Let’s not forget the giant elephant in the consulting room: student debt. Most UK GPs spent five or six years in medical school, plus two years of foundation training, then three years of GP specialty training. That’s over a decade of study. And while the NHS covers tuition for UK students, living costs? That comes from loans. A typical GP graduates with £50,000–£100,000 in debt. Now take that £80k salary and subtract loan repayments, tax, National Insurance, pension contributions, and professional fees. Suddenly, the take-home pay is closer to £3,500 per month. Nice, but not “buy-a-second-home-in-Cornwall” nice.
How NHS doctor's £110,000 salary is dwarfed by European counterparts
