Any demand for English GPs in France?

[mint]

[quote user="Nick Trollope"]

Coupla points;

For one reason or another, I know a number of practitioners (GPs and hospital), all of whom speak good English - it is a trait of well-educated French people. All of them want to work in the NHS.....

English-speakers probably account for 1% of the population. Given that the French are a bunch of hypocondriacs, they (Brits) probably account for rather less than 1% of patients.....

It appears that a French GP earns about a half of a GP in a similar post in the UK.

There is a huge shortage of GPs here - that said, a doctor without perfect French would be hard pushed to get any job (as a doctor), leave alone an easy one - French doctors work much harder than any UK doctor I know (I know a few of them, too!)

Come to France to retire, or move to Pas de Calais and do a bit of locum work in Kent. If it is your intention to destroy your family, blow all your savings and spend the rest of your (shortened) life trying to persuade old French drunks to give up Pastis, move to France to work....

 

[/quote]

Nick, your post made me laugh, especially the last sentence, and so I am responding to it.

If anything, I think you have underestimated the difference in pay for British GPs and French ones.  

GPs in the UK have had huge hikes in salary in recent years; plus many bonuses eg for giving vaccinations to children or flu jabs to the elderly.  If they achieve government targets in certain areas of treatment, then the rewards are even higher.  If a surgery with a group of doctors is a "budget holder", then there are even more incentives.  Plus, they have also been able to take advantage of the rise in the price of their premises if they own the building themselves.  Eg, if a GP retires, he is able to capitalise on selling his position in the practice as well as his share of the building.

In France, my own GP works all sorts of hours which a British GP wouldn't even contemplate.  She takes charge of her own appointments diary, answers her own phone, writes her own referral letters and do all sorts of procedures that would normally be taken off a UK doctor's hands and given to underlings to perform.

I'm not sure what she gets paid but, given that a consultation fee is only 20 odd euros, I don't suppose she'll make it to any Rich List.

However, the OP did say he only wanted to do a bit of part time work and, if the money isn't that important, perhaps he's only asking in a general sort of way and finding out some info and will perhaps decide not to practise here after all. 

[Daft Doctor]

Hi, yes, as I said earlier, a few sessions of part-time work a week is all I would be after, and I may feel after settling in that it just won't quite be possible for one reason or another.  I wouldn't be going to France primarily to work, but would want to contribute to the system, pay my taxes, cotisations, whatever, rather than just sit on my derierre (no french pun intended).  I just wanted to get a feel of what expats and interested others thought it would be like for me to get medical work, and whether an english speaking and qualified GP would have any attraction.

The negative thoughts are as interesting for me as the positive, as it helps build a balanced picture in my mind.  I wouldn't be moving for at least 3 years, so I have time to explore my chosen area and possibilities in some depth, both from a distance and through trips out there.   It seems that there may be many practical hurdles to overcome to practice in France, including regulatory bodies, language and medical culture differences, but these hurdles may not be insuperable.

I will try to find out whether my qualifications and experience would allow me to practice at least in theory, then take it from there.  As I said in an earlier posting, I might consider doing something well away from medicine if necessary.  I also happen to have an MBA and a business leaning, so I might even be able to make use of that in the right setting.  I suppose medicine is what I am most experienced at that's all, and might be transferable to France in some minor way, given time.  Any other thoughts will be much valued, thanks.