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Secondary education

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Is speech and language therapy a good career for

32 replies

Diamondring · 19/01/2015 21:05

my dd? She is quite academic and likely to get a set of very good GCSEs. It appeals to her because it's a bit science-y, but also involved working with people.

What's the path into it? Undergraduate degree course? Any recommendations where best to go?

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morethanpotatoprints · 19/01/2015 21:09

I think it could be very rewarding and if its what she really wants she should go for it, but as there have been so many cuts and most authorities operate on a shoestring I would tell her to be realistic and consider other related options if possible.

Diamondring · 19/01/2015 21:14

Thanks. What other related options are there?

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Diamondring · 20/01/2015 07:01

Hopeful bump Smile

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Essexmum69 · 20/01/2015 08:33

If thinking about the "Professions allied to Medicine" as they are termed, then physiotherapy, occupational therapy, dietetics, radiography, pharmacy.......
They all require a specific university degree in order to get state registration.
SALT are always in demand, but it is not quite my area so I cant advise on specific unis.

longtallsally2 · 20/01/2015 08:39

I investigated this for my niece recently, as she was considering SALT. We spoke to two speech therapists, one on the NHS who was very pessimistic. Her particular service hadn't taken on any new graduates for years. There were plenty of experienced, qualified therapists available and plenty of qualified therapists, prepared to volunteer to get the experience, just no employment market for newcomers. That friend has been a speech therapist for 30 years, having qualified at Reading through their excellent undergrad course.

Another friend did a languages degree, then a masters in Speech Therapy and she was more optimistic. She felt that it was valuable for her having the degree as she could work in other areas, and that it hadn't held her back as a speech therapist - in fact she is doing very well on the career ladder.

By this time, my niece had decided to do something else altogether!

HTH

SanityClause · 20/01/2015 08:46

I know a Speech Therapist, who is considering returning to work after being a SAHM for some years. She had mostly worked with children.

She won't return to that field because budget cuts to services make work more precarious and less rewarding (as not enough work can be done with the children, because they aren't seen often enough).

Possibly work with the elderly may be better funded?

Diamondring · 20/01/2015 09:10

Languages degree then Masters sounds like a good plan...
Possibly being naive but as she's still years away from working I thought putting off because of poor job prospects might be a bit defeatist?

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justwannasleeeeeep · 20/01/2015 11:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Viviennemary · 20/01/2015 11:19

I've heard Speech Therapy jobs are very think on the ground at the moment as they are one of the first things to be cut in budgets. So look into this aspect before deciding.

Bonsoir · 20/01/2015 11:22

As others say, not all SALTs work within the NHS.

A cousin of mine qualified as a SALT a few years ago. Her initial degree was in History and she had to take a Biology A-level before doing her SALT degree.

She works in the NHS now and has had no problem getting work, albeit in a very unglamorous area.

justwannasleeeeeep · 20/01/2015 12:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Bonsoir · 20/01/2015 13:12

Oh, yes, absolutely: she works with stroke patients as a SALT.

Essexmum69 · 20/01/2015 15:40

Our nhs department has vacancies for newly qualified SALT at present. I think it depends on the area you want to work. Community paediatric jobs in many professions are popular and thus hard to get.

Essexmum69 · 20/01/2015 16:43

Out of interest I checked the NHS jobs website and came up with 19 adverts for Band 5, newly qualified, Speech and Language therapists in UK at the moment.

Diamondring · 20/01/2015 17:35

Interesting Essexmum. Not sure if that's a lot or a little!

