Career Advice for UK GPs

Qualifying as a GP is a major achievement. After years of medical school, foundation training, specialty training, exams, assessments and service pressure, reaching CCT is a moment worth recognising. But it can also bring a new set of questions.

• What kind of role should you take first?
• Should you become a salaried GP?
• Is locum work a sensible option?
• How do you choose the right practice?
• What if you are already wondering whether the UK is where you want to build your long-term career?
• And perhaps most importantly, how do you protect your wellbeing as you move into this next stage?

For newly qualified GPs, the first year after qualification can shape confidence, working habits and long-term career direction. The right role can help you feel supported, valued and able to develop. The wrong fit can make an already demanding profession feel harder than it needs to.

Here are some practical tips to help you approach your next step with clarity.

1. Do not feel pressured to have your whole career mapped out

Some newly qualified GPs know exactly what they want.

Others are less certain.

You may be considering a salaried role, locum work, portfolio sessions, out-of-hours, urgent care, medical education, women’s health, dermatology, digital general practice, leadership, or a future move overseas.

That uncertainty is normal.

Your first post-CCT role does not have to define the rest of your career. It should give you a safe, supportive platform from which to build experience, understand how you like to work and begin shaping the kind of GP you want to become.

Rather than asking, “What should I do forever?”, it may be more useful to ask:

• What kind of environment will help me grow?
• What level of support do I need?
• What workload feels sustainable?
• What type of patient population interests me?
• Do I want continuity, variety, flexibility or progression?
• What do I want life outside work to look like?

Those answers can help narrow your options far more effectively than job titles alone.

2. Look closely at the support on offer

When comparing roles, salary and sessions matter. But for newly qualified GPs, support is just as important.

A practice may look attractive on paper, but the real question is what the day-to-day experience will be like once you are in the role.

Before accepting a position, try to understand:

• Who will be available for clinical advice?
• Will there be a named mentor or senior GP?
• How are debriefs handled?
• What does the appointment structure look like?
• How much admin is expected per session?
• Are home visits part of the role?
• What is the duty doctor commitment?
• How does the practice handle urgent extras?
• What MDT support is available?
• How are new starters integrated into the team?

A good practice will not be vague about support. It should be able to explain how it helps newly qualified GPs settle, build confidence and develop safely.

You are not asking for special treatment. You are asking for a working environment that recognises the transition from training into independent practice.

3. Choose the team, not just the job advert

General practice is a team sport.

The right team can make an enormous difference to your first role after qualification. A supportive practice can help you ask questions, discuss uncertainty, learn local systems and feel part of something.

When you speak to a practice, pay attention to more than the job description.

• How do the partners talk about the team?
• Does the practice manager seem organised and approachable?
• Are the reception and admin processes clear?
• Is there a stable clinical team?
• Are existing salaried GPs happy?
• How does the practice talk about workload?
• Do they sound realistic, or are they trying to oversell the role?

It is worth asking whether you can speak to another salaried GP or spend time at the practice before making a final decision. This can give you a much better sense of culture than an interview alone.

4. Be honest about what you need from your first role

Newly qualified GPs are often keen to make a good impression. That is understandable.

But being honest about what you need is not a weakness.

If you want regular clinical check-ins, say so.

If you would prefer a gradual introduction to duty doctor work, ask whether that is possible.

If you are interested in a specialism, ask whether the practice can support it.

If you are looking for a role that fits around family life, commuting limits or other commitments, be clear early.

The aim is not to find a perfect job. It is to find a good fit.

A role that suits someone else may not suit you. A high-energy, fast-paced practice may be ideal for one newly qualified GP, while another may thrive in a more structured environment with longer appointment times and close team support.

Knowing what matters to you will help you make a better decision.

5. Consider whether locum work is right for you

Locum work can be an attractive option for newly qualified GPs, particularly if you value flexibility, variety and the chance to experience different practices before committing to a permanent role.

It can help you understand how different surgeries operate, what kind of workload suits you, which systems you prefer and what type of team environment brings out your best work.

However, locum work also requires careful thought.

You may need to be comfortable adapting quickly, working with unfamiliar systems and asking for help in practices where you do not yet know the team. You will also need to think about indemnity, pension arrangements, appraisal, tax, admin and maintaining a good work-life balance.

For some newly qualified GPs, a longer-term locum assignment can offer a useful middle ground: more flexibility than a permanent role, but more consistency than short ad hoc sessions.

Menlo Park supports GPs with a range of roles across NHS, private, on-site, remote, permanent and locum opportunities, and has resources for GPs considering locum work.

If you are considering locum work, speak to someone who understands the market and can help you assess whether it is the right first step for your circumstances.

6. Think beyond the UK if overseas work is on your radar

Not every newly qualified GP wants to work overseas, but for some, qualification is the first moment when the idea feels realistic.

