[skissane]

> UK a consultant earns £100k pretax

While it depends on the specialty, in Australia it is not uncommon for consultants to be on AUD 300-400K (= 150-200K GBP, 200-250K USD). I don't understand why salaries in the UK are so low, even for highly educated professionals.

My grandfather was a GP. He hated the NHS so much, he left the UK and never went back. Pay was likely a factor, but he also viewed the NHS as a denial of his professional freedom. While Australia eventually adopted something akin to the NHS (Medicare), I don't think he objected so much to that, since it involved less government control over the how of his job.