How to become a GP

A GP in the UK needs a medical degree, the two-year Foundation Programme, and then GP specialty training, usually three years full time. You finish by passing the MRCGP assessments and gaining a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), which puts you on the GMC’s GP register. After that most GPs take a salaried post, become a partner in a practice, or do locum work.

Medical school and foundation

Entry starts with a medical degree, either a standard course for school leavers or a graduate-entry course for people who already hold a degree. After graduating you join the UK Foundation Programme for two years (FY1 and FY2), working in rotations across hospital and sometimes community specialties. Completing FY1 gives you full GMC registration. Many foundation programmes include a placement in general practice, a useful way to find out whether the work suits you.

GP specialty training

You apply for GP specialty training through national recruitment, which includes an assessment of clinical knowledge and situational judgement. Competition for places varies by region, and posts in popular areas fill first.

The programme combines hospital posts relevant to general practice, such as emergency medicine, paediatrics, psychiatry and obstetrics, with time in a training practice under a GP trainer. The final stretch is based in general practice. Throughout, you build an e-portfolio and work towards the MRCGP, which has two main exams, the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) and the Simulated Consultation Assessment (SCA), alongside workplace-based assessment.

GP trainees are resident doctors and are paid on the resident doctor contract in England. The BMA’s published scale gives £55,355 for ST1 to ST2 (figures from 8 September 2026, still to be confirmed against the official circular), and GP trainees receive a flexible pay premium on top. See resident doctors explained for how pay, rotas and exception reporting work during training.

Salaried GP, partner or locum

Once qualified, you have three broad options.

Salaried GP

A salaried GP is employed by a practice, primary care network or other provider. You agree a number of sessions a week and a salary. In England, salaried GPs in practices holding a GMS contract must be offered terms no less favourable than the BMA model contract, which covers sick pay, leave and other benefits. The national salaried GP pay range rose by 3.5% from 1 April 2026 under the DDRB award. Practices decide where you sit within that range, so salaries vary.

Salaried work suits people who want clinical work without running a business. You get less say in how the practice runs and, usually, lower long-term earnings than a successful partnership.

Partner

Most GP practices are independent businesses that hold an NHS contract. Partners own the practice, share its profits and carry its risks: staffing, premises, finances and meeting contract requirements. Income depends on how the practice performs, so there is no salary and no national scale. Partners are self-employed for tax and file a Self Assessment return each year, due online by 31 January after the end of the tax year.

Partnership gives you more influence and usually higher earnings. It also brings management work, liabilities and, in some practices, an expectation that you buy into the property. Accountants and solicitors who specialise in GP practices can review a partnership agreement before you sign it.

Locum

Locum GPs work sessions for different practices on a self-employed basis, setting their own rates and hours. That gives flexibility but no sick pay and no guaranteed work. See locum work.

Pensions and tax

GPs can be members of the NHS Pension Scheme whether salaried, partner or locum, with contributions tiered by pensionable pay. The highest tier is 12.5% on pensionable pay over £67,669. Above £100,000 of adjusted net income the personal allowance is withdrawn at £1 for every £2, which can hit GPs on full-time earnings; see the £100,000 tax trap. Large pension savings can also run into the annual allowance, covered in pension annual allowance. For questions about your own position, talk to a regulated financial adviser or an accountant who works with doctors.

What general practice is like

GPs see everything from coughs and rashes to mental health crises, cancer diagnoses and complex long-term conditions, often in short appointments. A large part of the day goes on test results, letters, prescriptions and administration. Demand is high, and many practices now work with pharmacists, physician associates, paramedics and social prescribing link workers to share the load.

Many GPs value continuity of care, following patients and families over years. Every consultation also carries uncertainty, because you see illness at its earliest stage, when serious and minor conditions can look alike. Managing that risk, safety-netting and knowing when to refer are core GP skills. Every GP must also complete annual appraisal and revalidate with the GMC.

Hours are mainly daytime on weekdays, with evening and weekend extended access in some areas, and out-of-hours work is optional for most GPs. For training posts and vacancies, look at national GP recruitment information and current openings under doctors’ jobs.