How hard is it to get a psychology job?

Hiya,

Is any job in psychology hard to get to?
I understand that NHS jobs in psychology are hard to get to... but what about teaching? anything else?

Im sort-of determined to do psychology degree etc... but very worried about actually getting a job later on as people say 75% of people cant get into the job they choose....

thanks

EDIT: oh and im looking into clinical psychology as a post-grad.... but apparantly thats extremely hard to get into too so i just dont know whether i should just back down n go for a different degree :s-smilie:

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 1

ZarZar

Original post by megfashion

Hey!

Uhhhh don't get me started on job hunting! I just graduated from psychology a coupla months ago and im still looking for a job normal or psychology related!

Im looking into entering the clinical sector but im taking a year out atm.... Whoever told you its hard is correct. The clinical psychology field is becoming more and more competitive and will carry on doing so with more and more people taking psychology. Not just clinical infact ANY psychology or any job is getting harder and harder to get into.

HOWEVER I would not let this put you off taking it at degree level at all! Any job is hard but you gotta work for it you'll get there one day if you don't give up, nothing in life is easy!

One last thing lol the more experience you gain now voluntary/paid related to psychology the better chances you have of going into a post-grad or whatever in the future so start early!

Reply 2

megfashion

Mkay.... thankyou
I didnt think you could do voluntary work, due to confidentiality etc.... where abouts can people volunteer? im very interested if i can do it!

ok, shall try not to give up. i seem to be getting alot of unluckiness at the moment so hope it wont affect the future...

thanks x

Reply 3

SpicyStrawberry

You can volunteer in a hospital (preferably with a mental health ward if possible) to gain experience in a clinical setting, this is your best bet.

Theoretically to become a clinical psychologist (which is extremely competitive) you need to study an accredited undergraduate psychology degree (normally 3 years) then move onto a doctorate in clinical psychology (another 3 years) totalling six years in education, however in practice it can be a lot more than that to become qualified as many postgrad courses require experience working in the sector.

Have a look at the British Psychological Society (BPS) website to find out about institutions offering accredited degrees. Most psychology courses I've seen are all accredited apart from some combined honours courses so you should have a range of choices, depending on your A-level/BTEC grades.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 4

LydiaM123

ZarZar - i feel your pain, I'm a psychology graduate from 2010, and it's so tough to get a job these days!

OP - Don't give up on psychology just yet! First of all, psychology graduates are some of the most employable (according to an article I read a couple of months ago!), and it can lead into a number of different jobs.

Your best bet is to work hard, get a high 2.1 or a 1st, and voluntary experience will really help you when you graduate. For clinical psychology, you should try to get experience in a hospital, or in a special needs school. The National Autistic Society runs a be-friending scheme, which where you meet up with someone on the Autistic Spectrum once or twice a month, which is really good experience. This will also help you get into support worker or teaching assistant jobs when you graduate.
If you decide that clinical psychology isn't for you, there are so many different options - health, forensic, occupational or counselling psychology for example. Quite a few psychology graduates do a postgraduate course in Occupational Therapy as well, or go into a Sales or business role.

Reply 5

GodspeedGehenna

A graduate job? Near enough impossible.

Reply 6

tinyflame

Original post by GodspeedGehenna

A graduate job? Near enough impossible.

When are you unbanned?

And I'm interested in psychology, but only a niche area?

Reply 7

JamesManc

I'm lucky in that I'm almost a psychologist (more by luck than aptitude) with just one more qualification to go, however 99% of the compatriots who studied with me never got any form of psychology job. There are lots of of graduates with too few places, way too few considering the mental health problems of this country. Clin psy is more competitive than medicine! Quite a lot so. I often feel sorry for msc psych conversions, they often feel they'll be psychologists and 99% of those won't either.