Psychology - using your degree
From CareersWiki
Contents |
Introduction
A degree from Scotland's first university is an excellent start to any future career. St Andrews has a reputation for excellence and the ability to attract the brightest students world wide. With this as a starting point you are well on the way to impressing future employers.
The possibilities for careers in psychology are more varied than ever. The range of work available to psychology graduates goes beyond the traditional stereotypes of laboratory researcher or individual therapist. Psychology is an extraordinarily diverse field with hundreds of career paths. Some specialties, like caring for mentally ill people, are familiar to most of us. Others, like helping with the design of advanced computer systems or studying how we remember things, are less well know.
The degree could be your route into entry-level employment in one of the many occupations for which psychological knowledge or skills is a job requirement or advantage: sales or personnel positions, management training or public relations, research writing or technical writing, psychological services or child care, teaching or vocational training, to name a few. However, an individual's employability in one of these areas depends greatly on the person's practical experience, as well as personal traits, abilities, and special skills. By the time you graduate with a degree in psychology, it is possible to have assembled a CV with work experience attractive to employers.
| The Careers Centre Psychology page provides a wealth of information on careers and work experience directly related to Psychology. |
Student / Alumni Profiles
Students and alumni from the School of Psychology have kindly agreed to share their experiences of work and other career-related activities with you. These profiles illustrate the wide range of careers, internships, volunteering and other work experience opportunities open to students and alumni from your School. Check regularly to see what's new.
Where Our Graduates Go
| Year of Graduation | Organisation/Company | Position | Psychology Required | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Ingenuity ABM | Consultant | Not directly | |
| 2011 | Volunteer Centre Midlothian | Development Officer | Not directly | |
| 2011 | RITE 4 | Headhunter | Not directly | |
| 2010 | IAPT Northumberland | Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner | Yes | |
| 2010 | Content 5 | Regional Expert Portugal & Brazil | Not directly | |
| 2010 | Alma Safe Care Ltd | Operations Manager | Not directly | |
| 2009 | University of St Andrews | MRES Psychology | Yes | |
| 2009 | Somers Park Primary School | Higher Level Teaching Assistant | Not directly | |
| 2009 | University of Edinburgh | PGCE Primary Education Teaching | Not directly | |
| 2009 | CPL | Production Assistant | Not directly | |
| 2009 | Stockport Mind | Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner | Yes | |
| 2009 | Royal Advocacy | Junior Clerk | Not directly | |
| 2006 | (Deloitte & Touche LLP CAN) | Consultant | Not directly | |
| 2002 | Primary Care NHS Trust (CAN) | Assistant Clinical Psychologist | Yes | |
| 1999 | Craigie Partnership, Edinburgh (CAN) | Occupational Psychology Partner | Yes | |
| 1992 | Tayside Primary Care NHS Trust (CAN) | Chartered Clinical Psychologist | Yes | |
| 1989 | Weber Shandwick , Hong Kong (CAN) | Public Relations Director | Not directly |
Careers Alumni Network (CAN) indicates these alumni are willing and keen to be contacted to help St Andrews students with their careers search.
Where Our Postgraduates Go
| Year | Organisation/Company | Position | Psychology Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Southeastern Health Trust | Associate Psychologist | Yes |
| 2010 | Beaumont College | Behavioural Specialist | Yes |
| 2010 | NHS Tayside | Clinical Nurse Manager | Not directly |
| 2009 | Mersey Care NHS Trust | NHS Senior Manager | Not directly |
| 2009 | Insights Learning And Development Ltd | Research Analyst | Yes |
| 2009 | Research Institute For Psychology | Postdoctoral Researcher | Yes |
| 2009 | University Of St Andrews | Research Fellow | Yes |
| 2008 | ESRC/University Of Durham | ESRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow | Yes |
| 2008 | Quintiles | Clinical Trials Assistant | Yes |
| 2007 | Ace Advocacy | Advocacy Project Worker | Yes |
| 2007 | NHS Forth Valley | Community Nurse | Yes |
| 2006 | Stirling Council | Local Government Officer | Not directly |
| 2006 | Fife Health Board | Clinical Psychologist | Yes |
| 2005 | Forth Valley Health Board | Service Manager | Yes |
Popular Jobs for Psychology Graduates Nationally
A 2010 HESA survey of 2009 graduates indicates that six months after graduation, just over 55% were in employment in the UK or overseas and another 10% were combining work and study. Psychology graduates entered into a wide range of jobs in a variety of sectors. Initially, around 30% of those employed went into non-graduate roles, such as clerical/secretarial positions, retail, catering or bar work.
