DOCTOR GERMANY SALARY IN 2023 – HOW MUCH MONEY CAN DOCTORS MAKE IN GERMANY? THE ULTIMATE GUIDE

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Written by Mila Alperson

Dr. Alperson is a medical resident doctor in Germany, and Co-Founder of Doctoringermany.com (DiG). Her goal is to assist foreign colleagues to reach their full potential in the medical field in Germany. She has vast knowledge and experience in the medical licensing process in Germany.

December 4, 2021

If you’re a doctor, then the question on your mind may be “How much does a doctor make in Germany?” The answer to that question is not as simple as it sounds. There are many factors that come into play when discussing salaries for doctors in Germany. This guide will tell you everything you need to know about the topic you’ve been researching – doctor Germany salary. 

Are you considering working as a doctor in Germany? Are you wondering how much you can make as a doctor? Would you like to learn more about the potential salary doctors can earn in Germany? If you answered “yes” to all these questions, you’ve landed at the right place! 

While the average starting doctor salaries range from around €5,000 to around €7,000 per month depending on your specialty, there are other things to consider before making any decisions about moving abroad or staying close by at home. 

In this article, we will tell you EVERYTHING ABOUT DOCTOR GERMANY SALARY:
  • The salary range, median salary, and percentiles of doctors in Germany
  • Which doctor career has the highest earning potential
  • How experience and industry play a vital role in determining the salary of doctors in Germany

Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about a doctor’s salary in Germany!

Doctor Salaries Who Work In Medical Practices and Clinics In Germany

Doctors who want to be their own boss might start or take over a practice. However, an increasing number of young doctors are avoiding taking entrepreneurial risks. In terms of pay, taking the plunge into self-employment is justified.

The Salaries of Medical Practices in Germany

According to the 2011 statistics, a practice’s net yearly income ranged from €181,000 for general practitioners to €297,000 for ophthalmologists, as reported by the website Academics.

The Salaries of Clinics in Germany

Doctors in German clinics are mostly hired under a collective bargaining agreement and are classified as specialists and assistant doctors. Physicians’ wages increase as they acquire professional experience within certain pay categories. The average specialist at a municipal hospital is paid a gross salary of €5,656.92 per month, which increases to €6,131.23 after three years, Academics also reported.

The Salary of a German Hospital’s Administrative Staff

Administrative staff at hospitals works with the medical team to ensure that everything runs properly. The average salary of a managing director is significantly lower than that of a chief physician: Head physicians earn on average €285,000 per year in gross income, while top management makes an average of €194,000, Academics adds. In many hospitals, it has also become common practice to link a part of the staff’s pay to their performance and success.

Doctor Salaries in Germany: In University Hospitals

Doctors have their own collective agreement with Germany’s 34 university hospitals, which includes longer regular working hours but also greater pay for university doctors as compared to their peers paid according to the TdL (federal states’ collective agreement). 

Doctors at university hospitals often split their time between patient care, research, and teaching. They are included in the TdL if their research work takes up the majority of their time for more than a year. For years, medical groups have denounced this situation, claiming that it dissuades doctors from doing research.

Physicians’ activities are divided into three parts to provide them more variety and multidisciplinary activities, but they sometimes sacrifice their personal time as a consequence. In a recent poll, three-quarters of university clinic doctors worked over 48 hours per week, and 23% worked over 60 hours.

The Salary Range, Median Salary, and Percentiles of Doctors In Germany

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Salary Range

In Germany, doctor/physician salaries vary from 3,290 EUROs per month (lowest average salary) all the way to 15,100 EUROs per month (highest average salary).

Median Salary

A registered median monthly doctor Germany salary stands at 9,670 EUROs, meaning that half of those working in this field earn no more than around 9,600 EUROs and the second half earns over 9,600 EUROs. 

Percentiles

Two values are closely connected with the median: the 25th percentile and 75th percentile. According to the income diagram of distribution, 25 percent of individuals working in the field of Doctor make less than around 5,800 EUROs, while 75 percent earn more than around 5,800 EUROs. According to the chart, 75 percent of individuals working in the field of Doctor make less than around 13,500 EUROs, while 25 percent earn more than around 13,500 EUROs.

Salary Of Doctors In Germany Based On EXPERIENCE YEARS

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The most crucial deciding point that determines the doctor Germany salary is the level of experience. As a rule of thumb, the higher number of experience years you have, the higher your salary will be.

Employees with 2 to around 5 full years of clinical experience earn 32 percent more on average than freshmen & junior doctors through all sectors and specialties.

Professionals with over 5 years of experience earn 36 percent more on average than professionals that possess fewer than five years of experience.

The influence that experience has on doctors’ salaries in Germany varies a lot from one place to the next, and it also depends a lot on the job sector. 

When you reach the ten-year milestone, your salary rises by around 21%, and when you reach the fifteen-year mark, your salary increases by another 14%.

Those statistics are only meant to be used as a guide. 

As soon as a doctor reaches the ten-year milestone, his or her salary has often doubled.

Average Hourly INCOME Of Doctors In Germany

In Germany, the average hourly salary (pay per hour) is 52 EUROs. This indicates that for every hour worked in Germany, the average person earns about 52 EUROs.

The hourly pay is the amount of money earned in one hour of work. Jobs are often divided into 2 different categories: The global and the hourly categories. Global salary positions offer a set salary without any consideration to the worked time. 

The Formula to Converting A Doctor Salary into THE Hourly Wage

Hourly jobs are obviously based on the number of worked hours. The following formula can be used to convert a doctor salary to an hourly wage (if you work 5 days per week, as well as 8 hours daily). 

