Psychology Year 12 Work Experience

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What is really important is to show you have a real interest in the subject and have made an effort to engage and get thinking about it yourself. Whilst you are unlikely to find work experience specifically related to psychology due to the age restrictions, you can instead try find some relevant books to read to give you some more info about the field. Ask your college/sixth form library for any relevant resources, have a browse and see what you can find! Additionally, any books (fiction or non-fiction), Ted Talks, documentaries, news articles or any psychology-related resources in general can be great to get you reflecting on the topic – and give you some things to talk about in university applications!

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Considering online options, I was very lucky to take part in a Mental Health First Aid short course at my college, so it could be worth asking your own college/sixth form if they have any psychology-related extras available. Keeping an eye out for any free webinars or conferences online or in your area could be a great option for now! Have a good search on Google and see what comes up.

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For actual work experience, any employment or voluntary work you can do has value and instead focus more on what skills you will have gained. Weekend jobs like café work could demonstrate listening, customer interaction and problem-solving. A paper round could demonstrate self-organisation and time management. To up the psychology-involvement points – any face-to-face role is a winner! Volunteering at a local school club or community club could get you interacting with different people, assisting with afterschool clubs or homework clubs would get you interacting with young people and could get you thinking about learning and behaviour, or local charities may even have some opportunities to get involved with. I personally helped out with a local gardening club for the elderly and had lots of interesting people to talk to 😊

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As a last extra tip: I knew my interests were so focused on forensic psychology so I frequently engaged with the news and looked for cases that really interested me. I would watch what I could of cases on Youtube, read news reports and reflected on my thoughts towards them and the processes involved. I appreciate this isn't work experience, but it really enhanced my knowledge and gave me lots to discuss within my uni application, which I received lots of positive feedback for.