years of medical school, two years of foundation training and only three years of specialist training, a total of 10 years seems like a breeze compared to other areas in the medical field.
The average GP salary in the UK is between £68,974 – £104,086.
However, GPs can also become partners. This means GPs own the practices and run them on a partnership model where the practice is subcontracted to the NHS. GP Partners have the potential to earn more than £140,000 a year.
Staff Grade doctors are doctors who have completed all the training they need to have a full career in the medical field but do not wish or cannot progress to become a consultant. These doctors will complete a minimum of four years of postgraduate training, of which two years must be in a speciality.
SAS doctors have a base salary of £43,505 – £108,374.
Doctors who fall into the previous categories can be any type of doctor, such as private practice or locally employed doctors. Locally employed doctors are employed by trusts and are usually in non-permanent positions.
There is no base salary for these doctors as this is dependent on their location, but the average salary of doctors in this category is approximately £116,200.
To give you an idea of how the average salary of a doctor works in comparison to the minimum length of training, here are a few examples of roles you could see yourself in in the future.
So there we have it: a look into your potential future! From what your starting salary could look like as a junior doctor to where you could see yourself as a consultant, we have covered the average salary of a doctor in the UK so you can make an informed decision when considering a career in medicine.
Of course, becoming a doctor is not about the money. If you are working towards becoming a doctor, you most likely want to help people above all else. To start your journey into becoming a doctor, why not take a look at our work experience courses available both in-person and online at PreMed? Take the first steps to becoming a medical professional with us today.
The average salary of a doctor in the UK can range anywhere between £32,397 to over £120,000, depending on the level of training and experience you have.
A junior doctor is defined as any doctor in training. This means a doctor starting in F1 training to the end of specialty training is a junior doctor. A junior doctor starting salary is £32,397 as an F1 doctor. This can increase to about £63,162 as you progress to the end of speciality training.
F1 or foundation year 1 doctors will have a base salary of £32,397. Once they have completed their year of training, they will progress to F2, where they will have a salary of £37,303.
The average salary of a surgeon in the UK is about £84,108. To progress to this level, you will need to complete a range of training and, of course, medical school. The typical pathway for a surgeon is five years of medical school, two years of foundation training, two years of core surgical training, and finally, five years of speciality training.
A consultant can earn anywhere from £93,666 to £126,281. After completing all of the training stages and sitting final exams, you will be able to become a consultant.
It is hard to pinpoint the exact amount a private doctor may earn in the UK, but research suggests private doctors could earn about £150,000 a year. This is slightly more than a consultant in the NHS, who typically earns anywhere from £93,666 to £126,281.
There are two types of GP, both of which have different salaries. A salaried GP could earn between £68,974 to £104,086. On the other hand, GP Partners could earn over £140,000 as they become partners of the practice at this level.
In total, it can cost approximately £124,895 to become a doctor in the UK. This includes university tuition fees, which are normally paid through student loans. Other factors to consider include living expenses, money for books, and other related costs.
The average pay in the UK is about £34,963 in 2023. This shows junior doctors in their first year of training earn less than the average person in the UK as the salary for this stage of junior doctor is £32,397.
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