- Tweeters pointed out an apparently low salary range for a surgeon in London.
- An NHS Trust is advertising for a neuro-oncology fellow paying as little as £33,790 (about $43,000).
A job advertisement for a surgeon in London has caused a stir among tweeters, who pointed out that the role pays about the same as an Aldi store manager.
The National Health Service (NHS) is hiring a neuro-oncology fellow at the Barts Health Trust in central London. Neuro-oncology pertains to tumors in the brain and spinal cord.
Applicants must be at the ST8 level, which can take years of education and training to reach, with responsibilities including "on-call and emergency operating."
The salary range of £33,790 (about $43,000) to £53,132 (about $68,000) sparked some surprise on Twitter.
One user shared a job advertisement for Aldi's graduate scheme, offering a starting salary of £50,000 ($64,000), as well as a company car. Working for the grocery chain could pay as much as £90,000 ($115,000) after eight years.
British doctors have been striking in recent months over pay. Their union, the British Medical Association, says junior doctors have had their wages cut by more than 25% when inflation is taken into account.
Junior doctors walked out in April after demanding a 35% pay rise and are planning more strikes. Because the UK's health system is nationalized, they are in negotiations with the Government about their salaries.
The plight of workers has prompted record number of doctors to resign, with Sky News reporting in February that 9,000 positions were vacant. In October, the BMA released a poll suggesting half of consultants were planning to leave in the next year unless salaries improved.
According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, neurologists in the US can expect an annual salary of about $255,000.