This is why we are choosing to leave the UK and work abroad

ObjectivesTo report the numbers of consultant congenital cardiac surgeons and cardiologists who have joined and left UK practice over the last 10 years and explore the reasons for leaving.MethodsRetrospective observational questionnaire study completed between 11 June 2019 and 1 July 2020 by UK level 1 congenital cardiac centres of 10-year consultant staff movement and reasons suggested for leaving UK practice.ResultsAt survey completion there were 218 (202 whole time equivalent (WTE)) consultant cardiologists and surgeons working within level 1 centres made up of 39 (38 WTE) surgeons, 137 (128.5 WTE) paediatric cardiologists, 42 (35.5 WTE) adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) cardiologists. 161 (74%) consultants joined in the last 10 years of whom 103 (64%) were UK trained. There were 91 leavers giving a staff turnover rate 42% (surgeons 56%, paediatric cardiologists 42%, ACHD cardiologists 29%). Of those, leaving 43% moved to work abroad (surgeons 55%, paediatric cardiologists 40%, ACHD cardiologists 67%). Among the 65 reported reasons for leaving 16 were financial, 9 for work life balance, 6 to working conditions within the National Health Service (NHS) and 12 related to the profession in the UK including six specifically highlighting the national review process.ConclusionsThere has been a high turnover rate of consultant staff within UK congenital cardiac services over the last 10 years with almost half of those leaving moving to work overseas. Financial reasons and pressures relating to working in the NHS or the specialty in the UK were commonly reported themes for leaving. This has major implications for future planning and staff retention within this specialised service.

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Sustaining international careers: a peer group for psychiatrists working in global mental health

BJPsych International ◽

10.1192/s2056474000000040 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 12 (01) ◽

pp. 5-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Julian Eaton ◽

Nick Bouras ◽

Lynne Jones ◽

Charlotte Hanlon ◽

Rob Stewart ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

National Health Service ◽

Health Service ◽

National Health ◽

Peer Group ◽

Global Mental Health ◽

Professional Life ◽

Academic Fields ◽

The Uk ◽

Work Abroad

Regular appraisal and revalidation are now a routine part of professional life for doctors in the UK. For British-trained psychiatrists working abroad (in either development/humanitarian or academic fields) this is a cause of insecurity, as most of the processes of revalidation are tailored to those working in the standard structures of the National Health Service. This article explores the degree to which a peer group for psychiatrists working abroad has achieved its aim of helping its members to fulfil their revalidation requirements. It gives recommendations for how those considering work abroad can maximise their chances of remaining recognised under the revalidation system.

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‘I'd rather keep running to the end and then jump off the cliff’. Retirement Decisions: Who Decides?

Journal of Social Policy ◽

10.1017/s0047279406009871 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 35 (3) ◽

pp. 455-472 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

SARAH VICKERSTAFF

Keyword(s):

Early Retirement ◽

Early Research ◽

Individual Factors ◽

Retirement Decisions ◽

Retirement Timing ◽

The Uk ◽

New Research ◽

Choosing To Leave ◽

Real Target

Government in the UK, as elsewhere in Europe, is keen to encourage individuals to delay their retirement, work for longer and save more for their retirement. This article argues that much of this public discussion is based on the debatable premise that most people are actively choosing to leave work ‘early’. Research on retirement decisions hitherto has concentrated on individual factors, which dispose towards early retirement and has neglected the role of the employer in determining retirement timing. New research reported here, undertaken in three organisational case studies, explores the management of retirement and how individual employees experience these processes. It employs the concepts of the ‘retirement zone’ and retirement scenarios to demonstrate how the interaction of individual attributes (themselves subject to change) and organisational practices (also unpredictable and variable) produces retirement outcomes. It concludes that there is considerable management discretion over the manner and timing of individual retirements. Hence, government needs to recognise that the majority of individuals may have relatively little personal discretion over their departure from work and hence concentration on urging them to work for longer and delay retiring may be missing the real target for policy change.

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“I wanted to see how to make money there too”: Mobility strategies of Romanian seasonal workers in the agricultural sector abroad

Social Change Review ◽

10.2478/scr-2020-0003 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 13-38

Author(s):

Alexandra Voivozeanu

Keyword(s):

Agricultural Sector ◽

Health Issues ◽

Circular Migration ◽

Host Countries ◽

Seasonal Workers ◽

Agriculture Sector ◽

Suitable Arrangement ◽

The Times ◽

The Uk ◽

Work Abroad

Abstract Drawing on interviews with key informants and seasonal workers in Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria and the UK, and on non-participant ethnographies, this paper demonstrates that, despite various limitations associated with work in the agriculture sector, migrants strategically choose the times and destinations of their trips abroad, taking into account a variety of factors, including family commitments, economic goals at the origin, wages and working conditions, health issues and welfare opportunities. The findings illustrate that, depending on their commitments and economic objectives, Romanians who work in agriculture develop different mobility practices. While some work abroad only occasionally, when they need to supplement their home-country income, others engage in circular migration or extend the periods of time they spend abroad. In host countries, most workers try out various jobs and typically get involved in repeated migration once they have found a suitable arrangement. Some workers combine seasonal work in one or more countries of destination, over the course of the same year, with the aim of securing income for longer periods of time, while others opt for long-term migration or move into sectors that offer better opportunities.

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Embedding employability in year abroad preparation

Perspectives on the year abroad: a selection of papers from YAC2018 ◽

10.14705/rpnet.2020.39.1056 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 111-119

Author(s):

Leona Archer

Keyword(s):

Work Experience ◽

Professional Training ◽

Undergraduate Study ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Language Students ◽

Internationalisation Strategies ◽

The Uk ◽

Work Abroad ◽

The University

UK universities are increasingly focusing on employability and internationalisation strategies, resulting in the promotion and integration of an optional or compulsory Professional Training Year (PTY) within degree programmes. The University of Surrey encourages students to undertake a PTY in the third year of undergraduate study, either in the UK or overseas. This is optional for most subjects but compulsory for language students, and corresponds to their Year Abroad (YA). As a consequence of the popularity of the PTY across all faculties and an emphasis on work experience, the vast majority of language students at Surrey choose to work abroad rather than study during their third year. In this chapter, I discuss some of the challenges and opportunities presented by work placements abroad and outline a range of strategies for embedding employability skills in YA preparation sessions and language modules.

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