Locums are taxed at 22% plus 3% National Insurance. You have the option to claim your tax back at the end of the year. South Africa and the UK have a double tax agreement therefore if you pay 22% tax in the UK you only have to pay an additional 18% in South Africa (if you fall in the 40% tax bracket for instance)

You submit a timesheet at the end of your first week with the following information:

• Name
• Hospital
• Authorising signature from Consultant or senior colleague
• Hours worked
• Any travel expenses claimed

The timesheets must be faxed to Doctors on Call weekly before 12:00 noon on Mondays. The Money will then arrive into your bank account on the following Monday. This means that when you arrive in the UK you should have enough funds with you for the first two weeks. If you prefer your money to be paid into an offshore limited company then they receive the funds on the Monday from Doctors on Call but it will then take another 3 - 4 days to transfer the money to you.

We can assist in opening an offshore bank account with Barclays Bank. Please request an application form that we will include in your welcome pack. If applied for on arrival in the UK your account will be open and ready for us to deposit your first weeks' salary. You will need to take the following into a U.K. Branch of Barclays:

• Passport
• 3 months most recent bank statements (for purposes of identification) ORGINALS NOT PHOTOCOPIES
• Completed application form
• Referral Letter from Doctors on Call (supplied by Doctors on Call)
• Instruction letter to the bank manager (supplied by Doctors on Call)

We would recommend applying for a Barclay Card to run in conjunction with this account. You can then use this in the UK or SA and it can be paid off directly from the account.

We can put you in touch with a company called CCS (they are not part of Doctors on Call). Please note that this will delay your payment by a further 3-4 days. Doctors working in the UK on a full Work Permit can not use Limited Companies (see Work Permit section).

The hours worked will vary depending on grade, specialism and hospital. There are standard working weeks with additional "on calls" as follows:

A standard working week for a doctor is 9am to 5pm, Monday - Friday = 40 hours.

In addition to standard 40 hours doctors usually work on calls. On-Call's are evenings and weekends. When referring to an evening then it will be from 5pm to 9am, making an evening On-Call 16 hours. A weekend 'On-Call' will begin from 9am Saturday to 9am Monday = 48 hours.

A Doctor working as a locum for one month on a 1 in 5 on call will therefore work a minimum of 56 hours each week with a possibility of one weekend (worth 48 hours).

The On-Call ratio can be anything i.e. 1:3, 1:4, 1:5, etc etc

There are also shift systems that are more commonly used in A&E (Accident and Emergency). As the department is open 24x7 there are no standard hours of work and a shift system is implemented, the hours can range from 40 - 70+ hours each week.

In some specialisms hospital work & pay is organised by sessions. These are usually Anaesthetics Doctors as they are booked by theatre time; they do a morning and an afternoon therefore 2 sessions each day.

Most locum doctors want to work as many hours as possible as you are paid for every hour you are on call. If you are only working for a couple of weeks this might be practical, but be careful not to overbook yourself. The pace of work in some UK hospitals is quite frantic (some Accident and Emergency Units see over 500 patients per day). Doctors on Call will always try to find you as many hours as possible in accordance with your instructions, even if that means having to do additional shifts at other hospitals.

Rates are dictated by the laws of supply and demand. For those grades and specialisms where there is a severe shortage hospitals will be willing to negotiate a higher rates to get that position filled. When many doctors apply for the same position, the hospital can literally pick and choose whom they want and what rates to pay.

Rates are also determined according to level of training, skills, competencies and experience. The better the CV the higher the rates. Please keep in mind that you may be well known in your home country but not in the UK, for this very reason it is important to have a detailed, well prepared CV to put forward to potential hospital clients.

The structure within the NHS is as follows:

House Officers (HO) Equivalent to Internship

Senior House Officers (SHO) Minimum of six months experience in field of work

Registrar (REG) / Specialist Registrar (SPR) / Staff Grade / Middle Grade Minimum of 2 years in field of work having begun the process of specialising, usually with part I completed of fellowship exams.

Consultants

• For Locums not necessarily a member of the Royal College, although those who are will be selected above those who aren't.
• Past both parts of fellowship exams.
• Consultant in SA

For more detailed information see www.rcplondon.ac.uk & www.sta-mrc.org.uk

With Doctors on Call you are collected from the airport and either driven to your hospital or driven to the relevant train station. Your travel expenses are paid from port of entry to the hospital, one return journey. Any expenses you incur should be added to your first timesheet and they will be reimbursed.

Public Transport in the UK is excellent! The train network North to South is very good and frequent, less so east to west. Tickets booked in advance over the telephone can be as much as 1/3 of the price of paying on the day of travel. Where possible bring a credit card with you to take advantage of such savings if you are planning to do some travelling whilst in the UK.

Travel from the UK to Europe is also relatively cheap, if you are planning on coming for longer and know your dates in advance it would also be cost efficient to have a search on the internet in advance.

If you need any advice or have any particular problems Shannon, in the London office, is on hand to assist. She will call you on a weekly basis to ensure everything is going smoothly and if you need any travel advise, please just ask.

GM provide you with a mobile phone chip, this is inserted into your phone and has £5 of credit. You can top this up in any mobile phone store and some newsagents and petrol stations. If you would like a UK number to leave with family, friends or colleagues then please just ask for this number in advance and we will be happy to assign you a number.

You must ask you mobile phone operator to have your phone unlocked/unbarred to enable this overseas chip to work. (International Roaming)

Yes, most hospitals have on site accommodation available to locum doctors, there are some exceptions, where the accommodation is being re-built or in London where it is very scarce.

Finding married quarters accommodation within the NHS is extremely difficult. The apartments are highly sought after and are kept for fulltime staff or locums who intend to stay with the hospital for an extended period of time.

Unfortunately for those of us who would like to have our better halves along, we have to settle with private bed and breakfast accommodation. Doctors on Call can assist in arranging this, or in arranging rented accommodation for those who intend to stay for six months or longer.

While working in the NHS, the hospital generally indemnifies and insures their doctors against malpractice claims. However, in the era of medical malpractice hysteria it is strongly advised that you acquire additional cover from your local insurer. Please note that for South African Doctors working in the UK, your membership of the South African branch of the Medical Protection Society does provide some cover. We strongly advise that you speak to your local insurer before embarking on your UK visit.

Medical Protection Society in Pretoria: 0027 12 481 2000

Resident Medical Officers work in the UK private sector hospitals. Generally you are one week on, then one week off. During your week "on" you have to stay on the hospital premises 24 hours a day. Functions generally include drawing of blood, putting up IV lines and rewriting prescriptions. Please note that most of these positions have very little autonomous decision making authority and the work does not contribute to your CV or training opportunities.

Within the NHS your meals are subsidised. This means that if you eat in the hospital canteen, daily meals should cost you between 6 - 10 pounds. Eating out and 'take-aways' are more expensive (depending on the area you are working in).

Most hospitals have a laundry where you can wash and iron your clothes. If these facilities are not available you can usually find a Laundromat very close to the hospital. Most hospitals have a doctor's room with vending machines, television, etc for your comfort.

You are not allowed to do GP locums in the Private Sector unless you are on the GP register.