Psychology Graduate - Seeking advice about job hunting in England.

Capricorn09

Hello

I was hoping someone might be able to offer some advice about hunting for psychology related jobs in England.

I have an undergraduate degree in psychology, and am currently completing an MSc in Applied Psychology in the University of Ulster. I finish exams in mid May and then am planning to move to England to find some work.

I was wondering if anyone would have any advice about job hunting for psychology jobs in England - what kind of jobs I could be looking for, if there are any reputable employment agencies who might specialise in this area.

I am registered with NHS jobs and would love an IAPT PWP position, however having researched the standards it seems these jobs are just as competitive (it not more so!) than getting into a clinical doctorate! I think I may need to cast my net a bit wider...

I have some volutnary work experience, a year doing support group facilitation for people experiencing anxiety and depression and I also volunteered as a computer tutor with an individual with intellectual disability for one day a week last summer.

If anyone has any advice I would really appreciate it.

Thanks.

dar100

You may need to gain some more practical work based experience, I know little of English employment prospects, but if you were looking for work over here, you may find it challenging to find employment with not a lot of work history.

Capricorn09

Thanks for your feedback. I have been working for over ten years, just not in psychology unfortunately. Although I was able to become involved with a research project in work in the last year so I'm hoping that will be somewhat helpful on the CV!

To be honest I found it very difficult here to even get voluntary work experience as so many places I got in touch with told me they had too many volunteers already!! Something I thought I would never hear

I was hoping there may be more opportunities in England.

Semele

I could post reams, but your best bet is to check out www.clinpsy.org.uk. It's amazing, I relied on it for advice from getting a first foot on the ladder type job to getting on a clinical doctorate (which I'm now doing!). They have advice forums and wikis that will tell you anything you could possibly need to know.

Your best bet is to start with support work- it's rare enough to go straight into an IAPT or assistant psych job without more basic experience. Also these jobs are much easier to get, pay pretty well (especially in London) what with unsocial hours etc and will give you great experience of working with clinical populations and in teams involving a psychology presence. Have a look at the site anyway, and enjoy the journey!

Capricorn09

Thank you I just had a quick look there and it seems like there is loads of information available. I had seen some care support positions also, it's good to know they may be helpful in gaining some experience as they seem to be more plentiful than the AP posts! Much appreciated.

bisset

http://www.wspld.org.uk/main.cfm?type=CVAC&job=1497

I went to UK in the last recession with a psychology B.A. and got a job as a nursing assistant in a psychiatric day hospital which eventually led me into social work. There seems to be an ongoing need for staff to work in residential support services with vulnerable client groups. Something like the Westminster Society could give you valuable experience.Good luck

Capricorn09

Thanks very much, it's so encouraging to hear from other people who were in a similar situation!

Vag

Hi Capricorn09, I am in a similar position, planning to head to London for a while. I was just wondering how it went for you in the end. Did you have any luck in the psychology/NHS game or getting a IAPT PWP position?

Capricorn09

Hi, no definitely had not luck getting any of the IAPT trainee positions and it seems extremely competitive! My circumstances have changed and I can't actually move to the UK at the moment, however it seems from when I was searching you would be far better off to relocate first and start looking then (finances allowing - I know this would be a touch option for me!). Best of luck!

Valmont

It's quite tough over here OP. In terms of the ticking the boxes I have two years of experience dealing with people with mental illnesses in a voluntary capacity, I have published papers, I have distinctions in my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, and I teach classes at the university on abnormal psychology and mental illness and I'm still looking for work as an assistant psych. My most recent speculative job application resulted in the offer of more voluntary work! Keep plugging away though and I have no doubt you will find something. I'm realising the importance of networking at the moment as candidates technically less qualified than myself are getting the positions. That's not a complaint though, I fully understand somebody hiring someone they already know and trust to get the job done.

Vag

@Valmont - Just out of curiosity, do you teach full-time? And if not, what do you work at in the mean time while you are applying for jobs? (If you don't mind me asking that is). I would just really like to get the lay of the land, and get a sense of what options are open to someone in my position if I move. I have similar experience to you.

Valmont

Typically I teach once a week, with ten classes in a module. I work in a legal support firm during the day and volunteer weekends and evenings. The plan is to just improve my CV gradually and I figure something will come along sooner or later! One piece of advice I would give is to keep a very close eye on the NHS jobs website and completely ignore the respond by dates. Last year I missed one because they pulled it a week early as they felt they had received enough applications!

Vag

That sounds like a good plan. Hopefully something will come along for you soon. Also, I agree with you about the NHS deadline point, they can close a few days early if you're not quick off the mark!