The Student Room Group

work experience

I'm year 13 student and I want to get work experience that is psychology related this summer but i can't really seem to find one in person.
I live in MCR btw
Anything working with kids would help with developmental psych - babysitting, volunteering on holiday sports courses, brownies etc
You don't need work experience prior to applying for undergraduate
Original post by ssrrsx
I'm year 13 student and I want to get work experience that is psychology related this summer but i can't really seem to find one in person.
I live in MCR btw

Hi @ssrrsx ,

As others mention, experience is not required to apply for an undergraduate but it can look great in your personal statement, CV and later on when you are studying to find more work experience.

With psychology, it is very hard to find direct experience on your own especially in a clinical setting or working with vulnerable people due to all the risk and paperwork (certainly not personal, it just is what it is!) It is still worth reaching out via email or going in person to companies to explain who you are and that you are looking for work experience. It may help if you have a CV at hand to show your skills and education (GCSEs) and what a-levels (if you are doing them) you are doing as well as what you hope to do in the future to show your passionate and keen to gain work experience. I would recommend contacting Manchester university with the Psychology department to see if they have any research experience you could gain over the summer or if there is any work such as transcribing you could do. They might say no but it is worth a shot if you are interested in research.

At this stage, I think any experience with people where you are communicating, managing your time and able to develop and show your soft skills is great experience. People say this so often because it is true especially with Psychology so any experience dealing with or even talking to people is great.

Another option you could consider is volunteering for charities and contacting them like you would with companies eg SHOUT (https://giveusashout.org/get-involved/volunteer-shout/) if you are interested in exploring a career in mental health.

Do you have an area of Psychology in mind so I can try suggest other charities or things you could do? This might help others provide recommendations who are also in MCR.

It is great to see that you are eager to get work experience in year 13!

Finally, the biggest tip I can give is to make a LinkedIn profile to track your experience and qualifications so when it comes to updating your CV it is easy to remember when you did what and show others what you have done.

If you cant find any work experience, do not worry as there are other ways to make the most out of your summer such as doing online courses that are free such as those available from Open University (there are plenty Psychology related) and you get certificates which you can add to LinkedIn!

Good luck and I would be more than happy to answer any questions (I just finished four years of undergraduate degree 3 years and another doing a placement with the NHS for a year) at the University of Kent where I acquired quite a bit of experience so I hope I can help with any questions you might have. :smile:

Alia
University of Kent Student Rep (final year Psychology student)
Reply 4
Original post by University of Kent
Hi @ssrrsx ,
As others mention, experience is not required to apply for an undergraduate but it can look great in your personal statement, CV and later on when you are studying to find more work experience.
With psychology, it is very hard to find direct experience on your own especially in a clinical setting or working with vulnerable people due to all the risk and paperwork (certainly not personal, it just is what it is!) It is still worth reaching out via email or going in person to companies to explain who you are and that you are looking for work experience. It may help if you have a CV at hand to show your skills and education (GCSEs) and what a-levels (if you are doing them) you are doing as well as what you hope to do in the future to show your passionate and keen to gain work experience. I would recommend contacting Manchester university with the Psychology department to see if they have any research experience you could gain over the summer or if there is any work such as transcribing you could do. They might say no but it is worth a shot if you are interested in research.
At this stage, I think any experience with people where you are communicating, managing your time and able to develop and show your soft skills is great experience. People say this so often because it is true especially with Psychology so any experience dealing with or even talking to people is great.
Another option you could consider is volunteering for charities and contacting them like you would with companies eg SHOUT (https://giveusashout.org/get-involved/volunteer-shout/) if you are interested in exploring a career in mental health.
Do you have an area of Psychology in mind so I can try suggest other charities or things you could do? This might help others provide recommendations who are also in MCR.
It is great to see that you are eager to get work experience in year 13!
Finally, the biggest tip I can give is to make a LinkedIn profile to track your experience and qualifications so when it comes to updating your CV it is easy to remember when you did what and show others what you have done.
If you cant find any work experience, do not worry as there are other ways to make the most out of your summer such as doing online courses that are free such as those available from Open University (there are plenty Psychology related) and you get certificates which you can add to LinkedIn!
Good luck and I would be more than happy to answer any questions (I just finished four years of undergraduate degree 3 years and another doing a placement with the NHS for a year) at the University of Kent where I acquired quite a bit of experience so I hope I can help with any questions you might have. :smile:
Alia
University of Kent Student Rep (final year Psychology student)

Thank you very much, this has been very helpful!
Original post by ssrrsx
I'm year 13 student and I want to get work experience that is psychology related this summer but i can't really seem to find one in person.
I live in MCR btw

Hey! So unfortunately, psychology is an area where it can be quite difficult to get relevant work experience prior to university due to the nature of the work (clinical psych, research, counselling, etc all require qualifications). However, this doesn't mean that you have no options at all. For example, if you are interested in mental health you could look into volunteering for mental health charities (e.g. Mind), or for developmental you could volunteer with a youth group (similar for if you are interested in sports psychology. Any type of volunteering is good work experience for psychology, as it will give you a better chance at getting more relevant (and most likely voluntary) work experience in the future.
Best of luck!
-Kat (2nd Year Psychology Undergraduate @ Lancaster University)

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