how hard is it to become a speech therapist?

it sounds cool and i have a passion for languages and linguistics so im pretty much destined to become one right? i havent looked too much into it, i just know you need a masters

Hey! I'm a Speech and Language Therapist

Firstly I only know English, no other language so another language isn't needed - it can be helpful if you work with bilingual people but not needed.

You don't need a masters degree. That's just one way of doing it. You can do an undergraduate course. You can do a masters if you already have a related undergraduate degree like English Language, Linguists etc. However the masters course is usually much more competitive. The under graduate course is also competitive. Getting some experience in schools, hospitals (if possible observing a Speech therapist but this is rare now) can be really helpful.

Let me know if you have any questions

More info:

https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/allied-health-professionals/roles-allied-health-professions/speech-and-language-therapist

well im studying italian and linguistics so it looks like ill need to get a masters degree. by competitive, do you mean its hard to get a placement in the masters course? if so, will knowing a second language put me ahead of most? thanks for the reply

You can still do it as an undergraduate degree. You can do an undergraduate degree followed by another one. Yes it's harder to get onto the masters than the undergraduate (or it was said to be when I applied to the undergraduate one about 6 years ago - things may have changed but I doubt it). Having another language isn't essential but could be helpful

okay, few more questions. would you recommend i do another undergraduate course or a masters after my current one? since undergraduate courses are more expensive not to mention longer so it seems like a waste imo. how is speech therapy? what is the most common task you perform? lastly, whats the money like?

An undergraduate is generally easier to get onto and the learning is less crammed. When I've spoken to people who did the masters they said it was very full on. Sometimes by the time people have applied, got rejected, and applied the next year for the masters it's the same time as the undergraduate anyway. But yes it's worth taking into account the finance of it. If I were you I'd apply to both undergraduate and masters courses and see how it goes.

The most common task I do is normally direct speech therapy work e.g. assessment of the speech sounds and therapy for this and also work on their language skills like sentence formation. Lots of admin like reports, phone calls, and emails too

It depends on where you work e.g. NHS vs private but most start on about £24k a year. (before tax etc). Here are the band's based on experience and specialism (a newly qualified is band 5) - https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/working-health/working-nhs/nhs-pay-and-benefits/agenda-change-pay-rates

Just like any health career, don't go in it for the money but to help