Retraining as an Ed Psych

[MrsSchrute]

Was wondering whether anyone has any experience of going from teaching to retraining as an Ed Psych.
My youngest is about to start school, and I'm thinking that this might be the time to start something new. I'm just worried that the training will be to full on with two little ones at home.
Would appreciate any insights anyone might have!

I tried, I started doing a post graduate conversion course with the OU, to get BPS recognition as I didn’t have a psychology degree. That was 3 years. Then I would have needed needed a 1year full time masters, or two years part time. Then a 3 year taught doctorate.

It was too much over too long a period with v small children (one with SEND). I moved into SEN teaching/SENCO/ inclusion and have a close working relationship with lots of psychologists. On reflection I think I would have got a bit bored with LA Ed psych, it’s all assessment and with very little therapeutic input.

I didn't start the training, but looked into it quite a lot - did some shadowing of our EP and so on. I agree entirely with @HairyMaclary about the assessment.

Also, EPs seem now to just suggest the same stuff over and over again, all of which schools now know and already implement (or would if they had the money and resource). Our EP does put parents' minds at ease a bit, which can help with school/parent relationship, but in general we only pay the £500 for an assessment when we want to put in an EHCP request.

It's a lot of time and financial input to do the same thing over and over.

I looked into it, but as Hairy said it is a long process. When I went to an open day for the course, it was packed but there were very few places available. The students I spoke to almost all went straight from university psychology courses through to the EP course, or they'd done psychology degrees and a couple of years in an NHS Trust doing some sort of assistant role. None that I spoke to had ever worked in a school.

Since then I ruled our EP and have been considering moving into SEN/inclusion roles instead.

I tried to (did a one year course via UCL) but found the course unbearably boring. Topic such as ‘teachers in the classroom’ taught by people who have never worked in the classroom was just enough. Then all those research papers with small 20-3o people research samples which are treated as holy grails of how to teach or not to teach. Then the PowerPoint presentations which had 120 slides in a 3h session. Torture. Thinks God I got pregnant and was allowed to suspend my studies abs when it was time to return the course was cancelled and I got the full refund. Wasn’t for me.

Having worked with EPs as a SENCO, I'm always amazed at how many teachers want to retrain into the role. It seems utterly thankless, like teaching but worse! (Albeit better paid). I did work in a notoriously underfunded county for SEND but our succession of EPs (none lasted that long) seemed to just drown in an endless sea of EHCP applications. They barely saw children and spent a lot of time in meetings arguing about why desperately needy children didn't meet the threshold for their involvement, clearly because their caseloads were just completely unmanageable. I always thought it must be a horribly unsatisfying job, knowing you couldn't support so many children (and teachers) who needed you because funding has been cut to the bone.

So glad I've stumbled across this thread because training as an EP is something I've been keen to do for a long time. I'm currently teaching in Primary (which I love) but always have the aim of being an EP at the back of my mind. The fiercely competitive nature puts me off applying though, so I'm trying to build up experience before I have a go.
For those of you who have similar interests/aspirations - working with and supporting SEND children; involvement in the process of establishing therapeutic approaches; application of psychological theories in day-to-day work- what other sort of roles would you consider or recommend?

All our EPs seem to suggest is a visual timetable. Even when one is already in the room. Like the pp we only get them in when we have to.

@phlebasconsidered

All our EPs seem to suggest is a visual timetable. Even when one is already in the room. Like the pp we only get them in when we have to.

Oh my goodness, I always joked about this as a SENCO. Primary aged child is throwing chairs and shouting constantly, has no funding and no agencies willing to support - "have you tried a visual timetable?".

TBH, if you actually want to work directly with young people with SEND and make a difference to them and their families, I would take a teaching job in a special school.

Being an EP, unless you eventually find a very specialist role, is just a contentious, pressured paperwork job.

I’m an EP, I absolutely love my job, but it depends on the local authority you work for I think. I used to be a teacher and SENCo and my workload is incomparable. I meet so many different children but ultimately I don’t have the responsibility - I see myself a bit like a house surveryer. I assess the situation, and the child, write it up and make recommendations, but I don’t do those actual recommendations. It can be stressful and repetitive at times like any job but I completely love it. Good money too.