Aims and methodFactors influencing trainees’ decisions about choosing and remaining in higher training subspecialties have not been widely researched. We administered telephone questionnaires to higher specialist trainees in the north-east of England to ascertain what influences these decisions. Thematic analysis was employed to develop overall constructs.ResultsTwenty-seven trainees were interviewed, resulting in six overall constructs. These were: supervisory experiences; perceived work–life balance; career prospects; training and working environments; interest in the chosen subspecialty; and previous experience within the chosen subspecialty. Most trainees interviewed felt they had made the right specialty choice.Clinical implicationsThis study demonstrates the particular importance of exposure to a specialty and perceptions of the supervisory experience in determining trainees’ choices of, and decisions to remain in, a particular psychiatric specialty. Factors highlighted in this study must inform training, recruitment and workforce planning in order to bolster the recruitment and retention of trainees into higher specialty training.