Your Future – Careers and Employability

We are committed to providing you with guidance to find direction on your career path and increase your employability.

Developing career skills is embedded throughout every stage of the BSc Education and Psychology programme and is present at every moment of study. Some modules offer specific teaching in reasoning and communications skills. Others offer experience in educational settings.

A degree in Education and Psychology provides you with an excellent pathway to many professional career options. These include social and educational research, educational development within the community, welfare-related work, human resources, advertising and further postgraduate study. We are confident that the educational experience we have given you provides you with a solid foundation on which to build a successful career. The degree is accredited by the British Psychological Society as providing Graduate Basis for Chartership with the Society, which means that careers across the range of psychology professions are also open to you if you choose this pathway.

As time goes by, your interests will develop and you will start to think more about your career plans. Throughout your studies, we will provide opportunities to help you find a direction for your future career. A documents that you may find useful to read are the National Union of Student’s booklet, ‘Working towards your future: Making the most of your time in higher education’.

  

Careers Support at the University of Southampton

The Careers and Employability Service provides support to students at all levels of study and has a range of opportunities on offer.  Research* shows that graduates with no previous work experience are unlikely to be successful during the selection process and over 30% of positions will be filled by graduates who have already worked for that organisation.  The Service provides drop-in advice, 1:1 guidance, workshops, skills sessions, Careers Fairs and employer led events to support your career planning as well as the following opportunities:

*High Fliers 2016

Excel Southampton Internships

The Excel Southampton Internship Programme offers paid internships which enhance your CV, expand your network and ope graduate recruitment opportunities.

Business Innovation Programme

The Business Innovation Programme provides an opportunity to develop your business acumen, team working and problem-solving skills by working on an 8 week project put forward by local businesses or not-for-profit organisations.

Year in Employment

The Year in Employment is a work placement of upto 12 months taken after your second year of study, enabling you to develop the skills employers value and gain insight to an industry of your choice.  Eligibility criteria is available here – please check before applying.

Volunteering Bank

Volunteering is a great way to help you gain many of the skills employers are looking for, build your network and develop yourself in new ways.

 

Employability events within the Faculty

The Careers and Employability Service work closely with departments and Faculties to provide targeted careers support within and alongside your curriculum.  Activities and opportunities may appear within the timetable, or be advertised within your Faculty.  Examples include lectures and workshops, online learning options, and events featuring alumni/employers.  There are often opportunities to connect with organisations that offer themed events focused on employability. Some companies offer projects linked to dissertations or specific research.

Thinking about a Career in Education?

The Southampton Education School will support you with your future careers, and we will make every effort to help you to secure employment after leaving University.

Placements: A number of Education modules involve a four-week placement, offering you the opportunity to gain valuable work experience. Under the guidance of your Module Coordinator/Instructor, you will carry out specific tasks in a setting relevant to the module’s focus, which could be in an early years setting, a special school, a primary or secondary school, or a further education college. As well as helping you to develop your skills, the placement will give you a flavour of what it is like to work in specific contexts.

Careers Talks: Careers talks are organised during induction sessions for Year 2 and Year 3 students.  For Year 1 students, a careers talk will take place later in the academic year.  In addition, for Year 2 we organise talks by our PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) members of staff, since many students are interested in going into primary teaching. There may also be individual events organised by members of staff.  These will be announced in advance via email and/or other communication .  In addition, there are a number of option modules (labelled “systems and structures”) available in each year, which provide placement opportunities, and enable you to gain experience of particular educational contexts.

For further advice and information about your future career options, and if you have any careers enquiries, you can address these with your Personal Academic Tutor and/or Programme Director.

 

Thinking about a Career in Psychology?

The School of Psychology is committed to providing you with the guidance to find the right direction on your career path and to increase your employability. As part of your studies in Psychology, you will learn about the different career options that are available within Psychology. A document you may find useful to read is the Higher Education Academy (HEA) booklet ‘Psychology Student: Employability Guide‘.

The Careers and Employability Service, in conjunction with the School of Psychology, provides comprehensive career support for all students studying Psychology at the University of Southampton. There is an identified lead careers adviser who works with the Academic Unit to deliver career information sessions, workshops and support on a wide range of career-related topics tailored to Psychology students, including:

• Providing information and guidance on key career considerations to be aware of at each stage during your time at University.
• A Psychology Career Panel, where students can hear from a range of Psychology graduates who have used their degree in different ways
• Advice on sourcing psychology-related work experience
• Sessions on both careers in applied psychology, and alternative options with a psychology degree.

If you have any questions about career development or employability in Psychology, please contact Dr Tom Randell, on T.D.W.Randell@soton.ac.uk.

 

Thinking about a Postgraduate Career?

Perhaps you are considering Postgraduate study. There is a wide range of programmes leading to various qualifications available to you, and selecting the appropriate programme may not be easy. The first thing to realise is that you need to make a well informed decision and, therefore, the key is to obtain all the information you need. The Faculty aims to retain its best and brightest students for research. However when collecting information about postgraduate studies, you should cast your net wide. You need to select an area that interests you – a difficult task in itself because you will also seek an area that has good employment prospects. There is also the choice between taught postgraduate programmes leading towards a Master of Science (MSc) and/or research postgraduate degrees.

Both the Southampton Education School and Psychology Academic Unit are keen to encourage you if you wish to pursue further studies in their subject.

The Southampton Education School runs a range of taught and research degrees, and teacher training programmes, including:

• MSc courses in Education, Education Management & Leadership, and Specific Learning Difficulties.
• MPhil/PhD courses in Education.
• Doctorate in Education (EdD).
• Teaching Training programmes, such as Primary PGCE, Secondary PGCE and Further Education PGCE.

The School of Psychology runs a range of taught and research degrees, including:

• Certificate and Diploma courses in CBT.
• MSc courses in Clinical Psychology, Health Psychology, and Research Methods.
• MPhil/PhD courses in Psychology, and Health Psychology Research and Professional practice.
• Professional Doctorate programmes in Clinical Psychology and Educational Psychology.

If you would like to discuss Postgraduate studies in Education, you can arrange a meeting and discuss this with Dr Charis Voutsina (cv@soton.ac.uk), or Dr. Andri Christodoulou (A.Christodoulou@soton.ac.uk).

If you would like to discuss Postgraduate studies in Psychology, you can arrange a meeting and discuss this with Dr Tim Wildschut (Email: R.T.Wildschut@soton.ac.uk), the Postgraduate Research Director in Psychology.