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7.

Psychology

Work Experience

Why, What, When and How?

The advice in this publication is designed to help you plan your job search strategy. Think about what you have read, turn it into action points and implement them. Good luck!

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Futures Team University of Central Lancashire 2011 Version 2

sky’s your limit with the careers service

Contents Why do it?...........................................................................................................1

Types of Work Experience………………………………....................................1

Benefits of Work Experience…………………………………............................3

How to get it…………………………………………………............................…..3

Areas Of Psychology:

Clinical Psychology................……………………..…........................................5

Forensic Psychology.……………………………....…........................................7

Educational Psychology…............………………..............................................8

Occupational Psychology……….……………...................................................9

Counselling Psychology..…………………….……............................................9

Health Psychology………..………………………..….........................................10

Sport and Exercise Psychology……………………..........................................10

Neuropsychology…….……………………………..............................................11

Sources of Work Experience

Local Opportunities………………………………........................................….12

Psychology Related Vacancy Sources…………...........................................13

Other Sources of Support……………………….……….........................….....14

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Work Experience for Psychology Students

Why do it? Becoming a Professional, Chartered Psychologist is very competitive with only approximately

15-20% of graduates making it. One of the major requirements for entry into these courses/careers is generating relevant work

experience; to help, for example: understand and experience the potential client groups.

understand the Psychologist role. and where possible apply relevant psychological approaches.

This handout will provide an overview of the types of opportunities available to students/graduates in the various fields.

Types of Work Experience

Whilst certain roles such as assistant psychologist and research assistant offer great experience, they can be exceptionally competitive; therefore you also need to consider

alternatives and/or ways to generate the experience to give you the best chance of gaining these types of role in the future.

Volunteering is often a good starting point particularly for those with little previous experience.

„It is a good idea to build up work experience as soon as you can. You

will often find that you have to work on a voluntary basis in order to gain enough experience to find paid work.‟ www.bps.org.uk

Some of the opportunities detailed, particularly volunteering, may well be available to students

immediately with little previous experience (e.g. volunteering as a befriender for Opening Doors –Lancashire County Council voluntary scheme); however others will be paid jobs (including full-time, part-time/temporary) and sometimes careers in their own right,

some of which might realistically only be pursued after graduating (although some mature students may already possess a relevant career background).

For example, teaching is excellent experience for Educational Psychology (although not essential); however it is not something that students could usually undertake whilst studying at

University (or may want to pursue after graduating), however gaining experience in a playgroup could be.

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When considering the sort of experience you want, be aware some opportunities may cross over several areas. So for example you may be unsure of whether you wish to pursue a clinical or forensic path, however volunteering for organisations like Drugline and Addaction could

provide useful insights for both.

Alongside the more formal work experience ideas detailed here, don’t overlook the possibility and benefit of arranging work shadowing experience and „information‟ interviews yourself with relevant people (i.e. short interviews talking about their job and how they got into

it, etc), which are useful in their own right and a valuable way of generating further opportunities and networks.

Developing a relevant „network‟ is very beneficial and BPS has a directory of professionals – www.bps.org.uk/psychology-public/find-psychologist/find-

psychologist; but also contact relevant local organisations (e.g. local Educational/Clinical Psychology Service/Departments). NB/ If your hometown is

away from Preston, try contacting professionals there, as local psychologists in the Preston area can be overwhelmed with requests.

Within University – your course will also provide potential opportunities to develop relevant experience, through projects/dissertations for example (although access to some relevant

populations may be difficult, try to think how you can practically link these to your areas of interest). However don’t be afraid to ask tutors if they have any research you may be able to

help with too (relevant research experience is often an important aspect of your experience to develop too).

The Undergraduate Research Internship Scheme (URIS) is an excellent way to develop research experience; working on a leading research project and being paid £200 a week for up

to 10 weeks over the summer. Advertised around April/May, talk to your tutors about the scheme if interested.

There is also a Year 3 work placement ½ module (where existing work experience can be used) available as an elective to students on the psychology named routes (e.g. BSc

Psychology and Sport Psychology), Neuroscience and the professional major combined honours route. Contact Lynda Holyoak on [email protected] for further information.

NB/ This is only a guide providing examples of potentially relevant opportunities and

certainly not an exhaustive list. Furthermore anybody interested in pursuing a particular career/course should

contact the relevant admission tutors of the courses of interest for advice on what they are looking for (e.g. amount and types of work experience and how varied) and

the suitability of the experience you are considering. See www.bps.org.uk/careers/accredited-courses/accredited-courses_home.cfm for

a list of BPS accredited courses and www.hpc-uk.org for details of HPC approved courses.

