I Got Hired: Assistant Educational Psychologist

Posted on: 16 October 2023 by Richard Finch in Graduate stories

Jordan Parkes is a Class of 2022 Psychology graduate, now working as an Assistant Educational Psychologist for the City of Wolverhampton.

I’m currently a MSc educational psychology student with the aspiration to become an Educational Psychologist, and while studying, I was approached via LinkedIn by a recruiter. I decided to apply for this role and was shortlisted from over 100 people, and then was selected from the 12 people who were shortlisted.

Straight after completing my undergraduate degree I became a school-based SEN Teaching Assistant. In a way, I actually wished I had pursued this during my degree as it was a really rewarding experience that helped me to develop my skills. I did this for around 10 months from September until July. That role gave me a range of transferable skills that were really useful when applying for my current position.

The thing that I have valued most in my current role is the way in which my confidence has grown. This has allowed me to become more independent and progress to my AEP role, with the aim eventually of achieving a doctorate in Educational Psychology.

I think the most challenging part of life after my undergraduate degree was adapting to new environments, especially after studying in Liverpool for 3 years. However, I feel like I am very proactive and flexible which allowed me to adapt.

My top 3 tips for current students:

1. Work experience is really important to compliment a psychology degree.
2. Don’t worry about being a 1st class student, a 2:1 can be good enough.
3. Don’t take rejection as a bad thing but as a learning lesson.