Working Down Under: An Introduction

If you've always wanted to live overseas and immerse yourself in another culture, you're in the right place. Since 1994 we've specialized in organizing locum tenens and permanent jobs in Australia and New Zealand.

Doctor working Down Under earn between NZ$330 to A$500 per day or more (NZ$85,800 to A$93,330/year).  The actual rate of pay is determined based on your field of focus, experience and pay ranges in the location where you accept a position.  You can also expect to receive housing, a car, medical defense insurance and return airfare free of charge!

Working and living abroad gives you and your family the opportunity to thoroughly immerse yourselves in another culture... something that is not really possible to do as a tourist or as a short-term visitor. With our locum tenens and permanent posts Down Under you'll become a part of a new community and experience a uniquely different perspective on life, work and geopolitics. You'll also become a part of a different health care delivery system and witness pathology that you will rarely, if ever, see at home.

As you've likely heard or seen, Aussies and Kiwis (as Australians and New Zealanders are affectionately known) are genuinely helpful and friendly people. They are quick to make visitors feel welcome and are curious about other people and their countries.

Kiwis and Aussies tend to live a very relaxed lifestyle compared to their European and North American counterparts. They seem to be very content with what they have and not obsessed with acquiring more possessions or status.

Australia and New Zealand have more than their fair share of attractions. Both countries are safe, clean and very comfortable places in which to live. New Zealand is blessed with a temperate climate (much like Ireland) and is truly an emerald island of forests, plains, beaches and towering peaks. New Zealand is an outdoors-person's paradise... skiing, surfing, mountain climbing, fishing, sailing, hiking, diving and camping are right at your doorstep. The country is awash in hiking trails, beaches, extreme sports and breathtaking views.

Australia, with a land mass roughly the size of the United States, has a range of climates from temperate to tropical. The Australian continent is comprised of a myriad of terrains and ecosystems. Australia is a collection of mountains and deserts, lush plateaus and valleys, and dense forests (both temperate and tropical). You could spend a lifetime exploring the Great Barrier Reef, the vineyards of the Clare and Barossa Valleys and the thousands of miles of unspoiled sandy beaches. While much of the Australian interior is desert or wetlands (depending upon the time of year), the vast majority of the population is located on more verdant lands along the country’s coast. This is also where most of our positions are available.

How the Process Unfolds

We start by trying to get a clear idea of what you and your family are looking for. Then we will answer your questions, let you know what is realistic and provide you with basic information. We'll describe the countries we work in, average settings, typical workloads, surrounding environments and recreational activities.

Next, we'll ask you for a CV and an application (click here for application). We'll pre-qualify you by researching your history, verifying your credentials and interviewing your references by phone. In the meantime, we can also provide information to help get you started on your own research of these countries.

Once you're pre-qualified, we'll work with you to hone in on an opening that most closely matches the skills and interests you've described to us. When we find the right post, we'll provide you with a written description of the practice and of the location. In most cases, we can also put you in contact with another doctor that we have placed into that setting in the past.

If you decide to pursue a position, we will introduce you as a candidate by sending your CV, references and other information to the practice. Then we will arrange a teleconference for you to speak to the doctors with who you will be working. This is a great opportunity for both parties to ask questions, provide information and generally determine whether this arrangement will be a good fit for all involved. Assuming that both you and the client are comfortable with one another and interested in proceeding, we'll begin walking you through the medical registration and visa processes.

The medical registration and visa processes are both a matter of filling out forms and providing supporting documentation (medical school diploma, postgraduate certificates, etc.). Our experience allows us to usher you through each step of these processes and ensure that everything is completed as required, while keeping you on schedule.  In fact, we have full-time staff devoted solely to helping doctors with their visas, medical registration and logistics.

What It's Like Working Overseas

Interpersonal interaction is usually the difference most often commented on by overseas doctors. Nurses and allied health professionals routinely call doctors by their first names, as do many patients. Allied health care providers also consider doctors to be their peers (albeit highly educated and respected peers) and don’t hesitate to give doctors their opinions. Another noted difference is that non-clinical personnel often manage hospital departments. These mangers are not subordinate to the doctors in the department, which is also true for human resource managers in hospitals.

Australia and New Zealand are not particularly litigious countries. As a result, frivolous malpractice suits and huge settlements are unusual. Doctors are respected members of the community and patients are genuinely thankful for medical care. Both countries still focus heavily on quality patient care over the business and financial aspects of medicine.
While Aussies and Kiwis work hard during their time at work, they tend to take their time off very seriously. This translates to very reasonable hours, typically 40 to 45 hours per week. Anything more than this is uncommon.

Prescriptions have different trade and generic names and formularies can be limited to a few medications in each category, rather than the full gamut. Doctors who have worked with us in the past tell us that they generally find this system to be no better or worse than their native health care system, just different. They also say that they are able to adjust to the different trade and generic names within a very short period of time.

The ability to fit in is highly valued in Australia and New Zealand. Aussies and Kiwis are used to working in teams. Functioning within the team and getting along with others is essential to being able to work Down Under. As one doctor put it, "Australians and New Zealanders don't expect you to 'hit a home run' in the first weeks or months. Fitting in is more important than being the greatest clinician or thinker on the block."

In your first few months try to avoid giving unsolicited advice to colleagues and staff. When specifically asked for advice, give it diplomatically. Above all, avoid making comparisons to your home country's medical system that make your host country's system seem inferior.

Practicing with colleagues from different cultures is an invaluable learning experience. You'll see different ways of looking at medicine and have fun providing alternative perspectives to your new colleagues. Many doctors tell us that the experience of working with us Down Under reinvigorated their professional lives and love of medicine. The cross-cultural immersion is also a powerful experience and something that your family will share with friends and extended family for the rest of their lives.