Is it just me to prefer NHS over a private sector employer?
I have been working with a private company focusing on bringing a new medtech app to market. Needless to say, I enjoyed the work quite a lot but made the decision to continue my career in the NHS
The general attitude on the subreddit is quite the opposite - “Get out whilst you can”. This was definitely my view point as well for a few years before but I must say I have had a quite a change in the heart. Here is why:
- Work life balance:
In the company, the work hours were strictly delineated but the reality was quite different. You had to deliver quite a lot ie bring in X revenue, or meet certain growth targets or you must close a deal as soon as you can. This usually means that you were ever really leaving by 5pm on the dot. If you did, people would quietly observe this and it would be noted discreetly somewhere.
In the NHS, this culture isn’t really present. Yes we stay late when work gets heavy but there are plenty of means to address these grievances without increasing chance of being fired.
Personally this pressure to conform in private sector and it effecting job security is a bit crazy.
- Pay
Secondly, the pay in most of the private sector was not what I expected. A surgical reg could easily make £100k, and with pensions included you are looking at close to £130k. In the company where I worked, we had plenty of people on £40k, £50k, £70k etc. this was the norm rather than the exception. The only people making silly money were really senior financiers rather than people in the private sector.
The people who are really underpaid are actually the consultants, but still better than 95% of private sector people.
- Stress of losing jobs
Thirdly, the stress of NHS is very different and mostly benign compared to stress in private companies. In private companies, the stress is more extreme. There are times with no stress and times of severe stress due to literal fears of unemployment if you don’t deliver. Plus, in the private sector you carry the stress with you back home. In the NHS, the stress is more or less temporary. You never really need to think about work on your off days.
4) Annual Leave / Sick day culture
Fourthly, the idea of taking annual leaves or sick days are only legally mandated by private sector but almost certainly can be tough to take in principle especially sick day.
- Bureaucracy does not get better
In small companies, there are no rules really. You kind of work under the directors of the company and have to run a lot of decisions past them, even if you disagree with their viewpoint. Similarly, in large corporations, you get a NHS type of slow admin stuff.
The only difference is private sector has a quicker way to fix dysfunctional things but that does come with stress as an employee if you are responsible for the deliverables there.
Naturally, with the UKGP, thankfully unemployment rates for doctors will tank considerably and we go back to how it always was. Plus, if we can get our pay back to 2008, I wouldn’t really mind working for the NHS.