How I got my first job as a locum radiographer

After I first qualified as a radiographer, I went through a massive denial phase. Basically, shortly after graduation, I decided that radiography wasn’t for me, so I went to “find my path” elsewhere.

I tried my hands at business, volunteer work, travelling, and serving behind a till.

This time allowed me the freedom to re-evaluate my choices and in the end, I decided to put my 3-year training to use. Slight problem though. A year-and-a-half had passed, so I had become a radiographer who graduated a year-and-half ago without a year-and-half's experience… so of course, my self-confidence plummeted to record levels.

After a series of interviews (all doomed from the start), I started looking for other ways into radiography. In the end, I decided to expand my options and apply for more unconventional jobs. Determined to accept the first offer I received, I submitted two applications - one for an assistant practitioner’s role and another for a Band 5 role via a locum agency.

To my surprise, the locum agency responded first with a potential position taking just chest X-rays in a "chest room". "I can do that easily," was my first thought, and accepted the offer.

Over the next year and a half, I had evolved away from the "chest room" and into dental, theatre, GP/ward radiography, and the A&E departments. At this point, I had also grown confident enough to renegotiate my rates with the agency (story for another day) and prepared to apply aggressively to future roles.

Locum Radiography might be the launchpad you need to kickstart your career

If you're where I was - qualified and unsure where to start your radiography, pay attention to the rest of this guide. The analogy "Go where you're wanted" holds true. I tried so hard knocking on doors where I was not wanted, but the moment I changed my approach and started looking for people who were desperate enough for my skills that they were contacting third parties to help them, I got "lucky".

Perhaps I was just lucky to find a hospital that just needed the set of skills I was comfortable with; I don't know. But you’ll never know if you don’t try. What I do know is that there is a national shortage of radiographers and a good number of jobs are only advertised through locum agencies. Had I not contacted the agency, I would definitely had no access to the job.

Apart from being a great way to get into the game after a break, are there any other benefits to being a locum radiographer?

For starters, working as a locum radiographer allows you to enjoy more flexibility/balance in your work life.

You can:

• Avoid the bureaucracy associated with working in a permanent position.

• Avoid stressful interviews. Just send your qualifications to the agency and appear on your first day for an orientation (if you’re lucky). You’re expected to come ready, so don’t expect to be pampered - that’s the trade-off

• Take a day off without fanfare. Just inform the department in advance, and off you go. No need to wait for someone to vet your leave request, etc.

• Negotiate your pay more flexibly. No need to wait for your annual review to hear a “No, you won’t be getting a pay increase on this occasion”.

• Leave without giving 1 month’s notice. As a locum, you only need to hand in 1 week’s notice.

In addition these, being a short-term employee puts you fully in control of your career path.

How about the downsides?

Every rose bush has its thorns, and locum radiography is no exception. Working as a locum means that you are self-employed, so you will need to go through all the hassle of paperwork to pay your taxes correctly. Luckily, there are a lot of accountants that specialise in helping you do this,

As a locum radiographer, you are also not covered for annual leave, sick leave etc. So if you don’t work, you don’t eat. When you work, you eat. It’s that simple.

So if you like job security and hate paperwork, locum radiography is not for you.

How to get started as a locum radiographer

If you’re not put off yet by the sense of adventure and the need to hire an accountant, then here’s how to get started as a locum radiographer.

Create your compliance folder

It’s important to know that to work in a hospital, locum or no locum, you will need to go through compliance checks by law. Every agency you register with will ask you for a set of documents, so it makes sense to build your compliance package and keep it ready. It’s a tedious job, but you only have to build it once and use it forever.

Getting through compliance for my first stint as a locum radiographer was a nightmare, but I learned my lesson, and subsequent ones were a breeze.

You will need to create two folders - one physical, one virtual and label them “Compliance”. If you go down the route of registering with various locum providers, you will need to email them individually.

Or you can do the smart thing and register with BandLocum, send your documents once, and have BandLocum handle the rest.

Whichever option you choose, here are the documents you will need to gather:

• Copy of your passport (front page, picture page, and visa page if applicable)

• Copy of your HCPC certificate: The HCPC is the body that regulates Allied Health Professions in the UK. In your final year at University, you must join the HCPC as part of your "getting ready for work" program. If you don't register at this stage, you will have to register on your own (longer process) here: http://www.hpc-uk.org/registrants/account/. This costs £90 per year and £45 per year for new graduates.

• Copy of your CRB (Criminal Record Bureau) check. Last time I checked, this cost £38, and you can get this directly from the government website: https://www.gov.uk/disclosure-barring-service-check/overview

• Copy of your degree certificate

• Mandatory training certificate (Manual handling, Basic Life Support, Fire Training)

• Proofs of immunity to:- Hep B, Measles, Rubella, TB, Varicella (Chicken Pox)

• Utility bill from last three months

• Passport photographs

• 2 references

Set up your payment channel

One of the benefits of being a locum is that you don’t need to wait until the end of the month to get your money. You get paid every week for the work done the previous week.

When setting up your payment channel, you will need to choose a payment structure that also determines how you pay your taxes. Your options are getting paid through a limited company, or getting your taxes deducted at the source (umbrella company). Having used both options in the past, I will cover the differences of both systems in a different post.

Sign up to BandLocum Newsletter

The BandLocum newsletter is a highly targeted newsletter that curates all the current radiography jobs in the industry and sends them to you 1 - 2 times weekly. This means that we won’t clog up your inbox with irrelevant job posts, but we’ll also put you in prime position to get the jobs you want - super fast. We’ll help with your application, compliance, and even temporary relocation if you need it.

Unlike the agencies who just want you in the role to earn them money, I want you to have a better agency working experience because I’ve been there before. My aim to to provide you with less relevant emails, full control over your data, full control over when and where you work, easier relocation - temporary or permanent. So if it sounds like this might help you, register today.

Money Money Money: What should I expect to earn as a locum radiographer?

Before taking all these steps, how can you even tell whether or not it’s worth it?

Well, what you should expect to earn as a locum radiographer varies depending on your specialty area, qualifications, experience, and how far you are willing to travel.

But here is a rough guide showing today's rates (all rates are before tax):

General Radiography (Band 5) : £20 - £24 ph

General Radiography + CT/MRI experience (Band 6) : £23 - £32

Mammography : £28 - £40 ph

These rates obviously appear to be higher than what one would expect to earn as a permanent radiographer, but it is important to remember that they do not take into account the tax and National Insurance contributions that you will need to pay when self-employed.

It is also worth remembering that they serve as compensation for the lack of benefits such as sick pay, holiday pay, and the fact that you might need to account for periods of no income at all in between contracts.

So, that’s it. Stop dillydallying over where to start. Get your compliance documents together and register for the BandLocum newsletter to start receiving the jobs you want, when you want.