Spanish doctor Nerea earns high wages as laborer in Australia, plans MIR return

Nerea, a 27-year-old Spanish medical graduate, has gone viral for working as a casual laborer in Australia, earning wages far exceeding her previous income in Spain. After graduating in medicine, she realized she could not afford the €8,000 needed for MIR preparation and moved to Australia to save money, originally planning a five-month stay that has extended to over a year and a half Source: ABC.

High earnings from temporary work

Nerea has worked in hospitality, agriculture, and construction. She reports earning around 32 euros per hour in construction, with some colleagues making up to 50 euros per hour Source: ABC. During the grain harvest, she earned a weekly wage she describes as the highest she has ever received, allowing rapid savings Source: El Español.

Challenges and discrimination

Despite the high pay, the work is physically demanding and access to construction jobs was difficult. Nerea says that when recruiters discovered she was a woman, "many times the conversation is cut short" Source: ABC. She insists her slowness as a beginner was due to inexperience, not gender, but acknowledges persistent prejudices against women in construction Source: ABC, El Español.

Nerea plans to return to Spain to prepare for the MIR exam and practice medicine, which she considers her true vocation Source: El Español. She has not pursued medical licensure in Australia due to the high cost and effort of homologation Source: ABC.