Today’s NHS is the largest employer in the country and the fourth largest in the world. In an organisation the size of the health service, there are a wide range of opportunities for graduates in search of a challenging and competitive career. As the NHS evolves and grows, so does the range of jobs. As well as needing graduates for more recognised professions such as nurses and doctors, graduates for lesser known NHS careers including healthcare scientists, engineers and accountants, are just as crucial.
Pay and benefits
There are few careers that are as rewarding as one in the NHS, or that give you the opportunity to work with such a variety of people. Whichever area you join, you become part of a talented, passionate team of people, committed to providing the best care and treatment to patients. You will also enjoy one of the most competitive and flexible benefits packages offered by any employer in the UK.
Everyone who joins the NHS is guaranteed a salary that matches their ability and responsibilities, and given every opportunity to increase it through training and development. On top of your basic salary, you will receive at least 27 days holiday each year, plus a range of other benefits including occupational health and counselling services.
Every new employee also automatically becomes a member of the NHS Pension Scheme and will get an excellent package of pension benefits.
Training and development
Many staff say that one of the biggest bonuses of working for the NHS is the support given to professional development. Graduates will have access to extra training and be given every opportunity to progress within the organisation. You will receive an annual personal development review and development plan to support your career progression. As part of the Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF), within the Agenda for Change pay system, you will be encouraged to extend your range of skills and knowledge and take on new responsibilities.
www.whatcanidowithmydegree.nhs.uk is the careers website to support you in your choices about future employment and to encourage you to consider the NHS as an employer. The website provides undergraduates and recent graduates, studying both clinical and non-clinical courses, with up-to-date information on the wide range of career prospects on offer in the NHS.
By typing in your degree subject, you can:
• learn about potential career opportunities available that relate to your qualification.
• hear from real-life graduates now working in the NHS about how they took the first steps to finding their job and what a typical day in the NHS is really like.
• sign up for job alerts delivered straight to your mailbox from NHS Jobs.
• receive practical tips from trusts on how to apply for jobs in the NHS and a jargon buster to better prepare you for the world of work.
www.whatcanidowithmydegree.nhs.uk is managed by NHS Careers, the information service for careers in the NHS in England. NHS Careers is part of NHS Employers, which represents trusts in England on workforce issues and helps employers to ensure the NHS is a place where people want to work.