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AhBut · 20/01/2015 17:39

SLT is an amazingly varied and fulfilling career to be in.
There are cuts, as there are in all aspects of the public sector, but how much this affects services depends on local commissioning arrangements and the profile of the service within the area. Naturally some will be stronger than others. Recent analysis of training places required by the Centre for Workforce Intelligence, which advices on training need, suggests that demand will remain steady over the coming few years and therefore the current number of training places will remain the same.
For entry a mix of subjects is usually required. You're right that it's a science degree, but is also very linguistically based, so a mix of science and languages is helpful.
There are periodic changes in ease of finding work, and more and more the employment market has broadened for example as schools get devolved budgets they may employ their own staff. This of course has it's risks to staff development and clinical supervision, but can be overcome.
Entry to the degree is very competitive and your daughter should look at the individual universities for requirements. In London UCL has moved to only post grad entry, with a good 2:1 or 1 st required in first degree (which doesn't have to be a related subject). Demand for places is huge; I know that UCL had 350 applicants for their 56 places this year.
RCSLT is a strong professional body, worth looking at their website for advice too.
The biggest issue is that applicants usually have to have a lot of useful experience - for under grad this will be voluntary work, for post grad most applicants have worked for a year in an assistant capacity, in health or education or related sectors.

Diamondring · 20/01/2015 17:43

Thank you AhBut that's very helpful. So dd should look at doing voluntary work during sixth form?

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AhBut · 20/01/2015 18:03

Definitely! Try voluntary agencies, anything that can give her related experience with disability. It's unlikely that she'd get to shadow an SLT as they spend so much time having under- and post-grad students.

Diamondring · 20/01/2015 19:57

Maybe a special school?

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dorothymichaels · 20/01/2015 21:44

She should definitely do voluntary work. Special school, care home, stroke association, any charity involved with language and communication. This would all look good on a personal statement. It would also give her insight into slt as a career. I had no idea what the job involved when I first became interested in it. Luckily I liked it a great deal.
There is huge variety in slt, from working with neonates to palliative care. It's a rewarding and varied career, and salaries start at band 5 nhs scales. These days senior clinicians above band 7 are rare, 8 and above usually management.
There are issues with new grads finding work, but most of the graduates from the university I work with are working now after graduating last summer. The ones not working are the ones who are tied to jobs in the local area. So if your daughter would be prepared to work where she was needed, I'd say employment would be less of an issue.

Information from the royal college of slts may be helpful www.rcslt.org/speech_and_language_therapy/careers/career

dorothymichaels · 20/01/2015 21:57

nb the 19 jobs for band 5s advertised at the moment is not many if you think undergraduate courses may qualify 20-30 a year, and masters about half that (very rough numbers there!). But departments may advertise at a time they know people will be finishing - early summer or autumn.

woolyflyer · 20/01/2015 22:01

Volunteering opportunities with charities such as ican, communications trust, auditory verbal UK

meandjulio · 20/01/2015 22:13

NHS recruitment goes in cycles - trusts slam on the brakes for a few years then accelerate - right now things are improving but you can't rely on that being the case in the future. However, in what job can you rely on that?

Masters level qualification is more likely to be acceptable in more other countries, e.g. America, though you may need postgraduate experience to go there - sometimes there are posts abroad who will take good newly qualified people, e.g. in Singapore.

You may not officially need a relevant first degree for the Masters but something like languages, psychology, linguistics, biology will be well regarded.

Also contact NHS depts for whatever work experience they do offer. Unlikely to be much but depending on the area there is likely to be something, e.g. a half day shadowing. You could also try local private therapists, particularly if you have skills or time you can offer them.

Any work experience or volunteering with adults or children who may have communication difficulties or developing communication will be relevant. Any work with learning disabilities puts you front and centre, also dementia (care home work?), head injury, mainstream school, special school, nursery, childcare of any sort, and/or with other languages e.g. time abroad.

meandjulio · 20/01/2015 22:23

Going private as a newly qualified SLT isn't all that easy, although it's happening more as recent years were very tight for recruitment. You have to pay for supervision (and I would definitely not want to start work without that) and that is likely to be more than you earn for a while. It can be done but it's a hard road IMO.

CrumbsThatsQuick · 20/01/2015 22:29

I just qualified (masters degree) in July last year. I am working (nhs) as are most of my fellow students (mix of nhs, private, LEA roles). Things have improved in terms of the job situation for newly qualified therapists. Highly recommend it!