To think I am a bloody doctor, I shouldn't be working for a pittance after childcare?

[knackeredmother]

I am having a pissed off day so am probably BU.
I work 24 hours (plus much more unpaid overtime) a week as a GP registrar, this includes nights, weekends and long days until 10pm.
My take home pay is £1200 (after 5 years qualification).
I have 2 dc under 5 and employ a nanny as my son has lots of hospital admissions with an ongoing chest problem and my shifts mean nursery/childminder would be impossible. I also have no family to help out before I get flamed for having a nanny. There really is no other option for us that I can work out and nursery for 2 would not be much less money.
I pay our nanny about £800 a month gross for 17 hours per week (£10 p.h going rate). That leaves me £400 income to pay all of my outgoings.
My nanny has no childcare to pay for as she uses the 15 hours free government funding and has family help. Its not her fault but she has almost double the disposable income I have for working less and more sociable hours.
I'm using up annual leave today as poor ds is too sick to leave even with our nanny.
It's just made me think what is the point of going to work? I could stay at home, have no sick child stress and although I would be £400 a month down I wouldn't need to run a car, fork out bloody thousands pounds for professional exams and membership fees
I'm being unreasonable aren't I - somebody tell me it will all be worth it in the end!

"Yes, but think how much better it will be when you are earning the average GP's wage of over 100,000 pounds a year"

Oh how I wish this were true! DH is a GP and doesn't earn this sort of money. Not saying he doesn't get a decent wage but not this much. True he doesn't work weekends or over night (except by choice) anymore but he does work long hours a bit like the OP.

OP - keep going as others have said once you are qualified and your children are older you will still have your career and a damn good one at that.

you dont need any training to be a nanny

I can only assume you have a DH who earns over the tax credit threshold, whatever that currently is, have lost track. In which case the childcare costs are not only yours to pay. Or, you are entitled to some child and working tax credits, or both. Nobody pays rent/mortgage, food and bills on £400/month.

A GP Registrar is a training post, she qualified as a doctor some time ago, she now has chosen to qualify as a GP - for the excellent wages that are available in it. She is in training.

I am amazed and slightly confused by how little your take home pay is

I do 6 hours more a week than you and take home more than a third more money.....I am a Nurse.

That makes a bit more sense FredFredGeorge.

Do your DC have a father? Do you have a husband/partner?

I am puzzled why this isn't training, though, all my doctor friends spend a year or two as registrars which they had to do and then moved on to GP practices and got partnerships, which pays a heck of a lot more money, even a part-time partnership.

I do agree that childcare costs are crippling though.

elumnus.co.uk/category/gp-registrar/
This is for 20010/11 and it shows the minimum full time wage for a GP registrar is £29,705.

My friend's husband is a partner in a GP practice and earns loads, they are very well off indeed. I would definitely stick at it, OP!

Kellamity, it is an average, and obviously bumped up by some super GP's who have several surgeries and earn a heck of a lot more than that. But my friends who are partners are handsomely rewarded although they still work very long hours and are very involved with their jobs.

Some people have no idea how much (or little) doctors are paid & how hard they work.

I've noticed your posts before OP, hope your DC gets better soon.

YABU, it is short term then you'll be on the big money. Spare a thought for those who don't have that to look forward to and are struggling.

Are you employed by a health board/trust, or by a practice? You should not be doing ANY unpaid overtime/nights, you are being walked all over and unless there is a serious prospect of gaining a partnership as a result of showing that you can go the extra mile, you'd be a mug to carry on doing it.

OP, have you looked into childcare vouchers? You can save a lot of money though salary sacrifice schemes.

Listen to mumblechum btw. Not that I know anything about being in medicine or law but I've seen friends in similar situations.

Funnily enough only yesterday I was thinking "thank goodness I didn't pack work in when the pay was shite". I have an OK salary, and a secure job. Actually my take home is the same as yours, for FT. I don't begrudge you your salary at all because (for example) my fuck ups odn't have quite the same consequences as your do What I'm saying is you can have a very comfortable life on that salary once your children are older.

It's hard though, I agree. And I imagine being a GP must be emotionally tiring, too.

Hardgoing - it is training, i.e. training as a GP. But she is already a fully qualified doctor. After the two years of foundation training you don't HAVE to do any more training, you could spend the rest of your career doing general locums etc. But to specialise you enter further training (& spend a small fortune on exams). But you are already trained as a doctor. Does that make sense? This OP has done 6/7 years of medical school, 2 years of foundation training & 3 years of post foundation work.

lisad123 £400 left a month after bills is nothing to moan about btw

I dont think its £400 after bills, I read it as £400 after paying the nanny - and bills still to be paid.

lesley not that am really sure but I read that chart as minimum for a GP registrar as £43072 pa.

You are joking?

I am a committee secretary in the legal profession, work the same hours as you, and take home £200 pcm more.

However, I am bored, and have no self esteem. HTH

YANBU. I am a lawyer at a top 50 firm (not bragging, just setting context) and if I go back 3 days a week after having my baby we will be £500-odd a month better off after childcare and the costs of working. £125 a week. Yes, well worth the money spent on law school and the stress of being a lawyer .

I know my pay is shit!! No one really believes me but my wage is £29k plus banding, obviously I get a pro rats payment. I suppose my pension and car park comes out of that too.
I just can't get my head around how my nanny who works less hours without having trained for 5 years to qualify effectively has more money than me! I'm being irrational I know.
I need to sit an obstetrics and gynae exam and it's £400, that's my whole months money!

But Im really puzzled how you can pay rent or mortgage, all your bills and buy food - all on £400 a month

Having had knowledge of GPs salaries outside of London the £100,000 is an average & most are around that ie not many at the £200,00 mark & not many at the £60,000 end.

Tip to OP - when you go for a permanent post get yourself into a dispensing Practice then you will be higher than av.

RillaBlythe, I do understand the system, I understand she's already trained as a doctor, and has chosen to do extra training to be a GP- but why would anyone do that unless they were going to get the better hours, handsome rewards and job satisfaction that that offers? Why not stay as a locum then (we all know the answer to that). I know exactly how much my GP partner friend earns and it's an awful lot, indeed, I know how much they pay off their mortgage every year to live in their beautiful house. My heart bleeds for lots people, but not for doctors, because although their training is long and hard, it is well-rewarded in the end, I also have a PhD and several years post-doc 'training' but won't be earning the same as my GP friends anytime soon.

I think you answered your own question in your OP, your nanny has no childcare costs. That unfortunately is the reason you have less spare cash than she does. At the moment there is nothing you can do about it, but it wont be forever, just think to the future.