Thinking of making the move from permanent to locum? 

Here are our top 5 reasons why working as a locum can be as rewarding as working in a permanent post. 

Firstly, what is a locum? 

A locum is a person who stands in temporarily for someone else of the same profession. 

This can be for a multitude of reasons – maternity cover, long-term sick, increased workload and interim cover  whilst hiring, to name a few! 

1) Long-term stability 

Locum does not always mean day-to-day. 

There’s a common misconception that agency workers/locums work day-to-day in different places, without  the security of knowing where they might be next. 

Although this is common within some healthcare settings – nursing in particular – it is very rare for this to be  the case for AHP’s. 

The majority of contracts will last from 3-6 months and it is not unheard of for some to last years. (Just  recently I spoke with an OT who had worked in the same place for 6 years as a locum!) 

We often have lots of contracts for the full academic year for our paediatric AHP’s. 

2) Flexibility to travel 

If you’re arriving from another country – it is often the case that the excitement of having Europe on your  doorstep drives the wanderlust in all of us.

With so many wonderful and diverse countries just a short flight away, working as a locum gives you the  freedom and flexibility to choose when you finish and start new assignments. 

Take that week off to relax in the Italian sun with a glass of red. 

Snowboard through the Alps. 

Enjoy the rich and exciting culture of Barcelona. 

Finish your summer at Oktoberfest. 

The choice is yours – with so much to see and do, having the flexibility to travel when you want is a big reason  so many AHP’s choose the locum lifestyle. 

3) High rates of pay 

Pay rates change dependant where you are working (and what pay grade), but experienced AHP’s can be paid  anything between £24.00-£39.00 per hour. 

4) Work/Life Balance 

OK, not everyone can, or wants to, galivant around Europe in their free time. 

Lots of people have home life commitments, hobbies and other interests that come first. Working as a locum offers that flexibility to choose your contracts. 

If you want to work 3 days a week for the next 3 months to spend a bit more time at home – your agency will  find that for you.

5) Experience 

Think of it as one giant rotation. 

The freedom to move between hospitals, schools, clinics, and other settings can give you some fantastic  experience to take with you through your career. 

Learning from your peers in different settings is a brilliant way to enhance your skillset and learn different  ways of working. With so many AHP’s spread across a huge number of clinical settings – the opportunity to  learn from different people in each contract is hugely valued by lots of our current (& past) locums. 

We’d be very interested in hearing what your favourite things about being a locum are. Have we missed  anything off the list? 

Let us know in the comments what your favourite thing about being a locum is