Advice for Becoming an Educational Psychologist

Tigersilly

Hiya,

I'm a first year Psychology with Neuroscience student who is beginning to develop an interest in the field of educational psychology. I'm not fully aware of the options open to me aside from educational child psychology, but I am most interested in methods of learning, memory and the stimulation of creative learning techniques. I am an observor by nature and feel that becoming a psychologist would suit me more than persuing a career in teaching.

I would like to know if anyone has any tips on accumulating experience along the course of my degree. I'm in my mid 20s and I'm a little worried about the number of years experience I would require before applying for the doctorate.

Many thanks

talkhard

Becoming any sort of psychologist you must be prepared to dedicate a large part of your life attempting to get on a doctorate course. It is highly competitive.

I've studied psychology at a degree and Masters level and was an assistant psychologist for a long while. Although this sounds like it would hold someone in good stead, you do come up against people who have already completed a PhD and have taken a large number of assistant psychologist jobs before even getting short listed. People do dedicate their lives to building up experience.

The first thing you need to do is make sure you get at least a 2:1 in your first degree and then think about additional studying in your chosen speciality. Then, you do need experience- not just academically but with life. It is rare for people to be taken on a doctorate course straight out of a first degree.

As for educational psychology, it is a tough field. I looked into Ed. Psych a while ago, and from what I remember, they do like you to have at least 2 years teaching experience before applying for the docotorate so it may well benefit you to do a PGCE anyway. I think this may have changed in 2006 but I think it is still looked favourably upon.

I know this sounds all doom and gloom but it is the reality. The reward at the end of all the hard work is well worth it however.

You mentioned that you are an observer? Have you ever considered Occupational Therapy? There is more scope for employment, the post grad courses are competitive but do-able and the field of OT relies heavily on observation for many parts of its application.

Have a look on: http://www.prospects.ac.uk for an overview of educational psychology and on the BPS site for a more detailed look.

Good luck with your studies

Tigersilly

Thank you for replying - having read up the pathway to Ed Psych it seems to competitive a field to enter. I am going to have to take a pragmatic approach. The main thing putting me off working as an occupational psychologist is the thought of working with companies and employing business jargon doublespeak. I don't think I'm suited to that atmosphere.

Do you know of any positions that would provide me with a similar list of job specifications to Ed Psych? I know that many people go into psychotherapy and counselling as an alternative to clinical psychology - are there any positions where I would be able to work with adult learners/ children and encourage learning and promote appropriate learning techniques without actually teaching a subject?

talkhard

Look up Occupational Therapy.. not Occupational Psychology

Occupational Psychology is indeed the most competitive and small field I have come across so I wouldn't recommend it, althought I'm sure it is marvellous for the people working in it

Working as a paediatric Occupational Therapist allows you to work with children in so many settings and doesn't have the restrictions that training as an Ed. Psych has. Also, you don't have to teach to fulfil this role. However, you would still be involved with many different conditions, many different settings including going into schools and liasing with teachers regarding the performance of children in the classroom. The term "occupation" is defined entirely differently from the most obvious definition of a job in this profession. Instead, it means everything you do in everyday life is considered an "occupation". And like I said, it would definitely draw on your strength as an observer as this profession relies very much on it.

You would be surprised just how many psychology graduates train as Occupational Therapists. Its definitely worth considering as an alternative or even as an extra string to your bow and a professional title whilst you gather experience to do your doctorate as a Ed. Psych.

There is a College of Occupational Therapists and a British Association of Occupational Therapists. Have a look at googling it- there might be a profile of a paediatric OT floating about for you to read.

Reading all that- it sounds like I get paid for recruitment haha. I just think its a profession that is overlooked and its a solid alternative or a stop gap whilst pursuing clinical training.

melancholly

best advice is to get a relevant final year project - having some research experience in a related area will help to get RA positions or onto an Ed Psych course.

also, ask around if any lecturers are offering reseach placements over the summer - get going on your CV now!

hedley

Although aimed at clinical psychology- there are links to Ed Psych

www.psyclick.org.uk

www.clinpsy.org.uk

I think most professional psychology courses are very competitive- but please don't discount them as every year people do get on!
Hed

Tigersilly

melancholly wrote: »

best advice is to get a relevant final year project - having some research experience in a related area will help to get RA positions or onto an Ed Psych course.

also, ask around if any lecturers are offering reseach placements over the summer - get going on your CV now!

Hi, I'm a first year student - do you believe I have a chance of being considered?

melancholly

i know that some 2nd year students have worked over the summer with lecturers where i am - it can't do any harm to ask! perhaps as a first year it's unlikely (as you probably won't know all that much yet after only a third of the course), but the effort may be repaid next year! if you don't ask, you don't get and they can only look on it positively!

the_stoat

Just so you are aware the training route has changed quite a bit since having to do PGCE, teach, then MSc.

Now you no longer need to have the PGCE or have taught but the course is now a 3 year doctorate. The primary work experience requirement is having direct work with children, which is pretty vague really. This has really opened the field up though making the doctorate course very competitive. However do not be disheartened by this as it really makes it a much fairer system and if you can find a position where you can apply psychological concepts and theories in your day to day work you'll stand a good chance of getting in. At my interview half of the applicants were teaching assistants and its relatively easy to get one of these positions as a psychology graduate. It won't be well paid but that's how it is at the start for any career in Psychology I'm afraid. The important thing is that its about how you apply psychological theory in your work, not the position you hold.

Because of the competition you'll have to apply more than once I'd expect, currently only 25% of applicants are successful.

There's an Educational Psychology forum set up which had some useful info on it until the person running it forgot to renew it and lost all the postings. You'll have to wade through lots of comments from grown women acting like silly little girls but its up and running again and slowly starting to build up to what it was.

http://www.educational-psychology-forum.co.uk/

(You can probably tell I have resentful attachment to the forum but it can be very useful.)

pandora205

Hi Tigerlilly - I'm an educational psychologist so thought I'd say my bit here. As others have said the training route has changed to a three year doctorate and the teaching requirement has been removed. However, it is very competitive (but not impossible) to get on a training course.
The requirements are:

• a good honours degree in psychology approved by the British Psychological Society (or equivalent BPS conversion course for other graduates)
• a minimum of two years direct experience with children

The first year is spent at university, the second and third between uni and local authority (usually) who are employers. When we shortlisted for our trainee (currently in year 2 of doctorate) we had 28 applications, and took into account skills and experience, so most had much more than two years unqualified work experience and several had been teachers/learning mentors.
Those that stood out on paper and at interview had worked in schools, and sometimes also as 'assistant psychologists' in a local authority. Not many LAs employ assistants but those that do provide really useful experience. Candidates also had positive outgoing personalities and lots of ideas and knowledge of issues in education.

If you are on a degree course and thinking about this area of work, my advice would be:

• start getting relevant experience now, e.g. babysitting, working on holiday play schemes, scout leader, Camp America, etc.
• volunteer to help hear reading (etc) at your local school once a week or in your hols. You will need a CRB check for this (and above).
• volunteer to tutor a friend's child/teenager if they are struggling with say maths or spelling
• become involved in projects at uni that may have relevance, e.g. research in schools, working with families (including of preschoolers), research interest group in SEN etc.
• study hard - the psychology isn't just a ticket to the job, it is the basis of it! Enjoy your psychology and learn from gifted academics - read around subjects that interest you. For example, there are topical areas in educational/child psychology, such as Positive Psychology and the role of neuropsychology in learning, impact of new technologies on children, etc which would stand you in good stead (and are fascinating!)
• read a newspaper/listen to radio 4, watch topical television programmes such as Child of Our Time. There are lots of hot issues out there.
• join the BPS as a student subscriber, attend any conferences you can and try to get to see any big name speakers, such as Seligman who visited the UK last year.
• nurture friendships with other wouldbe psychologists - some will be come the professors/principal psychologists of the future and you'll be sharing the journey!

Finally......... yes it is competitive to get on the doctoral training courses and you do need stamina and knowledge but it is worth it. It's a great job that is very varied and rarely boring!

Good luck

pandora205

Tigersilly wrote: »

Hiya,

I'm a first year Psychology with Neuroscience student who is beginning to develop an interest in the field of educational psychology. I'm not fully aware of the options open to me aside from educational child psychology, but I am most interested in methods of learning, memory and the stimulation of creative learning techniques. I am an observor by nature and feel that becoming a psychologist would suit me more than persuing a career in teaching.

I would like to know if anyone has any tips on accumulating experience along the course of my degree. I'm in my mid 20s and I'm a little worried about the number of years experience I would require before applying for the doctorate.

Many thanks

On rereading this just a quick PS. Your undergraduate course looks very useful but is it BPS recognised? If not you may need to 'top it up' with a conversion course.
Your interests are spot on in terms of background for an EP, particularly the stuff on neuroscientific evidence for 'brain based learning' and in the development of emotions.