Any OTs out there? Considering a career change

[thecatsatonthematagain]

NC due to paranoia!

Help me out please any OTs/those who work with them... :) I left teaching 5 years ago due to burn out and went off to work in academic research as I just needed to slow the pace and recover but it wasn't hands on enough to keep my attention, I love working with people. I'm now in mental health support work. I'm ready to take the plunge and try and get into a qualified career (HCPC registered) and really like the look of OT. (I've looked at psychology but the 3 year doctorate feels too much for me at this point in life, I'm mid 40s and have primary aged DCs).

To train in OT is 9k a year so I want to be sure, given I paid out however much years back on a PGCE and have walked away from that. I have a psych degree and masters and really want to do some hands-on, practical, supportive work, particularly around mental health, and hopefully with different populations (e.g. offenders, PD, CMHTs, older adults). Does anyone on here work as an OT and do you enjoy it? Does my profile sound like OT material? Is the work varied? Is 9-5 a realistic option? Are there good job prospects? Could you work PT alongside the masters in OT? Bit worried about the finances.

thanks loads for any input x

Do it! I’m an OT and have been for more than 20 years. I have only ever been out of work for visa/registration reasons when moving country.
I’m Australian and currently in Aus, but spent more than 10 years in the UK. I have always worked Mon-Fri standard hours, but these days I know weekend work is becoming more common. It is a wonderfully varied, challenging and rewarding career. I did work with colleagues who worked as an OTA or similar role while studying, so you won’t be alone age or experience-wise.
Talk to someone local to you for more current info, but it is potentially a great career!

Thanks for your reply. It's good to good that part time work can happen along side it. Feels daunting financially!

I considered this a few years ago. The NHS coverng the cost of training at the time. I'm not sure if this is still available, but worth checking.

I'm an OT specialising in older adult mental health. I'm 13 years in and have worked in a range of acute mental health settings - inpatient wards, community crisis teams and A&E (psych liaison). I've worked as OT focused roles and generic mental health practitioner roles as well as a few years in management which included a bit of teaching ( back to clinical now). I currently chose my hours within reason and it works really well around my childcare - I'm currently working 3 long days a week. The NHS is usually very flexible with working patterns.

With your experience of psych and teaching I'm sure you would be a great OT. You could probably work part-time whilst training but would need to consider work based placements and negotiate your shifts around your work - there were a few who did this when I was training so it must be possible. Good luck x

www.uwe.ac.uk/courses/degree-apprenticeships/current-degree-apprenticeships/occupational-therapist have a look and see whether you can do it as a degree apprenticeship in your area.

Hi, I'm an OT, its a fab career with lots of job satisfaction, I work for a local authority so my job is typically 9-5 but it's also flexible.

You sound like you have a lots of experience which would absolutely lend itself to your application.

Good luck!

Thanks everyone. I'm reassured to hear you can find 9-5 jobs. I've seen a few that are more shift based and that might be ok or me at times but I wouldn't want to be signing up to this if it was the only option....

The apprenticeship is the BSc I think but I think / hope I might be able to do the MSc 2 year programme.

Hiya, current OT student here on the 2 year MSc. I got student finance for tuition fees, plus £6k in maintenance loan and £5k NHS bursary which you don't have to pay back, plus I got an extra £2k NHS bursary as I have children.

The course is very intense but quicker than the apprenticeship route which can take 4 years plus there's possibly a long wait until you get a place whilst working as an OTA. I worked as an OTA for nine months then left to do the course. Colleagues there had been OTAs for three years and still not got a place. It's first come first served (so the ones who have been there the longest get priority) and there are very limited places. Something to bear in mind

There's 60 of us in my cohort and only 3 work part-time as the course is so intense.

Apply early - I applied as soon as the process opened in October and by January they were full and operating a waiting list.

Good luck 😊

Hi I had been looking at this - are the placements not full time then? I had assumed the course was 2 years full time?

How old are the older ones on your course too?

Unfortunately our nearest uni doesnt offer Master training route and I'm looking at various options (also teaching/psychology background ). I'd hoped to find a similar role without requalifying and starting at the bottom again but haven't yet...!

@OutlookStalking

Hi I had been looking at this - are the placements not full time then? I had assumed the course was 2 years full time?

Hey, the MSc is 2 years full-time and the placements are full-time. You can also do the BSc part-time or the apprenticeship part-time but the apprenticeship takes 3-4 years and the placements are still full-time with these two options. At least that is the case in my local area. You can always email courses and ask.