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Courses will vary in their exact requirements and for certain courses experience may not be essential (e.g. some Occupational courses), however it’s still recommended to give you an insight into the careers and will be very beneficial when applying for

relevant positions after completing the relevant postgrad course.

For further details of the differing roles within Psychology see: www.bps.org.uk/careers/what-do-psychologists-do/areas/areas_home.cfm

Benefits of developing Work Experience

If after developing relevant work experience you feel this is an area you wish to pursue a career in, then the experience may allow you to access more opportunities and network within relevant fields. Many posts such as Assistant Psychologist are very competitive and not always

externally advertised, therefore developing relevant contacts can increase the chances of gaining such roles.

It must be stressed however that even with the right work experience guaranteed progression

onto your chosen course and career cannot be assured. However students who have an interest in certain areas of psychology often have an interest in

working with a particular client group and within a particular sector/environment, and the experience gained will be invaluable for entry and insights into related careers which you may

also be considering. Furthermore the work experience can be useful for developing general transferable skills

employers are looking for across many careers areas, including non-psychology related. Indeed research shows 75% of employers prefer to recruit graduates with volunteering

experience.

(For further information on the general benefits see the ‘Work Experience and Volunteering’

booklet on-line: http://www.uclan.ac.uk/careersbooklets )

How to get it The approach you wish to take to developing work experience will vary, some volunteering and

paid opportunities may be applied for in more traditional ways (e.g. completing an application form), however you may also need to be creative by utilising and developing networks (e.g.

contact people you know who work in a relevant area) and making speculative applications and approaches.

If you have an interest in working with a particular organisation/within a particular area, then approach them directly. Resources like www.yell.com are a great way to find relevant

organisations.

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Futures also runs Work Experience/Volunteering Fairs during the year so look out for these, as they’re a great way to talk to lots of different organisations; indeed a mini Psychology Work Experience Fair runs in semester 2 each year.

Also see the Sources of Work Experience section below.

www.uclan.ac.uk/careersbooklets - Futures has a series of relevant on-line booklets including „Networking‟ and „Work Experience and Volunteering‟)

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Areas of Psychology

Clinical Psychology UCL’s Doctorate in Clinical Psychology application advice says:

“Being clear about what counts as experience is hard to specify, especially because suitable posts vary enormously…….. very broadly, candidates should

look for experience which gives them:

. an idea of what clinical psychologists actually do

. some direct clinical contact with the sort of clients psychologists work with

. an idea of what work with clients actually entails

. a sense of the organisational context in which clinical psychology usually operates”

See www.ucl.ac.uk/clinical-psychology/Pages/Applying.htm for further details.

Ultimately gaining relevant clinical experience is therefore very important to access the Doctorate course; however below are examples of the sort of experiences which could be of benefit:

Assistant Psychologist.

Care Worker/assistant. Support Worker in various settings (e.g. Community Mental Health, Learning Disability

Service).

Nursing assistant, auxiliary nurse. Teaching assistant in Special School/Working with children with learning disabilities.

Volunteer in a variety of roles such as Helpline, Befriending, Project Worker with clients with Disabilities/Mental Health issues:

e.g. MIND, Samaritans, SANE, Drugline, Addaction,

Lancashire CC Volunteering Services. Graduate Mental Health Workers/Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT)

Low intensity therapist/worker. Relevant research experience is useful, for example, research assistant in a clinically

relevant area.

As a student try to make final year projects, dissertations etc, as clinically relevant as you can; talk to your tutors about this.

Volunteer to help out within your University (e.g. research) or Clinical Psychology departments; ask around and be persistent.

For further information on most of the individual courses and their entry requirements follow the link below, where contact details are also available:

www.leeds.ac.uk/chpccp/BasicEntry.html

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Other Useful Resources:

BPS Division of Clinical Psychology: www.bps.org.uk/networks-communities/member-networks/divisions/divisions

www.clinpsy.org.uk/ and www.psyclick.org.uk/ -websites for those interested in a

career within clinical psychology.

www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/

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Forensic Psychology Experience within a forensic environment will enhance your chances of accessing a relevant course and/or position; relevant opportunities include:

Volunteering/working with a variety of organisations, e.g. NACRO, Victim Support, Youth

Offending Team. Involvement with Prison Visitor Schemes. Assistant Psychologist in a forensic setting.

Working in secure units. The Probation Service.

Research assistant in a relevant area. Support/Project worker. Youth worker.

Working with people with substance misuse problems; as crime and these issues can be interlinked.

As a student try to make final year projects, dissertations, etc, as relevant as you can; talk to your tutors about this.

Befriender/ helpline volunteer – e.g. Addaction, Drugline.

