The idea of a 'private practising anaesthesiologist'is generally that of a busy practitioner running from case to case, from one nursing home to the other, at all times of the day and night with no time for academics, teaching and family life.But is that really so? Is taking up a career in private practice going to be so full of hardships?There are several advantages of choosing private practice in anaesthesia. To survive in private practice, you need to be very confident in your work, skilful, punctual and good in communication. You can be your own master as a private practitioner. Private practice in anaesthesia is both challenging and interesting. This article, written by private practitioners in anaesthesia who have gone through the exciting and mundane phases of private practice examines the pro and cons of private practice; this can possibly help postgraduate students contemplating to take up private practice as a career.