NHS nurse benefits – does it sound interesting to you?
While there are still countries battling with nursing manpower issues like meager salary, extended working hours, and hostile treatment, things are different for an NHS nurse in the UK.
This is another reason why becoming an NHS nurse in the UK is a dream to many — to those in the country and to those who are trying to immigrate. According to the NMC, the NHS is the fastest growing employer in the UK, with over 6,70,000 permanent registered nurses working as of 2020, which is a 2.4% boost from the previous years. There are a whopping 43,000 job vacancies available for the nursing position. If you wish to know the reason, then this blog is especially for you. We have discussed the NHS nurse benefits in this blog.
Top 9 NHS nurse benefits in the UK
Free flights tickets
Upon your job confirmation at the NHS, you can rest assured about the cost of flying into the country. The NHS client always bears it, giving you the comfort of simply enjoying your journey. Trust us, there’s never going to be a salary deduction from your first month’s pay.
Paid accommodation
You don’t have to spend a dime for accommodation on the initial days of entering the country. NHS not only takes care of the flight tickets but gives you free accommodation for two and half months, plus a bonus of reimbursing all visa-related expenses.
Cashless training
To work under the NHS, you will need to undergo two mandatory tests, both of which are undertaken by the NMC itself. It offers two sets of competency tests for free upon your joining — the first is the computer-based training and the other one is the structured clinical examination to test the practical tests.
Covering costs of language test
While usually the English Language Tests like OET and IELTS are borne by the nurse applicants themselves, there are some NHS clients that provide a refund of these along with your first month’s salary.
Secured job with a three-year contract
Amidst job security issues like sudden layoffs and limited pay, the next benefit NHS offers you is a three-year working contract, which is ample time for you to nurture hands-on skills and get proficient. This three-year period is really sufficient time for you to get settled without being worried about your finances. The next best thing is, if you wish to extend your contract, some NHS can get that done too.
Competitive salary
Be it as a full-time or temporary staff, the nursing career with an NHS client can always offer you excellent pay and benefits. According to the ‘Agenda for Change’, every nurse gets paid as per their responsibilities, experience, skills, and abilities. A full-time band 5 nurses can make easily from £22,128 to £28,746, this can go up to £37,890 with more experience and specialization. With a Master’s degree, NHS pays nursing practitioners around £44,503, with the Head Nurses £51,668 and finally, Consultant Nurses draw up to £104,927.
A wide range of Career Options
The next biggest benefit of working as a nurse in the UK is because of the array of job options available in UK. You get unlimited options like working for healthcare settings, clinics, hospitals, clinics, outpatient settings, and nursing homes. All these only boost your learning and development further!
Besides these, nurses can even choose their specialisation like emergency care, anesthetics, midwifery, neonatology, surgery, fertility, orthopedics, and more! A high-end option is becoming a nursing consultant or advanced practitioner, where you have the right to even prescribe medicine to patients, similar to the doctor!
Easy and flexible schedule
The NHS secures the best-fitting workforce by offering a range of flexible employment options for their staff: it includes working as a part-timer, flexi-time, work from home, job sharing, and voluntary reduced working time.
The next benefit of working as an NHS nurse is the 24/7 flexible timing that the hospitals offer depending on your area of specialty. You can either work from a single 9-5 shift pattern, in rotations, or in night shifts followed by days off, it’s totally up to you! This way of working offers increased leisure time and a chance to handle all your personal commitments.
A relocation package for family
If you are with the right recruitment agency, they can offer you NHS interviews within trusts that will offer you a fat relocation package as and when you move to the UK.
A final word to all nurses targeting to work in the UK
The benefit of working as a nurse is much more rewarding than quantifiable; nonetheless, the profession as such is privileged, giving an opportunity to recover people from physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual distress. We owe you for all that you do to empower patients every day. To browse our latest nursing jobs in the UK and to give your career a boost, click here.
We are one of the UK’s most preferred NHS providers – working with most leading country’s hospital trusts! If you are waiting for flexible shifts available as a locum and if you want to experience the benefits of working as an NHS Nurse, contact JP Medicals Recruitment now.