Useful Resources:

BPS Division of Forensic Psychology: http://www.bps.org.uk/networks-communities/member-networks/divisions/divisions

Investigative Psychology: www.forenspsych.co.uk/

www.ccjf.org/whatcanido/index.html

www.nacro.org.uk/

www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk

www.homeoffice.gov.uk/

www.victimsupport.org.uk

www.probation.homeoffice.gov.uk/output/Page1.asp, www.probation-lancashire.org.uk

www.probationbulletin.co.uk/

www.policecouldyou.co.uk/, www.lancashire.police.uk/recruitment/volunteers

National Association of Official Prison Visitors www.naopv.com

www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/

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Educational Psychology

Relevant experience involves working with children and young people (0-19) within an educational, social care, childcare or health and community setting. Opportunities include:

Volunteering in a variety of areas/organisations e.g. Barnardo’s, SureStart,

Homework/Holiday Club volunteer. Teacher. Classroom experience is very beneficial however roles other than teacher exist (e.g.

Teaching/classroom/learning support assistant). Graduate Assistant/Assistant Educational Psychologist.

Learning mentor. Childminder or other worker in Early Years setting. Camp Counsellor – e.g. BUNAC.

Educational Social Worker. Personal Adviser.

Care worker. Early years’ worker.

Speech and Language Therapist. As a student try to make projects, dissertations, etc, as relevant as you can; talk to your

tutors about this.

Social Services – e.g. Social Work Assistant, volunteering such as Befriending roles.

Useful Resources: BPS Division of Educational & Child Psychology http://www.bps.org.uk/networks-

communities/member-networks/divisions/divisions

Association of Educational Psychologists: www.aep.org.uk/ www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/educational-psychology - Children’s Workforce

Development Council runs the Clearing House and has application details and advice.

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Occupational Psychology Look for experience that will give you some insight into the issues around the workplace. Although any workplace experience is helpful, possible work experience can include:

Developing experience within a commercial environment – for example through temping

in an administration role. Working within a HR/Personnel department. Schemes such as STEP (www.shellstep.org.uk) offer projects in a business

environment, and UCLan Futures has its own placement unit (www.uclan.ac.uk/futures) which may have relevant opportunities.

The Bridge: The University’s student job shop may have relevant opportunities which are usually local: www.uclan.ac.uk/thebridge/index.htm

As a student try to make projects, dissertations, etc, as relevant as you can; talk to your

tutors about this.

Useful Resources:

BPS Division of Occupational Psychology: http://www.bps.org.uk/networks-communities/member-networks/divisions/divisions

www.uclan.ac.uk/myfutures - The Futures website also has details of other vacancy and work experience opportunities.

Counselling Psychology

Some courses may require applicants to have undertaken a basic counselling skills course, alongside counselling related work experience which may include:

Voluntary counselling services e.g. Samaritans, Drugline, ChildLine, MIND; Assistant Psychologist (NHS).

UCLan M&M mentoring scheme may provide useful initial experience: http://www.uclan.ac.uk/information/services/sas/m_and_m/mandm.php

As a student try to make projects, dissertations, etc, as relevant as you can; talk to your

tutors about this. Useful Resources:

BPS Division of Counselling Psychology: http://www.bps.org.uk/networks-

communities/member-networks/divisions/divisions

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy: www.bacp.co.uk/

www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/

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Health Psychology Relevant experience could include:

Research Assistant/Assistant Psychologist within healthcare field. Working in a variety of health care settings such as hospitals, hospices and care homes

will develop experience. Health promotion projects e.g. Preston Sports Development Council (childhood obesity

programme).

As a student try to make projects, dissertations, etc, as relevant as you can; talk to your tutors about this.

Useful Resources:

BPS Division of Health Psychology: http://www.bps.org.uk/networks-communities/member-networks/divisions/divisions

www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/

Preston Sports Development Council for further info contact:

[email protected] or 01772 906188

Sport and Exercise Psychology Relevant experience could include:

Coaching experience; teams and/or individuals – for example, opportunities exist through UCLan Sport, Preston Sports Development Council, and Lancashire Sport.

PE Teaching.

Fitness/exercise opportunities- e.g. fitness/exercise instructor, volunteering on exercise and fitness programmes (e.g. Preston Sports Development Council).

As a student try to make projects, dissertations, etc, as relevant as you can; talk to your tutors about this.

Useful Resources:

BPS Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology: http://www.bps.org.uk/networks-communities/member-networks/divisions/divisions

www.bases.org.uk

www.uclan.ac.uk/sport

www.lancashiresport.org.uk/

Preston Sports Development Council for further info contact:

[email protected] or 01772 906188

www.activatesport.co.uk/

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Neuropsychology You would first need to qualify as an Educational or Clinical Psychologist to enter this profession.