Of those who entered graduate-level jobs, social and welfare occupations were the most popular with 16% of graduates entering this type of work. Around 7% went into management roles in various sectors. Almost 4% pursued work in business and finance professions. Other psychology graduates pursued options in: marketing; sales and advertising; the health professions; education; IT; arts, design, culture and sports; engineering; scientific research; and other unspecified occupations.
Summer Internships & Work Experience
It can be very valuable to gain experience of work in various areas, but particularly in those areas that you are considering as a future career.
- Psychology related experience
- The University Careers Centre has information on vacation jobs and internships in the US
- Remember to network with students in more senior years, tutors, family and friends they may have suggestions and contacts.
- The Undergraduate Research Internship Programme (URIP) was launched in 2008 by the University of St Andrews. Under the URIP scheme, the University funds 20 undergraduates to carry out research over ten weeks during the summer vacation. The students work on independent projects under the guidance and supervision of a member of academic staff. Look out on the website for application forms which normally have to be returned by the end of April.
- Several penultimate year students have been successful in getting a paid summer internship with the Saltire Foundation. These are global experiences in USA, Japan, Cayman Islands and others.
- Summer Research Schools are also funded by organisations such as Nuffield, IAESTE and Carnegie.
- Joining a society and/or a professional body, particularly if you take on a role of responsibility, can impress future employers and also enhance employability skills such as - team working, negotiation, event management, controlling budgets, leadership etc. Have a look at the case study from a student who made the most of his time at St Andrews through involvement in societies. At St Andrews you have a wealth of societies to choose from. Here are a couple of relevant examples: Psychology Society Neuroscience Society and SVS.
The table below aims to give some examples of the experiences of Psychology students.
| Year | Organisation/Company | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Open University of Tanzania (IAESTE Programme) | Application Developer case study |
| 2010 | Smith Veterinary Hospital | Internship case study |
| 2010 | University of St Andrews | Research Assistant (various) case study |
Employability Profile
Over the course of your degree you develop a good mix of subject specific and transferable core skills (communication, team work, time management, presentation etc). Consider these alongside your other activities, such as paid work, volunteering, family responsibilities, sport, membership of societies, leadership roles, etc. Think about how these can be used as evidence of your skills and personal attributes. Then you can start to market and sell who you really are, identify what you may be lacking and consider how to improve your profile.
Skills
The profile below identifies the skills that can be developed through the study of your discipline based on subject benchmark statements developed by UK higher education academic communities.
This table is able to help you to identify the valuable skills that you can offer to potential employers.
| A graduate in Psychology typically has: | Evidence: |
|---|---|
| research skills including the ability to apply multiple perspectives to psychological issues involving a range of research methods, theories, evidence and applications | |
| analysis skills including identifying and evaluating general patterns in behaviour, psychological functioning and experience, generating and exploring hypotheses and research questions, undertaking empirical studies, data analysis skills using quantitative and qualitative methods, using psychological tools, laboratory equipment and psychometric instruments, and applying evidence-based reasoning | |
| communication skills including developing a cogent argument supported by relevant evidence and being sensitive to the needs and expectations of an audience | |
| IT and data handling skills, with familiarity with understanding, analysing, and presenting complex data sets | |
| effective team-working skills, through research projects and other curricular activities | |
| problem-solving and reasoning skills | |
| interpersonal skills, including being sensitive to the importance of enhancing cooperation to maximise the effectiveness of individual skills as shown in group work and team
building | |
| life-long learning skills. |
Psychology Careers/Employability Link
Each School has a Careers/Employability Link who "champions" employability. Yours is Dr Akira O'Connor. If you have any information you consider important for your fellow students please let him know. Alternatively you can complete a "profile" which enables you to share your experiences with other students.
Links to Useful Resources
- Destination Statistics of St Andrews graduates
- British Psychological Society: the main source of information about routes into chartered psychologist roles, including searchable databases of accredited postgraduate courses and practising psychologists. Vacancies are accessible by BPS members.
- Employability Skills- a video explaining the skills psychology students can take into any career.
- - Videos - chartered/practitioner psychologists being interviewed about their roles.
- British Medical Jobs search for jobs across the UK within the healthcare and medical industries
- The Higher Education Academy Psychology Network: includes Psychology graduate case studies and the great Psychology Student Employability Guide (useful if you think you might want to work within or outside of mainstream psychology)
- What makes psychology graduates so employableGuardian podcast
- Prospects - Options with your subject: Psychology
- Research Gate research jobs
