Patients, admin, duty work and home visits.
Approaching CCT
Finding your first salaried GP job
Where to look, what to ask at interview, how to compare workload and pay, and which paperwork to start before CCT.
Hours, pay, leave, notice and annual uplifts.
Induction, mentorship and access to colleagues.
The team, commute and room to develop.
Use more than one route
Many suitable posts are advertised, but some appear through local conversations before—or instead of—a formal advert. Keep a simple list of practices, contacts, closing dates and follow-up actions.
Your local LMC
Often the most useful place for local practice vacancies. In Wessex, check the LMC vacancy page regularly.
NHS Jobs
Useful for advertised practice, PCN, federation and other primary-care posts. Set alerts rather than relying on occasional searches.
Practices you already know
Ask trainers, supervisors, partners and colleagues whether suitable posts may be coming up.
Direct contact
If a practice would suit your commute or interests, it is reasonable to email or telephone the manager and ask for an informal conversation.
LinkedIn and recruiters
An up-to-date profile can generate approaches. Check who the recruiter represents and confirm the role directly with the practice.
Navigator tip
Direct contact is acceptable. A short email, telephone call or CV handed to the practice manager can open a conversation, particularly when there is a specific reason the practice interests you.
Decide what a workable job looks like
Write down your priorities before interviews begin. Separate genuine deal-breakers from preferences that could be negotiated.
Conditions needed for the job to be safe and sustainable: suitable hours, manageable workload, right-to-work arrangements and acceptable contract terms.
Preferences such as a short commute, particular working days, limited visits, a named mentor or support for further training.
Portfolio work, special interests, teaching, research or a possible route to partnership.
There is no single correct sessional rate
Salary matters, and it is entirely reasonable to ask about it. The useful comparison is pay against the hours, workload, leave, support and professional costs attached to the post.
Annual full-time range. The model contract treats 37.5 hours as nine nominal sessions, which is roughly £8,744–£13,195 per weekly session per year.
Many adverts with a stated figure sat around this range when checked in September 2026, with some higher offers and at least one recent Hampshire advert below £11,000.
Do not treat £11,000 as an official minimum
It is a reasonable local sense-check, not a national rule. Some posts compensate for a lower rate through more leave, lighter workload, retained private fees or better flexibility. A high rate may also be paying for heavier clinics, duty work or visits.
The local snapshot is illustrative, not a complete market survey. Some adverts do not state pay, and advertised figures do not reveal the complete job plan.
Ask what fits inside the paid hours
“Twelve thousand per session” means little until you know what one session contains. Ask for an ordinary working day to be described from arrival to departure.
| Area | What to establish |
|---|---|
| Working day | Start and finish times, when salaried GPs usually leave, and whether work is routinely taken home. |
| Clinical workload | Appointment length, firm patient limits, extras, urgent slots and what happens when a clinic is full. |
| Administrative work | Results, documents, prescriptions, referrals, tasks, list-holding and cover on non-working days or leave. |
| Duty and triage | Frequency, typical request numbers, retained follow-up, whether duty replaces a normal clinic, and how overruns are handled. |
| Home visits | How often they occur, who usually completes them, and whether the clinic or job plan is adjusted when a GP visits. |
| Support | Named mentor, induction, access to a partner during difficult cases, and support for interests outside routine clinical work. |
| Contract | Model-contract terms, probation, notice, annual uplift, leave, CPD, indemnity, fees and any work expected outside contracted hours. |
| Longer-term fit | Commute, number of sessions, portfolio work, training opportunities, future partnership and the team you will work with. |
Useful BMA reference point
The BMA job-planning template uses 15-minute appointments, no more than 25 patient contacts per day and roughly one hour of administrative time for every three hours of clinical work. These are planning principles rather than a guarantee that every advertised job will use them.
Navigator tip
Ask whether patient numbers are firm limits, whether extras are added and what happens when the clinic is full. Also ask whether lunch and coffee are genuinely separate from the time allocated for administrative work.
Prepare your examples—but do not script a performance
A few written prompts can stop you forgetting important experience. Keep the answers truthful and conversational; the aim is to help the practice understand how you work.
Questions worth preparing
- Tell us about yourself and what you are looking for.
- How do you manage a very busy clinic or running behind?