Australia, New Zealand and Canada are common options for UK-trained GPs who want to understand what life and work could look like outside the NHS. The appeal is often a combination of lifestyle, earning potential, clinical variety, professional development and family considerations.

If the idea has crossed your mind, it is worth getting proper advice early.

Menlo Park recently hosted a webinar called Working Overseas as a GP: Salaried, Lifestyle and How to Get There, led by Evie Tuckett and Michaela Powell.

The session gives UK GPs a practical look at working overseas, including what it is really like to move to Australia, New Zealand and Canada. It covers the application process, likely timelines, key considerations, earning potential, professional benefits and how a move overseas can offer a more balanced lifestyle for GPs and their families.

It is designed to help you leave with a clearer understanding of your options and whether an overseas move could be the right next step.

You do not need to be ready to relocate immediately to start exploring. In fact, overseas moves often benefit from early planning, particularly when registration, licensing, visas and relocation logistics are involved. Menlo Park’s international GP team supports British-trained GPs looking at Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Request your link to watch the webinar here

7. Protect your mental health from the start

Becoming a newly qualified GP is exciting, but it can also feel exposing.

You are moving from training into a role with greater autonomy, more responsibility and less formal supervision. Even in a supportive practice, that shift can take time to adjust to.

It is important to take your mental health seriously from the beginning, not only once you feel overwhelmed.

Some practical steps can help:

• Build regular reflection into your week, even if it is brief.
• Keep in touch with peers from training.
• Find a mentor or trusted senior GP.
• Take breaks where possible and do not treat constant overrun as normal.
• Notice early signs of stress, cynicism, poor sleep or emotional exhaustion.
• Ask for help before you feel at crisis point.
• Set boundaries around extra work, especially in your first few months.
• Make time for exercise, rest, relationships and interests outside medicine.

It can be tempting to think resilience means coping quietly. It does not.

Good professional resilience is often about knowing when to speak up, when to ask for advice and when to make changes before things become unsustainable.

Support is available. NHS Practitioner Health is a free, confidential NHS primary care mental health and addiction service for health and care professionals, and the RCGP signposts a range of wellbeing resources for GPs, including mental health toolkits and guidance around complaints and retention.

If you are struggling, please seek support early. You do not need to wait until things feel unmanageable.

8. Do not ignore workload fit

Workload is one of the biggest factors in whether a role feels sustainable.

When assessing a job, look carefully at what is included in each session.

Ask about:

• Number of patient contacts
• Appointment length
• Face-to-face versus telephone balance
• Admin time
• Bloods, letters and prescriptions
• Home visits
• Duty doctor days
• Extended access
• Meetings
• QOF, safeguarding or care home responsibilities
• Clinical system
• Support from pharmacists, nurses, care coordinators and other MDT roles

A role with a higher salary but an unrealistic workload may not be the best long-term choice. Equally, a role with excellent support, a balanced appointment structure and a healthy culture may offer better value than the headline package suggests.

Try to compare roles in full, not just by salary.

9. Keep learning, but avoid overloading yourself

After CCT, it is natural to want to keep developing.

You may be interested in a diploma, certificate, special interest, leadership pathway, teaching, minor surgery, coil fitting, dermatology, diabetes, women’s health or another area.

That ambition is positive.

But the first year after qualification is also a period of adjustment. Give yourself permission to settle into independent practice before taking on too much.

A sensible approach may be to choose one or two development areas, rather than trying to do everything at once.

Your early career should build confidence, not leave you permanently stretched.

10. Get advice before making a decision

You do not have to work out your next step alone.

Speaking to a specialist GP recruitment consultant can help you understand the market, compare roles, explore locum or salaried options and identify practices that are genuinely suitable for newly qualified GPs.

At Menlo Park, we work with GPs across the UK and internationally, supporting doctors with permanent roles, locum opportunities and overseas moves.

That means we can help you compare different routes, including:

• Salaried GP roles
• Locum GP work
• Portfolio career options
• Private GP opportunities
• Remote or on-site roles
• International GP opportunities in Australia, Canada and New Zealand

View our roles overseas here

A good conversation should not push you towards one path. It should help you understand what is available and make a decision that suits your clinical goals, lifestyle and stage of career.

Final thoughts

Qualifying as a GP is a significant milestone, but it is also the start of a new chapter.

You do not need to have every answer immediately.

What matters is choosing your next step carefully, understanding your options and finding an environment where you can develop safely and sustainably.

Whether you are looking for a supportive salaried GP role, considering locum work, exploring overseas opportunities, or simply trying to work out what feels right, it is worth taking the time to get good advice.

Your first role after qualification should not just help you work.

It should help you grow.

If you are newly qualified this year and would like to discuss your options, speak to the Menlo Park Primary Care team. We can help you explore suitable GP roles, locum opportunities and overseas routes, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Reach our team here