Welcome to The Naija UK Sonographer - For Nigerian-trained sonographers and radiographers in the UK

You made it to my first blog post, how exciting is that! It’s particularly exciting because I get to use this opportunity to intimate you on the inspiration behind creating The Naija UK Sonographer, and I also get to open up about my plans for this space and where you fit into all of this.

My decision to create The Naija UK Sonographer didn’t just happen on a whim, it was born out of years of listening to and observing the needs of Nigerian sonographers and radiographers who decided to pursue a career in the UK.

There are many reasons why radiographers and sonographers who primarily trained in Nigeria would decide to leave their family and friends to relocate abroad. Some of the reasons are perceived chances of career progression, different socio-economic conditions, possible increase in earnings, desire for a different experience and culture, etc.

In my case, aside from other personal commitments, I moved to UK because I wanted the experience that comes with exposure to new working environments, there was prospect of my career progressing and a potential increase in my earnings was very appealing to me.

In my last job in Nigeria, about 6 years ago, I was earning about 200,000 naira monthly. At the time, that was a decent amount of money, but what didn’t seem so decent to me was the fact that a lot of my senior colleagues who had been working for close to a decade or more were earning about the same thing I was, some lower, some slightly higher, and there was no hope in sight for a significant increase in their salary, despite the consistently fluctuating state of the economy. I couldn’t really see myself living comfortably on this salary in the long run. So once I made the decision to move, there really was no looking back.

At the time, it didn’t really matter where I moved to, as long as the dream seemed more promising than my reality then. So, places like Ireland, Canada, USA, UK, Australia (who were all looking for radiographers and sonographers) were on the table for me. In the end, I settled for UK, the registration process and visa processing just seemed more straight forward to me, plus I knew lots of my colleagues who were already working in the UK, so proof of some nice prospects was already established.

I remember during the initial phases of my move to the UK, I had so many unique questions, the kind of questions that only a fellow ‘brother’ or ‘sister’ (Nigerian) in my shoes would understand and answer in a personalised way. For instance, I heard a lot about the tax in UK and how expensive it is, so I wanted to really know what the ballpark take-home pay was after deductions.

When I googled this information, I got really generic answers and could not exactly understand some of the terminologies used at the time. I couldn’t find real personalised, Nigerian-style answer approaches to my questions and I didn’t like that. My only option, if the question was pressing enough, was to call/message my friends and colleagues already in the UK to help out.

This near absence of personalised information on the internet space for Nigerian sonographers and radiographers coming to work in or already working in the UK is the precise reason why I have created The Naija UK Sonographer; to fill in this gap, and make life easier for my fellow Nigerian professionals by providing valuable information in ‘our own way’ , the way most of us would relate to and understand, and making this information readily available for all to access on the internet.

Radiography and Sonography are very rewarding careers that come with a high level of skill requirements, knowledge and professionalism. But as rewarding as it may be, it does come with its own challenges, and choosing to work outside of your country likely comes with even more unique challenges. Based on my research and personal experiences, this blog is therefore available for me to share insights, how-to’s, tips, resources on sonography practice in the UK, radiography practice in the UK, education, lifestyle and career in the UK, for Nigerian-trained sonographers and radiographers.

So whether you are contemplating your move to the UK, or you’re already working as a sonographer or radiographer in the UK, or you’re just curious about the profession, please do join me on this exciting journey. Feel free to comment, share your thoughts and experiences, and anticipate more from me. Follow me on my socials (You Tube, LinkedIn, IG)to keep up to date with my content.

Hopefully this platform will be a valuable source of information, inspiration and support for you.

Thank you for reading my first blog post, my name is Rajuno. Welcome!

Bonus Video: