Speech therapy. University of Reading, University of essex ,University of east anglia

So I have a full time Monday to Friday job in sales and admin so volunteering at a school wouldn't happen. I have looked at bookmark and work hours aren't flexible enough to be able to commit as I work past 3:30pm

I have 3 months experience working at a nursery however this is from a couple of years back and I'm not too sure if it would even be relevant anymore.

I have mainly retail experience, my current role doesn't really involve interacting with the general public.

There aren't alot of tutoring opportunities about at the moment

I really want to be a speech therapist any suggestions would be appreciated

I really want to show I'm committed to the course and understand the role

Reply 1

UniofReading

Official Rep

Original post

by Rose_99

So I have a full time Monday to Friday job in sales and admin so volunteering at a school wouldn't happen. I have looked at bookmark and work hours aren't flexible enough to be able to commit as I work past 3:30pm
I have 3 months experience working at a nursery however this is from a couple of years back and I'm not too sure if it would even be relevant anymore.
I have mainly retail experience, my current role doesn't really involve interacting with the general public.
There aren't alot of tutoring opportunities about at the moment
I really want to be a speech therapist any suggestions would be appreciated
I really want to show I'm committed to the course and understand the role

Hi @Rose_99

I hope you're doing well!

I can definitely see why this is a difficult situation for you. Most speech and language therapists typically work Monday-Friday 9-5 so this would unfortunately be difficult for you to gain shadowing experience.

If direct experience isn't an option, it might be worth considering alternative methods to show your commitment towards the career. You could still do some volunteering in settings like care homes or hospitals on the weekends as these obviously never close! You could also potentially see if there are any after school clubs you may be able to volunteer at after your working hours.

Another idea could be to have a look at how you could take on some extra learning. You could look at online courses or workshops which you could join which help to teach you about some of the conditions you might come across as a speech and language therapist. You could also try and arrange a phone call or meeting with a speech and language therapist to talk to them about their role and what they do.

Your nursery experience should still be relevant so I would definitely still mention that, and you will still have gained relevant skills from your job such as time management and communication.

I hope this helps!

Hattie😊
4MSci Speech and Language Therapy

Reply 2

UEA Rep Daniel

Official Rep

Original post

by Rose_99

So I have a full time Monday to Friday job in sales and admin so volunteering at a school wouldn't happen. I have looked at bookmark and work hours aren't flexible enough to be able to commit as I work past 3:30pm
I have 3 months experience working at a nursery however this is from a couple of years back and I'm not too sure if it would even be relevant anymore.
I have mainly retail experience, my current role doesn't really involve interacting with the general public.
There aren't alot of tutoring opportunities about at the moment
I really want to be a speech therapist any suggestions would be appreciated
I really want to show I'm committed to the course and understand the role

Hi Rose,

It’s clear how much you care about becoming a speech and language therapist, and your determination is genuinely inspiring, especially while balancing a full-time job. That level of commitment is something universities really do take notice of.

Your nursery experience is absolutely relevant, even if it was a few years ago. Working with young children gives you valuable insight into early communication development, which is directly linked to the work SLTs do. Don’t hesitate to talk about what you observed and learned from that time, especially if you encountered children with speech or language difficulties.

Even your current and previous roles in sales, admin, and retail can support your application. They’ve helped you develop key transferable skills like communication, empathy, patience, and problem-solving—all essential for speech and language therapy. The important thing is how you reflect on these experiences and connect them to the values of the profession.

If you're finding it hard to volunteer in person due to work hours, you might consider learning more about the profession in flexible ways. You could try reaching out to SLTs for conversations about their work, engaging with podcasts or articles about the profession, or even joining online events or forums. Many applicants also use these approaches to show understanding of the field when hands-on experience isn’t possible.

The course at UEA is a fantastic option. It has a strong clinical and academic reputation and places a big focus on early placement experiences and hands-on learning. The lecturers are supportive, and the course is designed to help students feel ready for the demands of the profession. Norwich is also a welcoming, student-friendly city where many students find their feet quickly.

If you’d like to chat more about how to reflect on your experience or need any help with your application, feel free to reach out. You're clearly very committed to this path, and that already puts you in a great position.

All the best,
Daniel PhD, UEA

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Articles for you

Student finance for nursing, midwifery and allied health courses

How The Student Room is moderated

To keep The Student Room safe for everyone, we moderate posts that are added to the site.

Try out the app

Continue on web