Many OT jobs (and placements) are 9-5 Monday to Friday but some services are moving to a seven day model of working.

@OutlookStalking

How old are the older ones on your course too?

Unfortunately our nearest uni doesnt offer Master training route and I'm looking at various options (also teaching/psychology background ). I'd hoped to find a similar role without requalifying and starting at the bottom again but haven't yet...!

I'm nearly 40 and not the oldest 😉. Most are on their late twenties/ early thirties. Couple are in their 50s. Out of 60 in the cohort, six of us have kids.

Good to know there are some older ones/people with kids.

Ah thanks for confirming its fulltime - a few posters above seemed to thi k they could combine with p/t work and I was thinking that was a bit optimistic!

Yes, I wouldn't bank on it unless it was zero hours work.

Thanks for all these tips. I didn't realise it would be first come first served so that's really useful to know. The course I'm interested in seems to do two intakes a year unless I've read it wrong - I've emailed to ask. On that basis I think the first intake might be full/filling up by now as it's been open a few weeks already.

I'm am OT and trained in my late 30s. There were many people older than me and many with kids. Some people also worked but mostly those without kids.
I work in the physical side but did placements in mental health and may venture that way eventually. I do enjoy it amd currently there are many job vacancies. It is flexible but I found it hard to find a PT band 5 entry role. There is more flexibility at band 6.
All my placements were FT despite the course itself being over 4 yrs PT.

I'm currently doing my OT training. I already have a psychology degree plus 20 years experience in the NHS but I'm doing the undergrad. It's less intense than the masters and allows me to work on a zero hour contract, the masters seems so full on and wouldn't allow much, if any, time to work. However placements are full time, so it's very difficult getting work that will allow this.
People on my course range from 18-57. All kinds of backgrounds, many with kids. I think the average age is probably late 20's / early 30's. I'm really enjoying the course, find it is so supportive. Upon graduating most people tend to go into the nhs as a rotational band 5 in my area. These jobs tend to be full time. After you have done a few years in this post you can normally move up to a band 6 and specialise a little more and negotiate part time hours. I find a lot of people want to work in mental health who do OT. That's great but be open to other aspects as well, community, orthopaedics, stroke, palliative care, wheelchair services, peads, post surgery etc. you'll have to do a lot of these in placement and as a newly qualified OT anyway. To get on the course they normally want academic qualifications no more than 5 years old (for the undergrad anyway). Apprenticeships are starting up in some locations but like someone else has pointed out, they are very hard to get onto and first choice is obviously going to be given to very experienced OTA's.

Are you doing a 3 year undergraduate course?

Our local uni only offers that route but like you I've got a psychology background. Just working if its w¥rth the 3 years out of salary longer term!

I think for reasons of money etc I was not considering the Masters. Hopefully I would fit the entry requirements as I have recent quals plus psych and teaching background and lots of experience in MH.
I can appreciate the undergrad would be less intense but it's the 2 years vs 3 years that is the main reason. If I can't really work alongside it (or only minimally) I need to shorten that gap before being properly salaried again.

Really good to hear there's a mixture of of ages and backgrounds. Makes it sound supportive already

I have really enjoyed the course so far. If your qualifications are at the correct level and within the last 5 years you should be ok. It's always worth checking with the admissions team at the Uni you wish to apply to mind. Good luck!

Also it might be worth getting this moved to the mature students section. Lots of good advise there for interviews, funding etc.

Oh dang I meant I was not considering undergrad . I wrote the opposite.

Thanks hairfairy I'll see if it can get moved, didn't know there was a mature students section.

Would have loved to train as an OT, but seems a lot to pay for the salary offered- awful to think about the money but realistically I couldn’t do it!

But good luck, OP- it’s a lovely job and all the OTs I’ve met have recommended it as a career.

Op right now is a good time like pp said there are degree apprenticeships right now, the latest one I saw was band 4, which isn’t bad for a trainee post.

good luck!!

Sorry to jump on..I'm thinking of doing my masters or undergrad in OT.

I have a degree from 10 year ago and currently work as an OTA but my place of work does not offer apprenticeships.

I have one young child and a mortgage so would need to see if I can financially do it.
Gov.uk says loans upto £11,250 but is this per academic year?
My uni of choice is £9,350 a year, full time .
Do I have a chance of working along side it?