Psychiatrist: career path and pay in the UK
Where a Psychiatrist goes next, what each step typically pays in the United Kingdom, and how exposed the path is to AI replacement. 3 steps, from Psychiatrist to Senior Psychiatrist / Chief of Psychiatry / Medical Director.
Also for the United States: Psychiatrist in the US
The path
Step 1 · 4 to 8 years
Psychiatrist
£75K to £110K
Typical UK pay for this job title, retrieved September 2026.
What this step adds
Credentials that help: MD/DO - US, MBBS/MBChB - UK/EU, Medical License - US, GMC Registration - UK/EU.
Step 2 · 8 to 15 years
Psychiatrist / Senior Psychiatrist
£100K to £150K
Typical UK pay for this job title, retrieved September 2026.
What this step adds
Credentials that help: MD/DO - US, MBBS/MBChB - UK/EU, Medical License - US, GMC Registration - UK/EU.
Step 3 · 15+ years
Senior Psychiatrist / Chief of Psychiatry / Medical Director
£110K to £170K
Typical UK pay for this job title, retrieved September 2026.
What this step adds
Credentials that help: MD/DO - US, MBBS/MBChB - UK/EU, Medical License - US, GMC Registration - UK/EU.
Exposure and pay along the path
Exposure to AI, now to later
24% → 24%
Stays level across the path. Lower is better.
Typical pay, now to later
£75K to £110K → £110K to £170K
UK estimates by job title, Glassdoor, Indeed and PayScale UK. The published figure for Clinical Director sat below the previous step, so this band is set 12% above it.
What the work involves
Diagnose, treat, and help prevent mental disorders.
Skills that matter most
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Monitoring
Knowledge areas
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Therapy and Counseling
- Psychology
- Biology
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
Education people bring
- Post-Doctoral Training: 59%
- Doctoral Degree: 34%
- Master's Degree: 5%
Job Zone 5, job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed. Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Other paths from here
- Chief of Psychiatry
- Medical Director
- Healthcare Administrator
- Psychiatric Educator
More Healthcare paths in the UK
Related occupations in O*NET: Pediatricians, General, Neurologists, Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses, Family Medicine Physicians, General Internal Medicine Physicians.
Your own role
How exposed is your job, task by task? Free score in under a minute.
SourcesSalary bands: Glassdoor, Indeed and PayScale UK, UK national averages by job title, retrieved September 2026Skills, knowledge and education: O*NET 31.0 Database
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CC BY 4.0
Salary estimates by job title from Glassdoor UK, Indeed UK and PayScale, retrieved September 2026. Each band runs from 20% below to 20% above the reported average, rounded to £5K. Exposure percentages and the skills listed under each step are this app's own editorial ratings, not published data.