As a qualified Podiatrist the following are all possible:

NHS employee working as a hospital or community clinician or in a management role
Business owner running a private practice
Medical sales representative
Lecturer or researcher working in a university
Self employed locum working in private practices and private hospitals

Clinician working overseas
Representative or technician working with one of the associated trade organisations
NHS Consultant Podiatrist
Specialist practitioner working in podiatric surgery

Many practitioners work in a combination of these different roles to give them greater job satisfaction and flexible working hours to suit their home life!

Another great benefit of being a Podiatrist is that many of the roles provide very clear career progression. For example the following shows the structure of NHS Podiatry and a potential career path. This structure is also used in a number of other clinical working environments.

Entry level Podiatrist (band 5)
Specialist Podiatrist (band 6)
Team leader, Advanced Podiatrist (band 7)

Specialist Registrar in Podiatric Surgery
Surgery (band 8 a – d)
Consultant Podiatrist (band 9)

How much can I earn once I am qualified?

Putting a number to it is not that easy but here are a few examples.

Working in the NHS

Podiatrist (band 5) £24,907 to £30,615
Specialist podiatrist (band 6) £31,365 to £37,890
Team leader, Advanced podiatrist (band 7) £38,890 to £44,503
Specialist Registrar in Podiatric Surgery or Consltant Podiatrist in Podiatric Medicine (band 8 a – d) £45,753 to £87,754
Consultant Podiatric Surgeon (band 9) £91,004 to £104,927

Working in Private Practice

Working in a private practice you can earn around £20,000 – £50,000 per annum
Owning a successful single chair private practice you can earn around £50,0000 – £250,000
Owning a successful multi-chair private practice you can earn around £100,000 – £500,000
Owning a successful multi-site private practice you can earn around £150,000 – £1,000,000+

*All of the above figures were collated in May 2020.

2-3 days self-employed associate podiatry vacancy

Location: Rochester, Kent

About: Seeking a part-time podiatrist. We offer all aspects of podiatry, biomechanics, nail surgery and more. The successful applicant will already have excellent podiatry and communication skills, be willing to get involved and grow with the company. Mentoring and support is part of the package. Great incentives and team culture.

Ideally, we are looking for a minimum of 12 months of clinical experience, a professional confident practitioner who has a keen interest in delivering the best care and developing their skills. Biomechanics and Nail Surgery skills are preferred but not essential for this position. Registration with the HCPC and BSc Hons in Podiatry is essential. Interested podiatrists are invited to email a covering letter and CV.

Contact: Jay
Email: hello@proactive-wellbeing.co.uk
Telephone: 07730664735

Working in the UK

Click a box to view the case study

Working Overseas

A degree in Podiatry can be a ticket to some great adventure all round the world any many Podiatrist spend some of their working career overseas. While there are some limitations on the transferability of your qualifications to various countries there are still plenty of opportunities for you to use your Podiatry degree to work overseas

Location: Rochester, Kent

About: Seeking a part-time podiatrist. We offer all aspects of podiatry, biomechanics, nail surgery and more. The successful applicant will already have excellent podiatry and communication skills, be willing to get involved and grow with the company. Mentoring and support is part of the package. Great incentives and team culture.

Ideally, we are looking for a minimum of 12 months of clinical experience, a professional confident practitioner who has a keen interest in delivering the best care and developing their skills. Biomechanics and Nail Surgery skills are preferred but not essential for this position. Registration with the HCPC and BSc Hons in Podiatry is essential. Interested podiatrists are invited to email a covering letter and CV

Contact: Jay
Email: hello@proactive-wellbeing.co.uk
Telephone: 07730664735

LEE BURKE

New Zealand

After graduating, I secured a job in New Zealand working for Foot Mechanics Podiatry. There I had the opportunity to utilise the latest technology in digital gait analysis to assess and treat sporting injuries and other biomechanical issues.

I have also had opportunities to attend a technical fitting session with Adidas and the New Zealand Under 17 rugby squad, where I was responsible for fitting the players with the correct footwear, and have recently written an article for Rugby New Zealand.

Ultimately Podiatry has given me the opportunity to fulfil my career goals as well as fulfilling my ambitions in Rugby.

JILL WOODS

Nepal

While working as a lecturer teaching Podiatry I was lucky enough to be given a sabbatical to go to Nepal and spend four months in a small leprosy hospital. My time was mostly spent in the out patients department teaching the nursing staff wound care and nail surgery skills.

Even though I was helping them learn new skills, my own clinical skills developed enormously. Being faced with large numbers of foot ulcers every day and having very little in the way of equipment or dressings you become very resourceful and creative with treatment plans.

Nowhere I have ever worked has used my clinical Podiatry skills to such great effect. Spending time in such close contact with hundreds of very poor and stigmatised leprosy patients was a very humbling experience and something I will always remember.

JENNY KINDALL

Singapore

Shortly after qualifying I was appointed to a post at the ‘Foot Care & Limb Design Centre’ in Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore. Singapore has a high prevalence of diabetes and from the beginning I was involved with treating high risk patients with ulceration.

Working in this multidisciplinary and multicultural department has enabled me to develop strong clinical skills in wound management and offloading. It has also increased my depth of knowledge and made me aware of the importance of understanding the patients’ culture and beliefs.

Singaporeans are responsible for paying for their health care and I have to think ‘outside the box’ for alternative treatments if the patients have financial difficulties.

Career Opportunities

The benefit of an honours degree in podiatry means you are able to work in both the NHS and Private setting. Having exposure to the vast array of clinical conditions affecting a person’s feet can lead you in many different areas of practice. Options include sports podiatry, surgery, dermatology, paediatrics and now forensics along with staying in education and teaching settings. Being able to specialise but also maintain a broad clinical practice enables you to keep your options wide open.

Podiatry In Practice

The huge variety of conditions that a podiatrist treats lends itself to a broad clinical experience in practice. The option to specialise & develop your practice in one area means that you can focus your work should this be something you wish to embark on.