After more than two decades caring for patients in hospitals and homes in France, Silvia, now 67 years old, confesses that her retirement pension is insufficient. He retired at 62, after a career marked by long shifts, physical exertion and constant moving to another city as a nursing assistant. Today, with 1,625 euros net per month, he feels that the amount does not reflect the demands of a lifetime dedicated to others.
Silvia worked for 25 years as a nursing assistant in various hospitals and nursing homes in western France. “As my husband was a salesman and changed companies often, we ended up moving too”, she recalls. “I worked in different centers, mainly public and sometimes private hospitals, as well as nursing homes.”
Born in Sarthe, he worked in hospitals in Le Mans, Laval, Angers and Rennes. Despite the instability, he guarantees that this gave him experience and motivation. “If I had spent my entire career in the same place, I think I would have gotten bored. When changing departments, I always learned something new and discovered other ways of working.”
A career dedicated to intensive care
For three years, Silvia worked in a neonatology unit at a private hospital in Rennes, according to Spanish digital newspaper Noticias Trabajo. “I took care of premature babies, and it was there that I felt that my work really made a difference”, he says with emotion.
Despite successive contracts, he never lacked work. “I always arrived at teams with a lack of personnel, and they welcomed me with open arms, because they knew they could count on me.”
In his last position, in a public residence for the elderly in Angers, he earned around 2,300 euros gross (approximately 1,900 net). The reform arrived in October 2020, shortly before the most recent reform of the French pension system. “I welcomed retirement with enthusiasm. After so many years of caring for others, I wanted to take care of myself and do things I never had time for.”
“My pension is insufficient”
Currently, Silvia receives 1,790 euros gross per month, which is equivalent to 1,625 euros net. He is a multi-pensioner, receiving benefits from different pension funds, namely Agirc-Arcco and the National Pension Fund for Local Government Employees.
Despite this, she feels undervalued, according to . “My pension is insufficient, considering the effort and responsibility of this work”, laments the retired woman. “The long hours, physical work, restless nights and lack of recognition accumulate over time.”
Still, she appears calm. “Now I want to enjoy my free time, travel and take care of myself. It’s been many years of taking care of others.”
How much do nursing assistants earn in Portugal?
In Portugal, the reality is similar, or even more difficult. A medical assistant (equivalent to a nursing assistant) earns, on average, between 900 and 1,200 euros gross per month, depending on the institution, seniority and salary supplements.
Professionals who work in the National Health Service are part of the general career of operational assistant, with a base salary of 821.83 euros, according to the single remuneration table for the Public Service in 2025. To this amount are added shift, night or biological risk allowances, which can increase the final income.
As in France, in Portugal the profession continues to be marked by physical demands, rotating hours and lack of recognition. Despite being an essential function, many assistants admit that the renovations end up not reflecting the weight of a lifetime of dedication.
Silvia is just one example, but one that summarizes the feeling of many healthcare workers, both in France and Portugal: retirement comes, but rest is rarely proportional to the effort of an entire career in the service of others.
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