We know that, on the lead up to your NHS interview, you’ll probably have a heap of questions for your interviewer. To lighten your load, we’ve put together this blog that includes some frequently asked questions at interview stage, so you’ll have a few less questions to ask, and hopefully feel more in-the-know:
Working as an occupational therapist for the NHS is guaranteed to be varied role and will see you working with both individual patients and their families, as well as bigger groups. On a daily basis, you may be expected to support a patient to adapt to life after major surgery, help people with mental illness or learning disabilities to get on with their everyday activities such as work, or to support elderly people by making adaptations to their homes, like level access to stairs, or showers.
As an NHS occupational therapist, you can expect a shift pattern of 9:00am-5:00pm (Monday to Friday), 37.5 hours per week. Some roles may include unsocial hours, although you’ll likely receive additional pay for this.
You’ll be entitled to a generous amount of annual leave as an NHS employee. This will vary depending on how long you’ve worked for the NHS, and how many hours you work each week. So, if you work full-time but you’ve worked for the NHS for less than five years, you’ll be entitled to 27 days of annual leave, plus Bank Holidays. This amount will then increase to 29 days if you’ve worked for the NHS for 5-10 years. Everyone who has worked longer than 10 years will get 33 days annual leave, per year.
You will be automatically enrolled onto the NHS Pension Scheme as soon as you begin working for the NHS. Pension contributions will then start to come out of your salary (this will feature in your payslip). On enrolment, you’ll receive a membership number, also known as a SD number, which will be provided by your employer. The employer contributions are generous, at 20.6%, with the scheme also including family benefits, advice on ways to increase your NHS pension, and flexibilities around when you can take your pension. Here's a video that further explains the NHS Pension Scheme.
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