Nurses Leaving for Australia - Surprised?

The Royal College of Nursing has expressed alarm at the number of British nurses leaving the UK to work in Australia. But is it really any surprise given the better work/life balance on offer, better working conditions, better pay, and better fringe benefits.

A friend’s mother is in charge of recruitment for one of the private health corporations in the US, and they’re about to start a big drive in the UK. Why? Because they know they’ll be able to hoover up nurses with what they can offer compared to what’s on offer here.

Welcome to the world of competition.

2 Responses to Nurses Leaving for Australia - Surprised?

Posted by Letters From A Tory on March 26th, 2008 at 12:07 pm:

You forgot about the stupidly cheap houses you can get in Australia, even in Sydney!

Posted by John of Enfield on March 27th, 2008 at 7:07 pm:

My daughter-in-law, an experienced paediatric nurse, has recently gone to NZ. She got a job before she went & finds the whole system much more human & humane. No 12 hour shifts for example. Housing is also cheaper than the UK in relation to average married couple’s salaries in NZ - around 4 to 1 for a 3 bed home in the capital rather than 5 or more to 1 in outer London for two young professionals. (Note I have had to compare Apples with Oranges- I don’t have exactly comparable figures). Of course it is even better if you can take some capital with you. But you also have to ask why so many Kiwis come the other way!

Shane Greer