Frequently asked questions on working in health

  • All organisations delivering NHS services in England and Wales advertise their vacancies on the NHS Jobs website and TRAC website. Keep an eye on individual trust websites for vacancies in your area.

    Vacancies in Scotland and Northern Ireland are advertised on other websites.

  • If you already work in health, you should speak to your line manager and your training department. You can also contact the National Careers Service.

    You can also explore our career planning section which has some help and advice to support your career development.

  • It depends on the nature of the offence, and the sort of work you want to do in the NHS - for example, for roles with direct patient contact you will usually legally be required to declare all criminal offences.

    Any requirements like these will be stated in the job advertisement. 

    It is the same for any health-related university course.

  • Not necessarily. Despite around 50% of the NHS workforce having a university or other professional qualification, there are lots of opportunities for staff without these qualifications, especially in the wider healthcare team. There are lots of pathways into an NHS career, for example a clinical or non-clinical apprenticeship, from GCSE to Master's level. Check the NHS Jobs website for opportunities in your area. 

  • Many careers involve working with children including: 

    The entry requirements and qualifications needed for these role will differ. You could try our Find your Career quiz to find the one that reflects your current or future qualifications. 

  • Several careers involve providing direct or indirect care or treatment for patients with cancer including

  • There is no upper age limit to join the health sector. Indeed, maturity/life experience can be an asset for many roles. If the career you are considering requires university training, then you should discuss any concerns that you might have about your suitability with the universities directly. You might consider attending some university open days or contacting the university's admissions office before making a formal application.

    You can use our course finder to get a list of universities approved to run courses for a number of clinical careers.

  • The type of support varies, depending on the career and the course. If you plan to go to university to study a health-related degree such as nursing, midwifery or one of the allied health professions, there's the NHS Learning Support Fund which can offer a training grant and help with childcare, travel and accommodation while training. There are also some roles that you can train for while being paid a salary (e.g. many of the psychological practitioner roles) and if you do an apprenticeship then you'll get paid while you gain workplace experience and a qualification. 

    Visit our financial support pages for the latest information. 

  • How much you earn, will depend on the job you are working in. Most NHS staff are paid under the NHS Terms and Conditions and earn more as their career progress. There are also lots of other benefits of and NHS career such as a generous pension, flexible working and the opportunity to make a difference to people's lives, no matter what role you are in. 

    Doctors, dentists and senior managers and have their own pay agreements.

  • If you are in education, your local NHS organisations may offer the opportunity to gain work experience. Each NHS organisation will have its own policy, so you will have to contact your local NHS organisation(s) or visit their website(s) to find out.

    Voluntary work is another way of gaining experience and an insight into working in the health sector. There are also many volunteering organisations out there, including Volunteering England, Do It! and Volunteering Matters.

  • Many healthcare professionals are regulated such as nursing, medicine and physiotherapy. This means that you are legally required to be registered with the relevant regulatory body to be able to practice.

    Many other professions have voluntary registration which means that it isn't a legal requirement to be registered, but it is usually in the interests of the individual to do so.

  • If you visit NHS.uk, you can search for the NHS organisations in your area. There are also details on the employer list of the NHS Jobs website.

  • NHS Jobs is used by all NHS organisations in England and Wales. If you are having problems with online applications through the site, please visit the candidate help information.

Make a comment or report a problem with this page

Help us improve

This form is for you to tell us about something that could be improved about the website or if there's anything wrong, incorrect or inaccurate with what you see. 

If you have a query about a career in the NHS, please visit our contact us page and call or email us.