- What do you do when there is clinical uncertainty?
- How would you organise a personal list and its administrative work?
- What concerns you about the future of general practice?
- What would you bring to this practice beyond routine clinical sessions?
Points to have ready
- Your current clinical workload and responsibilities.
- A difficult or uncertain case and how you sought help.
- Examples of supporting colleagues or improving a service.
- Your interests outside routine clinics.
- Why this particular practice appeals to you.
- What support you would value after CCT.
Navigator tip
Read the practice website shortly before the interview. Knowing the team, sites, services and patient population makes it easier to explain why you applied and ask specific questions.
Do not make the decision from the interview alone
Ask for a tour, meet the team and, where possible, observe an unfamiliar part of the work such as total triage. A friendly interview can feel very different from the normal working day.
Ask a salaried GP
What is the job actually like?
- What time do salaried GPs normally finish?
- How often are extra patients added?
- Does work accumulate on non-working days?
- What is a busy duty or triage session actually like?
- How easy is it to contact a partner for help?
- What surprised you after joining the practice?
Check whether the advert survives contact with reality
- The workload described in person matches the advert.
- Patient limits, admin and finish times are answered directly.
- You can meet salaried GPs and see how the practice works.
- Mentorship has a named person or clear arrangement.
- The practice uses the BMA model contract or equivalent terms.
- People speak openly about busy days and how colleagues help.
- The advertised workload becomes larger as details emerge.
- No one can explain what happens to extras or unfinished work.
- Administrative time appears to be lunch or unpaid overrun.
- Support is promised but nobody can describe how it works.
- You cannot speak privately to someone already doing the role.
- There is pressure to accept before seeing the contract or job plan.
Use one strong CV and make the letter personal
Constantly rewriting the whole CV for each practice creates work without necessarily improving the application. Keep a clear master CV, then use the cover letter to explain why the particular role fits.
Open with the essentials
Current role, expected CCT, preferred sessions, location, right-to-work position and availability.
Show what you already do
Clinics, urgent work, duty experience, home visits, systems used and the level of independence reached.
Show what else you bring
Use specific examples from quality improvement, teaching, leadership, digital work or special interests. Include numbers when they genuinely show the effect of your work.
Let some personality through
Interests and working style help a team understand the person they may work beside. Keep them genuine rather than manufacturing an ideal candidate.
Keep every claim defensible
Do not exaggerate experience to win an interview. Ask a trainer, supervisor or GP involved in recruitment to review the CV, and consider a mock interview before applications begin.
A separate anonymised CV and cover-letter guide will be added so this page can stay focused on the job search itself.
Do not let administration delay your start date
Start the Performers List process
PCSE asks ST3 trainees to apply no earlier than six months and no later than three months before CCT. Select GP Registrar even if CCT is close. Apply for the enhanced DBS early; PCSE says the application can be submitted with evidence that the DBS has been requested, such as its tracking number.
Check right-to-work and sponsorship needs
Tell practices early if sponsorship will be needed. Do not assume the cost is automatically reimbursed: official guidance lists sponsor-licence, Certificate of Sponsorship and possible Immigration Skills Charge costs for employers.
Prepare an ILR application if relevant
Gather employment and absence records well in advance. GOV.UK says eligible Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker applicants can apply up to 28 days before completing the qualifying period, but individual residence calculations can be complex.
Confirm professional costs and cover
Ask what the practice's indemnity arrangements cover and whether personal MDO membership, GMC fees or other professional expenses are reimbursed. Get the answer in writing if it affects the offer.
Performers List requirements can look different in practice
Current NHS England policy says GP registrars using the streamlined route are not normally required to provide a CV, references, degree evidence, indemnity or appraisal. Follow the live PCSE application and respond promptly if additional information is requested.
Final job check
- I know the contracted start and finish times.
- I understand the number and length of appointments.
- I know what counts as protected administrative time.
- Duty, triage, visits and list-holding are described clearly.
- The salary has been compared with the complete job plan.
- The contract follows the BMA model terms or is no less favourable.
- Annual leave, CPD, probation, notice and pay uplifts are clear.
- I have met the team and spoken to at least one salaried GP.
- Mentorship and induction are specific rather than vague promises.
- Performers List and right-to-work arrangements are in progress.