Fancy being a firefighter or a nurse? Here’s what they earn

THE start of a new year is a great time to consider whether you are in the right job, and whether it’s time to switch to doing something different.

For the public-spirited, there can’t be two better careers than nursing and firefighting, although both jobs are not for the faint-hearted.

Nurses are on the frontline of our health care system, doing much of the legwork in our hospitals. Being a nurse during the Covid pandemic has been hugely challenging, however, and according to the Royal College of Nursing, NHS workers in England have been “reduced to tears” by staff shortages caused by the Omicron variant of coronavirus.

RCN director for England Patricia Marquis said this month the Government needed to be “honest” with the public about the pressure being put on the health service, adding that patient care was being impacted.

A union representative at an NHS hospital trust in South Yorkshire said staff in their area are experiencing “burnout” due to the lack of personnel. That is concerning news wherever you live, but let’s take a closer look at what being a nurse in Derby involves.

A registered nurse’s salary begins at band five of the NHS pay scale, so a newly qualified nurse working 37.5 hours a week at Royal Derby Hospital can expect to take home £25,655.

As their experience increases, they can expect to climb to around £31,534 per annum. Last July, the Government announced a three per cent rise in nurses’ wages, so that should help to pay the bills during what will be a challenging year for families across the country as higher energy bills and a Government increase in people’s National Insurance costs kick in. So how do you become a nurse? The most conventional route is by studying for a nursing degree at university. These combine theoretical and practical study, preparing students for the frontline of health care.

Courses typically last three of four years. One of the first decisions students need to make is what field of nursing they want to study in. These are: adult nursing, children’s nursing, learning disability nursing and mental health nursing.

Other paths into nursing include registered nurse degree apprenticeships. As well as nurses, there are also nursing associates, which is a fairly new role in the NHS.

Their job is to work with healthcare support workers as well as registered nurses to deliver care. The NHS describes it as one of the stepping stones to becoming a nurse. A nursing associate at Queen’s Hospital in Burton, which, like Royal Derby Hospital, is run by the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust, can expect to earn between £22,549 and £24,882 each year.

So that’s nursing. Firefighters are a valued and necessary asset to our emergency services, but their role covers much more than tackling blazes.

Staff deal with a vast range of situations, from road traffic collisions and flooding to trapped people and animals. Derbyshire’s crews are no strangers to a variety of challenges, and staff at the county’s Fire and Rescue Service are trained up to deal with whatever situations come their way.

According to the service, successful firefighters need good written and verbal communication skills, an understanding of the application of numbers and information technology, know how to work with others and have a strong awareness of problem solving. The job description for a whole time firefighter outlines some of the other criteria applicants must meet, including no known phobia of heights or confined spaces and being confident in or around water.

As of July 2021, there are three wage levels offered to firefighters. During their initial training course, they are offered £24,191 per year, but course attendance is compulsory, and therefore no annual leave is permitted.

Following its completion, their wage packet increases to £25,198 while they complete their two-year development course and take their Institute of Fire Engineer level two exams.

Once considered competent, Derbyshire firefighters can expect to earn around £32,244 each year.

For a better idea of what the job involves, it might be an idea to have a look at the Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service website.