New Zealand: 'Incredible' £190,000 job with three months' holiday - that nobody will take
'I can offer them a really, really amazing income,' says overworked doctor
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A £190,000 salary, three months of holiday and no night or weekend work for a job in an idyllic part of New Zealand's North Island might be expected to attract considerable interest from prospective employees.
But bemused GP Dr Alan Kenny says he has been struggling so much to fill the vacancy that he is even offering half of his medical practice in Tokoroa, Waikato, to the successful candidate.
The 61-year-old said his practice had "exploded" over the last year but that he had found it impossible to find anyone to help cover his expanding workload.
He told the the New Zealand Herald: “I can offer them a really, really amazing income; it’s incredible. My practice has exploded in the last year and the more patients you list, the more money you get. But it just gets too much at the end of the day.”
Dr Kenny said he had become increasingly despairing at his continued failure to find someone to share in the practice, which now has 6,000 patients on its books.
“I love my work and I would like to stay but I hit my head against a brick wall trying to attract doctors," he said.
"If it’s hard enough to get doctors to work alongside me, it’s going to be a devil of a job to get doctors to replace me.”
A typical New Zealand GP could expect to receive between $150-$200,000 (£60-95,000) per year, yet despite Dr Kenny’s generous offer he said had had no applications in four months.
Linda Reynolds, New Zealand Rural General Practice Network deputy chief executive, said isolation, the lack of school options and poor broadband service all contributed to a dearth of rural GPs in the country, the Guardian reported.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments