Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think it takes the piss to have to pay £100 a year to continue nursing?

98 replies

NotHerRealname · 15/02/2013 19:32

I have been a nurse in the NHS for over 10 years now, and each year I have had to pay a yearly fee to maintain my professional registration. Last year the fee was £76, and this year it has increased to a whopping £100.
Obviously I earn an enormous salary as a nurse so I can easily afford this Hmm .
Does anyone else thinks this takes takes the bloody biscuit really? As I understand it other professionals have to pay an annual fee to stay on a professional register too. I was wondering how these fees compare to the one for the NMC.

OP posts:
wonkylegs · 15/02/2013 20:06

Notherrealname when I said I don't do architecture for the money all I meant was it's not well paid (despite what many people think to the contrary) it wasn't a comment on anybody else's job sorry if you thought I was getting at you

Vexedbybook · 15/02/2013 20:07

How do you claim it back? I thought only self employed did tax returns.

Original poster
NotHerRealname · 15/02/2013 20:09

BikeRunSki, I am sorry to hear that, it must really suck. It is ridiculous that you are working for so little after so much education and training, and 400 quid per annum on top! It almost makes you wish your kids lives away til they are at school and the childcare costs reduce.

Nurses have it good in some ways as we can work flexibly, and do bank work or agency to increase income if necessary. Also its very easy to switch to part time after having kids. There is a lot to be said for that, so its not all bad.

OP posts:
sarahtigh · 15/02/2013 20:10

i'm a dentist it was £576 last year for registration the dental practising insurance which is compulsory is £1074 for 4 sessions ( 2 days) a week so well over £2,500 if you work full time, ( that does not cover implants or more than average oral surgery that would all be extra)
membership of unionBDA ( british dental association another £500 roughly) this is voluntary

dental nurses I think are £125 which is more than regular nurses and they are paid much less too band 3-4 if work in NHS employee situation, it is tax deductible but comparatively £100 is not too bad

HavingALittleFaithBaby · 15/02/2013 20:10

For RCN members For unison I claimed back uniform and fees and you can tick a box so they continue to refund it. IIRC claiming for 4 years of fees and uniforms I got about £175 back.

Original poster
NotHerRealname · 15/02/2013 20:11

Thats alright Wonkylegs, I was being a tad defensive! You know what we nurses are like Grin

OP posts:
sarahtigh · 15/02/2013 20:13

anyone can claim the tax back but if an employee it must be necessary to do job so registration fees/ compulsory insurance count union fees do not

if you have to wash your own uniforms you can get a small change to tax code ( not claimable if work launder uniforms for you or if you choose to launder yourself when they could be done for you)

landofsoapandglory · 15/02/2013 20:22

"if you have to wash your own uniforms you can get a small change to tax code ( not claimable if work launder uniforms for you or if you choose to launder yourself when they could be done for you)"

Not if you're in the Armed Forces you can't! I We launder DH's uniforms, like the rest of the Forces, and they are not allowed to have this adjustment made to their tax code. There is a petition about it, but it won't change!

Lonecatwithkitten · 15/02/2013 20:31

Registered Veterinary Nurse's fee is £160 per year and their pay is lower than a human nurse.

indyandlara · 15/02/2013 20:38

I pay feed to the GTCS. There's no choice. Hubby pays ab

indyandlara · 15/02/2013 20:40

Hubby pays about £350 for his fees. Architects don't really earn what people would expect. They have been very badly hit by the recession and are certainly not in a very secure position these days.

Sorry posted too quickly previously.

mercibucket · 15/02/2013 20:48

teachers can also claim union fees, check the union website as it is not the full amount

Loopyhasanotherbean · 15/02/2013 20:50

Fsa fees for financial advisers are about £150 per month, plus FSCS levy each month plus £35 pa DPA licence plus an optional annual CII/PFS fee which I think is about £200....and if you don't pay that you can't use the letters after your name that you've paid 4 figures for the exams and study material to obtain the letters in the first place. And if you don't pay they can take your certificates back. And if you happen to go on maternity leave or work part time, none of these fees stop or reduce. I would love to only pay £100 per annum and have a good pension scheme. And I am not a high earner before anyone says the industry can afford these fees.

lostmykeysagain38 · 15/02/2013 20:54

Teachers in Wales pay GTCW. It's deducted from our wages and without it, we can't teach. Union fees are about £180 a year although they are, in theory, a choice.

thixotropic · 15/02/2013 21:02

I'm in a similar line of work to bikeRunSki and I pay similar level of fees to one of those institutions.

We've had a pay freeze since 2009, and have to pay our own professional fees. I too am not a high earner despite being professionally qualified. Can't chase the lucrative stuff because I can't put the hours in due to having kids.

knackeredmother · 15/02/2013 21:15

Another doctor here- £400 GMC , £2000 medical defence fees, £1000 exams. I earnt £32k last year before tax. I think the nursing fees are a bargain!

knackeredmother · 15/02/2013 21:17

My husband is a plumber, earns considerably less than a nurse, gas safe fees are £210 a year.

Stealthfart · 15/02/2013 21:20

Doobiedoo, if you haven't been practicing for 3 years you won't be eligible to practice anyway so you might be able to save your £100

nurseneedshelp · 15/02/2013 21:22

Yep its crap!
My registration is due next month :-(
However my trust pay 50% every year :-)

Karoleann · 15/02/2013 21:22

It's £380 for optometrists each year o maintain their professional qualification.
I don't think it's unreasonable and I'm glad the general optical council exist to maintain standards in our profession.

dayshiftdoris · 15/02/2013 21:29

£100 NMC

£19.89 per month to the RCM which I have to maintain even though I am not practising so that I can have retrospective cover (There is the option for legal action against midwives for up to 21yrs post a birth)

AND

last year I discovered half way through my HV training that the RCM did not cover me for HV practice!!!!
So I had to pay out a further £13 for Unite

last year cost me nearly £500 to remain registered and be covered legally as I was practising in both areas!!

Have cancelled my unite and I can downgrade my RCM once I am off the bank but even so - its going to cost between £250-£300 to remain registered whilst I don;t work for a year!

cathers · 15/02/2013 21:37

I pay £1000 p/a registration and insurance to practice as an osteopath. That's regardless of how many hours you work. I think this is expensive!
Dh pays about £3000 to his reg body and defence union.

wonderstuff · 15/02/2013 21:51

A gas safe registered plumber earning considerably less than a nurse? Really I'm surprised at that I thought plumbers were well paid, on the program about Pimblico plumbers the plumbers were getting close to £100k.

SingySongy · 15/02/2013 22:00

It's only tax deductible if you are actually paying tax.
I'm an slt, and have spent two or three years doing a small amount of independent work (therefore under the threshold for paying tax).
I have done this mainly to maintain my registration, and avoid expensive and time consuming retraining in the future.
I pay £200ish to the royal college of Slts, £75ish to HCPC, and £100 to the association for independent SLTs. I pay for public liability insurance (£85), and also £40 to be registered with the data protection agency. I also have a budget of about £500 per year for CPD.

These costs are the same whether you do a tiny amount of work each year, or loads, and can mean its quite a challenge to maintain registration.

knackeredmother · 15/02/2013 22:17

Wonder stuff : I wish, it's a real myth that plumbers earn a lot- mainly arising from the Pimlico Plumbers programme. It's only the owner of the company that earns that and he has an awful lot f plumbers working for him! Your average one man self employed plumber is not making much. Nurses are actually quite well paid, I know as I used to be one.