Introduction
Many thanks to our current LTFT trainees who have contributed their time, experiences and advice to make this section possible. If you have any queries that aren’t answered here talk to a current LTFTT, if you are not sure who these are please ask the PDs and we can put you in touch.
LTFTT with or without children
The majority of our current LTFT trainees have children but there are other eligibility criteria too. This is the Katy’s experience:
“Unlike most who do LTFT, I don’t have children which often confuses people! I applied for LTFT because two days a week, I wanted to continue working for a Christian charity. I do administration – typing up articles, books, managing website, liaising with people overseas, organising trips and going on overseas trips to Ghana, Togo, Estonia, Latvia…… I can do something else with my time which I feel is just as important as my job – I don’t have to choose over the two anymore”
Is LTFTT for you?
Some thoughts from LTFT trainees.
Full-time versus part-time? Deciding to work part-time is a big decision. You need to consider financial aspects, your fulfilment as a GP and child care arrangements where relevant.
Here are a few things to think about when considering LTFT training:
- If you don’t like hospital placements, you will be doing them for longer!
- Your teaching may overlap with two different ST3 year groups which is not great continuity, but it is still ok (the PDs usually recommend doing August to August for ST3 Tuesday teaching wherever possible)
- There seems to be a feeling amongst the LTFT trainees that we are thought to be less hard-working. This really isn’t the case!
Some of us say that we don’t quite feel as ‘immersed’ in the job as we used to. When doing a full-time role, you would spend much more time at work than at home. You’d get to know patients more, get to know staff more, you’d learn the ins and outs of the job a lot quicker. Whereas on LTFT, you don’t feel 100% ‘part of the furniture’ as it were and sometimes, people may wonder why you’re not up to the level of someone who works full time, but it’s just because you’re only there 60% of the time!