Hourly Pay = Annual Income ÷ ( 52 x 5 x 8 )

This calculation of the hourly wage can vary a bit, depending on one’s amount of weekly hours and the total sum of yearly vacation (as stated on the work contract). There is a significant difference when it comes to overtime between global and hourly workers. In contrast to hourly-paid workers, salaried staff are frequently free from overtime.

EXTRA PAY and IncentiveS Of German Doctors

Doctors that receive the largest amount of bonuses are generally associated with the profit creation cycle in some way.

16 percent of surveyed physicians said they had received no extra money or any incentives in their previous working year, whereas around 84 percent said they had gotten a minimum of one sort of income bonus.

Bonuses ranged from five percent to around nine percent of a person’s annual salary, according to those who received them.

Salary Difference Between Disciplines In Germany

Physicians’ salaries vary greatly depending on the specialty area, just as they do in clinics. A general practitioner makes roughly €40,000 less than a surgeon, who receives a six-digit gross annual income of €103,000. 

Although all experts are treated equally under collective agreements, increased compensation for night and on-call services, as well as personnel responsibility, results in salary differences.

Salary of Medical Technologists In Germany

Despite the fact that medical technologists’ work is widespread in medical practices and clinics, they are usually overlooked in the medical profession. According to a survey, engineers in the industry earned an average annual salary of €65,292 in 2016, which was €8,000 higher than the general average salary of professionals and executives. 

Earnings at the start of their careers are just €48,038, which is slightly less than physicians’ starting salary. Within the field of work, however, there are differences: larger companies pay better, women earn less than men, and medical technician salaries in Germany are higher in the north than in the south.

How Much Do Dentists In Germany Earn?

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In Germany, a dentist normally makes roughly 8,660 EUROs per month. Salaries range from 3,980 EUROs to 13,800 EUROs.

This is the monthly average salary, which includes housing, transportation, and other benefits. Dentist pay varies greatly depending on experience, skills, gender, and location.

A German Dentist’s Median Monthly Salary

The median monthly salary for dentists is 9,350 EUROs, meaning that around half of those working as dentists earn less than 9,350 EUROs and the other half earn more. In general, your goal is to be on the correct part of the graph, in the group that earns over the median wage.

A dentist with no more than 2 years of dental experience earns around 4,520 EUROs per month on average.

Someone with two to five years of experience can expect to earn 6,040 EUROs per month, which is 34% more than someone with less than two years of experience.

Moving forward, someone with five to ten years of experience earns 8,920 EUROs per month, which is 48 percent more than someone with two to five years of experience.

Government Doctors vs Private Sector Doctors Salary Difference

Working for a private company or for the government, where can you earn more money? Across all sectors, public sector workers in Germany earn 5% more than their private-sector peers.

The Position of Doctors in Germany in German Hospitals

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A general practitioner, often known as a general physician, is responsible for diagnosing and assisting patients with regular checkups and diagnostics. Patients will visit a general physician initially if they are suffering from a disease or condition. 

As a result, a physician must have the ability to perform various tasks, such as gathering, recording, and keeping patient data such as medical histories, reports, and examination findings. 

He or she must be able to communicate with patients in a professional and open way, explaining procedures and discussing test findings or suggested treatments. A general doctor must also be able to keep track of a patient’s health and development, as well as evaluate the efficacy of a treatment plan on a regular basis. A general practitioner must also be able to refer a patient to a specialist when required.

In most cases, a general practitioner works for a private clinic or a hospital. The job of a doctor is done completely indoors, in an examining room. In order to provide the best possible treatment for the patient, he or she must be able to collaborate with a variety of nurses, assistants, and other practitioners. 

A doctor must also be able to communicate with his or her patients and get the information needed to make diagnoses. The hours of a general practitioner are typically consistent, working from late morning through evening over the week.

Why Are Doctors In Germany So Highly Paid?

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The duties of a doctor are mentally and physically demanding. A physician must be able to stand for long periods of time, lift and handle heavy medical equipment, and stay on his or her feet for long periods of time. 

The profession of a doctor is also mentally challenging since it requires the ability to identify and treat any disease or condition that a patient may present with. As a result, being a general physician requires a substantial amount of education, including high school, college, medical school, and medical school certification.

Final Thoughts

If you are considering a medical career in Germany, this salary information should help give you an idea of what to expect. There are many factors involved when determining your exact monthly income as a German medical doctor. 

A German physician typically earns around 8,960 EUROs per month. Salaries start at 3,290 EUROs and reach 15,100 EUROs. The actual salary depends on several factors such as:

  • The field you’re working in
  • The years of experience you have; and
  • In some cases, the number of hours you work. 

We Can Help You Start Your Medical Career in Germany

Need help with becoming a medical doctor in Germany? First of all – subscribe to our YouTube channel Doctor In Germany, we will be uploading valuable content on a regular basis to help future and current doctors in Germany maximize their potential. Secondly, if you’d like us to go over your particular situation with you and find your best route for becoming a medical doctor in Germany, and of course answer any of your questions, you can book a one-on-one private counseling session. We would love to assist you!

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2 Comments

  1. Виталина

    Я в Украине работала врачом ультразвуковой диагностики,могу ли я в Германии продолжать работать именно в сфере ультразвуковой диагностики?

    Reply
  2. Abdullah

    Do I need german language proof of B2/C1 for beruferlaubnis?

    Reply

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