What really changes when you leave UK general practice behind and start working as a GP in Australia?

“Life changer. My life has drastically improved.”

That’s how Karel describes his experience of leaving UK general practice and starting a new life as a GP in Australia.

Earlier this year, Transition Medical helped Karel find the right GP position for him and his family, before supporting him through the visa and medical registration process.

Now settled in Australia with his family, we asked him what life and work are really like.

From dramatically less administration to greater professional freedom, opportunities to develop specialist interests and afternoons at the beach with his children, his experience provides a fascinating insight for other UK GPs wondering whether Australia could offer them something different.

Less administration. Greater professional freedom. More opportunity to develop your interests. Strong earning potential. More capacity to focus on your patients. And a lifestyle that works for the whole family.

From three hours of admin to 20 minutes

“Admin time, admin time, admin time.”

It’s one of Karel’s clearest memories of working as a salaried GP in the UK.

He was working six sessions and describes reaching the point where he’d had enough and wanted to explore his options.

One of the biggest changes he has noticed since moving to Australia is the amount of time he spends on administration.

Karel estimates that his daily admin has fallen from around three hours in England to approximately 20 minutes in his current role in Australia.

For a GP accustomed to finishing a busy clinic only to face hours of results, prescriptions, correspondence and paperwork, it’s a significant difference.

Every practice operates differently and Karel’s experience won’t necessarily be the same for every GP moving to Australia. But it demonstrates just how different the structure of a GP’s working day can potentially be.

Greater control over the GP you want to be

Another difference Karel highlights is the control he has over his clinical work.

He describes having greater flexibility around the types of cases he sees and the ability to direct patients to colleagues when another GP is better suited to a particular area of medicine.

That freedom has also made it easier for him to think about developing his own specialist interests.

As Karel explains, he feels that opportunities to undertake additional training are more accessible – and his increased earning potential makes paying for that training more achievable too.

For GPs who have spent years working within a system where it can be difficult to shape their workload around their own professional interests, that can represent a significant change.

Having the capacity to deal with the difficult cases

Karel isn’t suggesting that complex medicine disappears when you move to Australia.

There are still challenging patients and difficult cases.

The difference, in his experience, is having the mental capacity to deal with them properly.

He describes the majority of his consultations as relatively straightforward, interspersed with the more complex cases that are inevitably part of general practice.

Rather than every consultation feeling difficult, he feels he has the capacity to give those more challenging patients the attention they need.

As Karel puts it:

“You experience satisfaction in your job… because you are not overworked. You can focus on things that you need to focus on.”

For UK GPs who still love medicine but are exhausted by the environment in which they’re practising, that distinction is important.

Feeling valued for the work you do

Money isn’t everything – something Karel himself is quick to point out.

But he also talks positively about the Australian billing model and the feeling of being rewarded for the work he actually does.

GP remuneration in Australia works very differently from the UK. Earnings vary considerably depending on factors including hours worked, patient numbers, billing arrangements, location and individual style of practice.

However, for Karel, the combination of greater earning potential, professional autonomy and reduced administrative burden has been a positive change.

And perhaps most importantly, he talks about experiencing something that’s difficult to put a figure on: greater satisfaction in his job.

And then there’s life outside work

Karel’s enthusiasm isn’t limited to medicine.

He lives near the beach and his two children spend their afternoons there.

There are playgrounds, an outdoor lifestyle and, for his family, a very different rhythm to everyday life.

His perspective is particularly interesting because he has travelled extensively before settling in Australia.

His conclusion?

“I’ve travelled a lot in my life, and I think this is the best place for a family.”

He goes further, describing the move as a “life changer” and saying that his life has “drastically improved”.

That’s a powerful endorsement – not simply of Australian general practice, but of the wider life that can come with making the move.

“I would recommend this to everyone who feels exhausted and in need of change”

Moving to Australia isn’t a small decision.

It means leaving behind familiarity, friends, family and a healthcare system you understand to start again on the other side of the world.

Karel makes an interesting point about that too.

If Australia ultimately isn’t right for you, moving doesn’t have to be irreversible. You can change direction again.

But for GPs who feel exhausted and know they need something to change, his advice is simple: it’s an option worth exploring.

In his words:

“I would personally recommend it to everyone who feels exhausted and in need of change.”

Finding the job was only part of getting there.

Of course, deciding you want to work in Australia and actually getting there are two different things.

Karel initially found Transition Medical online when he decided to explore his options.

We helped him find a GP position in a location that suited him and his family, before supporting him through the visa and medical registration process.

Then came the more complicated parts. Karel describes the visa process as difficult – and the medical registration application as even more challenging.

Transition Medical supported him through both.

As he says at the end of his video:

“Many thanks to Transition Medical. I wouldn’t be able to do it without you.”

We think that sums up an important part of what we do.

Finding a GP job in Australia is only one element of making the move. The position also needs to work with your registration, Medicare and visa requirements – as well as being somewhere you and your family actually want to live.

Transition Medical helps bring those different pieces together.

Karel’s experience is his own. Every GP, practice and relocation is different. But his story shows what moving to Australia can potentially offer:

Less administration. Greater professional freedom. More opportunity to develop your interests. Strong earning potential. More capacity to focus on your patients. And a lifestyle that works for the whole family.

If you’re a UK GP feeling exhausted or simply wondering whether there might be another way to practise medicine, you don’t have to commit to moving tomorrow.

Start by exploring your options.

Transition Medical can talk you through the GP opportunities currently available, your medical registration pathway and what’s involved in making the move.

Further Reading

Moving to Australia as a GP: Is It Worth Using A Specialist Agency?

Women’s Health: One Of The Most In Demand GP Skills In Australia