Helping you on your career journey

Today is the start of National Careers Week, dedicated to celebrating careers support, guidance, and free resources in education and beyond.

You might just be starting to scope out your career journey within psychology, or you might already be well established as a psychology professional, or perhaps you're considering a career change. Whatever stage you're at, we have something for everyone.

Much of the guidance has been produced with the input and expertise of BPS members and the society's network groups themselves and is free to access.

Just starting out?

A BPS-accredited psychology degree is a great starting point for anyone considering a career within a scientific or creative field as the degree provides a sound basis of a variety of skills you can transfer across to a broad range of career options.

If you are just beginning your journey within a psychology career, you might want to start considering how you can get started wherever you are in your education. You could also listen to top tips for entering and developing in the psychological sector from BPS careers manager Natalie Billing.

There are different career options in psychology and you might want to consider an area that is of most interest to you. Each training pathway within psychology can be slightly different so it is very important to understand what qualifications you might require.

Whether you are interested in clinical psychology, forensic psychology, or perhaps sport and exercise psychology, or if you'd like to work within the wider psychological professions, or perhaps another discipline, our handy Careers Booklet can help you to understand more about each career pathway. You can also explore our useful Careers Posters to determine what qualifications you'd require for each psychology role.

We also host our annual BPS Psychology Careers Festival. The festival is a great chance to take a deep dive into the many career pathways within psychology, as well as exploring the world of 'hidden psychology' - occupations where psychology is applied. We also run workshop-style sessions so you can practise some of those key employability skills required, when transitioning through your career journey. Check out last year's line-up here, and keep your eyes peeled as we will be sending out registration information for our 2024 festival shortly.

Volunteering for us is also a great way to start building upon your professional skills, and networking within the psychological community. We host our popular Student Ambassador programme, and are open to recruitment in May 2024. If you are studying on an undergraduate or conversion course and are interested in becoming an ambassador for the academic year 2024-2025, please email our team at [email protected], and we will be in touch in May.

Well on your way to working within psychology?

You might have already taken your first steps into a career in psychology by completing a BPS-accredited undergraduate or conversion course, and perhaps a Master's degree, and now be considering your next steps.

The NHS Psychological Professions and the Clinical Associate in Psychology (Clinical Associate in Applied Psychology in Scotland and Northern Ireland) are brilliant opportunities for you to work within a therapeutic service, apply your psychological skills and gain first-hand experience working to improve the wellbeing of others. All trainee positions can be found on the NHS Jobs Website. In this piece on the BPS website, a clinical associate in psychology apprentice explains more about the role.

A great way of supporting your career development is to network with like-minded professionals already working within the discipline. Check out our member network opportunities where you can join over 100 specialist BPS networks, giving you access to a host of exclusive benefits, including publications, articles, development opportunities and discounts.

You can also take a look at the variety of careers and professional development articles we have created, to help support you in considering your next steps, and take a look at the latest psychology roles on Jobs in Psychology.

Already established, but looking for something new?

You might already be working within the field, but perhaps you are considering developing your practice, or even changing your career. Through BPS Learn, we have a wide range of professional development opportunities, including workshops, e-learning and webinars. These are designed to help you build upon your knowledge and skills and stay up to date with the latest developments in psychology. They're a great addition to your CV.

We also offer mentoring opportunities, where you can connect to support from other professional psychologists across your career lifespan. Each mentoring programme has its own eligibility criteria, so please review the conditions before applying.

Finally, you might also be interested in working with one of our boards or committees. Sitting upon one of our boards or committees is a great way for you to grow your professional network, develop further leadership skills and knowledge, and improve the society for the wider membership, utilising your expertise to harness our provisions.