There are around 36 000 midwives in the UK, including 98 men, who won the right to practise as midwives in 1983. There are two ways of becoming a qualified midwife, via a degree or a diploma, both of which will give you a sound theoretical background as well as practical experience. Courses last between three and four years, but you can take a shortened midwifery course if you already hold some nursing qualifications.
Diploma
* Minimum entry requirements: Five GCSE's A-C or equivalent, inlcuding English, Maths and Science.
*Applications are made through the Nursing and Midwifery Admissions Service.
*You will receive a non means-tested grant during your studies, for a Diploma and Registered Midwife qualification.
Degree
*Minimum entry requirements: Two A-Levels, one of which is usually science.
*Applications are made through UCAS.
*On completion of your studies, you will receive a degree and a Registered Midwife qualification. .
*Competition for degree courses is fierce and entry requirements vary, so it is best to speak directly to the institution you are hoping to study at for more advice.

Most midwives hold posts in NHS or private hospitals and clinics, but it is also possible to practise independently. All midwives must be registered with the Council of Nursing and Midwifery.
As in most other European countries, midwives are present at almost every birth, at home or in hospital. "An obstetrician is completely different," says one, "A pregnancy is considered normal until proof otherwise and when complications arise, an obstetrician [surgical specialist in women's care before, during and shortly after childbirth] will take over." In the UK, pregnancy care is now carried out on a 'shared care' basis, where care of the pregnant woman is shared between the community midwife, the GP (in less straightforward pregnanices) and a hospital-based obstetrician. It is the midwife however, who remains an expectant mother's main point of contact and source of advice.
Midwives may work in the community making visits and assisting home deliveries, or be based in NHS or private hospitals, maternity units or birth centres, working on a shift basis and travelling between patients' homes and the hospital. To attract more people to the profession, the government has recently put in place a new pay and working conditions system across the NHS, which means that a newly-qualified midwife can expect to earn around £17 000, rising to over £48 000 for a consultant midwife in a leading hospital.

For more information and useful careers links, take a look at the Royal College of Midwives page on becoming a midwife.