Considering a move to Australia?
We sponsor visas, we support the clinical transition, and we give you income certainty while you find your feet. Canberra, four GP-led practices, and a genuine long-term home.
Moving your family across the world is a big decision
Hi — I'm John. I co-own YourGP with my wife, Mel. We have always believed the best patient care happens in GP-led practices, so we set out to build services and facilities good enough that GPs want to stay their whole careers.
If you are reading this from the UK, you are weighing up far more than a job. You are weighing up schools, your partner's career, and whether the practice at the other end will actually be what it says it is. We would rather you worked that out properly before you move than discover it afterwards — which is why this page is honest about who does not thrive here as well as who does.
— Dr John Deery, Co-owner, with Dr Mel Deery
How Australian general practice differs from the UK
Australian general practice gives you considerably more clinical autonomy than the UK. You can order CTs, MRIs and other investigations directly — it is your clinical responsibility, not a gatekeeping exercise. Over time your patient panel will come to reflect you and the clinical choices you make.
The doctors who flourish here treat that autonomy as both a privilege and an obligation to keep learning.
Almost all GPs in Australia work as tenants of their practice, running their own clinical business within it. A very small number work salaried, mainly for government or large organisations.
Practically, this means you are paid for the work you do. There is no paid leave, no employer-funded superannuation and no study allowance. The flip side is complete freedom: no lock-in contracts, no set hours, no pressure. You choose when you work, how much you work, and how you practise. Our information pack explains the financial mechanics in full.
We start new GPs slowly — as few as two to three patients per hour for the first week or two — so you have time to learn our systems, ask questions and avoid mistakes. We then increase your patient flow gradually as you are ready. Established GPs here typically see three to four patients per hour.
We are expert coaches at helping GPs be excellent, and that applies double to doctors learning a new health system.
Skin cancer medicine is a much larger part of Australian general practice than it is in the UK, and it is one of the most satisfying skills to pick up here. We have a strong team of skin cancer doctors — enough to warrant a dedicated service at yourskincbr.com.au — holding masters degrees in skin medicine or advanced diplomas from an Australian skin cancer college. One uses a FotoFinder.
They are happy to share skills and upskill colleagues. We regularly have doctors sitting in to learn surgical procedures, and we can teach and support you to do joint injections.
Telehealth is available where appropriate at all clinics — our Denman clinic runs roughly eight to nine per cent of consultations that way, mostly telephone — but we do not actively encourage it. We find face-to-face medicine produces better outcomes for patients and doctors alike.
About a quarter of our doctors use an AI transcription tool. Which one, or none at all, is entirely your choice. Every room has a camera and microphone that supports them.
Six traits
Learnt from the doctors who have stayed and thrived with us, and from the small number for whom it did not work.
- You're clinically excellent, and you stay curious. Australian general practice gives you far more clinical autonomy than the UK, and the doctors who flourish here treat that as an obligation to keep learning.
- You communicate clearly with patients. Patients must be able to understand you. This is non-negotiable: for safety, for trust, and because our billing model depends on patients valuing the consultation.
- You're happy to charge patients for your time. We are a predominantly private-billing practice. This is often the biggest adjustment for a UK GP. If it feels uncomfortable, this will not be a good fit. If it feels fair, because you know what your time is worth, you will thrive.
- You work as part of a team. Our reception and nursing teams are the foundation of the practice. The GPs who do best treat them as colleagues, not support staff.
- You're reliable and consistent. You turn up. You finish the day. You communicate when something changes.
- You're looking for a long-term home. We invest heavily in onboarding, mentorship and your patient panel because we expect to be working alongside you for years. If you are looking for a twelve-month adventure before going home, there are practices better suited to that.
Is this you?
If five or six of these sound like you, please keep reading. If only one or two do, we are probably not the right practice for you — and we would far rather you discovered that here than after relocating your family.
Patients pay, and it changes everything
This is usually the largest cultural shift for a doctor arriving from the NHS. We are a predominantly private-billing practice — around 90 per cent of our consultations are privately billed, with the remainder bulk-billed to Medicare, mostly for rapid immunisation clinics, after-care follow-up and higher-rebate item numbers.
By the time a patient arrives, they have been told at least twice that there is an expectation to pay. It very rarely becomes an issue. When patients pay, they attribute value to the service — they tend to be more respectful, more likely to turn up, and more engaged in their care.
If a patient falls on hard times we will accept the lower Medicare rebate temporarily, and resume charging when they are back on their feet.
What would I actually earn?
A fair question, and one that deserves a real answer rather than a headline. Our UK information pack sets out the service fee split, what our established GPs bill, and what that converts to in take-home terms — in both Australian dollars and pounds. Ask us for it and we will send it through.
Getting here
We sponsor your visa
Sponsorship is part of how we welcome UK GPs to YourGP. We will work through it with you alongside your AHPRA registration.
Two of our four clinics — Crace and Denman Prospect — are in a Distribution Priority Area, which is what makes this possible for overseas-trained doctors.
Income certainty while you settle
We do not offer a relocation allowance, deliberately — we do not want to feel pressured to earn a return on it by pushing you to see a lot of patients quickly.
What we offer instead is certainty. From the day you start, while you ramp up from two to three patients an hour, we employ you on a guaranteed wage with superannuation and paid leave on top. That typically covers two to six weeks: enough to open bank accounts, sort tax, find somewhere to live and learn the Australian system before moving to the tenant model. The rate is in the information pack.
Timelines
Timelines vary considerably — AHPRA registration, visa processing and family relocation each have their own moving parts, and they overlap rather than run in sequence.
Registration starts with the Medical Board of Australia and AHPRA. Rather than duplicate guidance that is maintained better elsewhere, we will share the current step-by-step guides we rely on when you get in touch — and walk you through the parts that apply to you.
A good place to land a family
Canberra is one of the best places in Australia for professionals and families — and it is a considerably softer landing than one of the big coastal cities.
Schools
A strong public system, plus well-regarded private schools including Canberra Grammar, Radford and Brindabella.
Your partner's career
A large public service sector and a strong IT market. If your partner works in professional services, Canberra is unusually well suited.
Short commutes
If someone in Canberra has to drive for fifteen minutes, they consider it a terrible day.
Four proper seasons
Cold but sunny winters, warm summers, and a genuinely beautiful autumn. Closer to home than Queensland, in feel at least.
Highest median income
Strong earning potential, and real career opportunities for partners.
Big city amenities, small city feel
Almost all the advantages of a large city, but it feels like a collection of large country towns grouped closely together.
Your first weeks
We start you with a reduced patient load — two to three an hour — so you can adjust to our systems, learn Australian prescribing and referral pathways, and build confidence. We will also help get you in front of a camera for a short introduction video, so patients can see your communication style and personality before they book.
Patients already trust our brand, so about 80 per cent of the trust gap is covered before you walk in. The video handles the rest. Initially you will mostly see same-day bookings; over time, patients who like you will come back and you will build a loyal panel.
Can I speak to a UK GP who has already made the move? Yes, and we would encourage it. We are happy to connect you with one of our doctors so you can hear about it first-hand — including the parts we might be too close to see.
Come and have a proper conversation
Tell us a little about yourself and we will send you the UK information pack — earnings in dollars and pounds, the service fee split, visa and relocation detail, and what your first months actually look like.
Express your interestOr email John directly: dr.john.deery@ygp.au