Useful Resources:

BPS Division of Neuropsychology: http://www.bps.org.uk/networks-

communities/member-networks/divisions/divisions

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Sources of Work Experience

Local Opportunities Many of the opportunities mentioned above are voluntary (which if you have limited experience

is a good starting point) and available locally, the organisations below can help you access them and others:

The UCLan Centre for Volunteering and Community Leadership can help you plan

and design your own volunteering project. Visit their office in Livesey House Room 312, ring 01772 893669 or email Riz Gurjee [email protected]

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/schools/education_social_sciences/the_centre_for_v

olunteering/index.php

Lancashire County Council has Volunteer Hub which offers a wide variety of

opportunities. For more information visit the website or email [email protected]

www.lancashire.gov.uk/corporate/web/view.asp?Volunteer/20253

Volunteer Bureaux provide information on local volunteering opportunities.

For example: Preston CVS, Unit 23/25, Guildhall Arcade, Lancaster Road, Preston. PR1

1HR. Tel: 01772 251108, or e-mail: [email protected]

For details of other offices visit the National Association for Voluntary and Community

Action website www.navca.org.uk

www.do-it.org.uk – a nationwide database of local volunteering opportunities.

Remember to also consider approaching local organisations/people of interest yourself speculatively; and furthermore many of the vacancy sources listed below will have local opportunities.

Please also see our Work Experience and Volunteering booklet for further information:

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/careersbooklets

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Psychology related Vacancy Sources

A variety of websites exist:

www.bps.org.uk – Within the Careers Section the individual Job Profiles include relevant vacancy sites.

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/types_of_jobs.htm

http://careersadvice.direct.gov.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles/ – Similarly individual Job Profiles include relevant vacancy site information.

Some of the main sites include:

www.psychapp.co.uk/ - BPS Jobs Site, to access full details you need to be a member of BPS, although the monthly hard copy may be available in your department.

www.mentalhealthjobs.co.uk/

www.jobs.nhs.uk/ www.healthcarejobs.co.uk/

www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/careersandjobs/

www.psychminded.co.uk/jobs.htm

www.cypnowjobs.co.uk/jobs/

www.homeoffice.gov.uk/

www.direct.gov.uk/en/index.htm www.jobs.ac.uk

www.uksport.gov.uk/

www.bases.org.uk/

www.healthjobsuk.com/select_sector

www.communitycare.co.uk Local Government and council websites can contain relevant vacancies in areas such as

education, sport, etc e.g.: www3.lancashire.gov.uk/corporate/vacancies/index.asp?sysredir=y

www.lgjobs.com

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National Newspapers such as The Times, The Guardian and The Independent are a useful source of vacancies.

Furthermore opportunities (temping, part-time, etc) maybe available through relevant recruitment agencies (e.g. www.reliancecare.com) either during or after your degree;

they tend to specialise in particular types of job. Many are members of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation; to search for relevant

agencies visit: www.rec.uk.com

Other Sources of Support Futures have various resources in the Centre and on-line (www.uclan.ac.uk/futures), and Careers Advisers are available to offer one-to-one help and advice.

UCLan’s Department of Psychology also has its own Careers related WebCT, and „What Next…?‟ Programme.

The following websites also have useful advice and resources:

www.bps.org.uk – each career area has its own Division and website.

BPS Student Members Group: http://www.bps.org.uk/networks-

communities/member-networks/support-groups/student-members-group-

smg/student-members-group-

BPS Career videos: www.bps.org.uk/careers/careers-videos/careers-videos_home.cfm

The Psychologist, monthly publication of the BPS, including a forum on careers issues:

www.thepsychologist.org.uk/bps/sub-sites$/thepsychologist/about/about_home.cfm

The Higher Education Academy Psychology Network has an excellent publication: www.psychology.heacademy.ac.uk/docs/pdf/p20080915_Employability_Guide.pdf

www.careersinpsychology.co.uk/

http://ihsc.worc.ac.uk/careersinpsy/ - Link to Careers in Psychology videos

www.leedsmet.ac.uk/metoffice/employability/resources/learning_objects_psychology/cv/index.htm - Useful advice on developing a CV.

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The Futures website contains a range of careers booklets, offering advice and tips to help you, at www.uclan.ac.uk/futures. You can also find information on the site

about relevant events, elective modules and Futures Awards.

You might also want to check out the recorded online events, covering a number of topics, at www.uclan.ac.uk/futuresondemand

If you would like further help or want to speak to a careers adviser please call at Futures Reception in the Library Building or ring (01772) 895858

or e-mail [email protected]