Can a Teacher Become an Educational Psychologist?

In this blog, you will learn: 

• What an Educational Psychologist is
• How to become an Educational Psychologist 
• How a teacher can become an Educational Psychologist
• What skills an Educational Psychologist requires
• What the latest Educational Psychologist jobs available at Spencer Clarke Group are

On a daily basis, teachers do much more than just ‘teach’ their students the curriculum. Being a teacher is all about managing young people, understanding what makes them tick, working out how best to approach subjects, managing their behaviour, and much more. 

With that in mind, could a teacher become an Educational Psychologist? And would they need to acquire additional qualifications to become one? 

In our latest blog, we take a look at what an Educational Psychologist is, how to become an Educational Psychologist, how a teacher can become an Educational Psychologist and what skills an Educational Psychologist requires to be successful. 

What is an Educational Psychologist?

An Educational Psychologist (EP) is a professional psychologist who specialises in the learning and development of young people up to 25 years of age. Educational Psychologists have specialist knowledge and expertise that helps them make psychological and educational assessments to ensure that young people reach their full potential throughout their time in education.

On the surface, it may not sound too dissimilar to what a Teacher does on a day-to-day basis, but their role within a school or educational setting is far-reaching and in-depth.

An Educational Psychologist’s responsibilities are wide-ranging. They include using psychological tests, theories and procedures to support the well-being of a young person. An Educational Psychologist must also recognise a young person's strengths and weaknesses, then help to develop and support them with therapeutic and behavioural management programmes to allow them to reach their full potential.

Other responsibilities include:

• Design, develop and nurture projects involving young people.
• Write reports and make recommendations on actions that should be taken.
• Advise, persuade, support and negotiate with teachers, parents and other education professionals.
• Actively research their specialist area of expertise to continue learning and developing their own skills.
• Compose interventions that focus on applying knowledge, skills and expertise.
• Develop and apply effective interventions to raise educational standards.
• Promote psychological wellbeing and social, emotional and behavioural development within young people.

How to become an Educational Psychologist

The right education, training and qualifications must be obtained for a person to qualify as an Educational Psychologist.

To work as an Educational Psychologist in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, you must have achieved qualifications that are recognised by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

To be considered for a place on a doctorate training course, you must have a first degree in Psychology. This must be accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) as giving eligibility for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the BPS (GBC).

Then, you must complete a three-year postgraduate training course, which includes a doctorate qualification. The first year is university-based with years two and three mostly spent on placement with a local educational psychology service.

Applicants to post-graduate training are expected to show significant experience of working with children and young people in an education, health, social care, or childcare setting.

Can a teacher become an Educational Psychologist?

In short: yes, a teacher can become an Educational Psychologist. There are certain steps in education that a teacher must take, but they’re able to pursue this career path if they wish.

If a teacher has a first degree in psychology, they can start their move into the educational psychology field. As you can see from the detail above, the road to becoming a fully qualified Educational Psychologist is long and tough. 

However, the payoff is incredible when you start working full-time with students that will greatly benefit from your expertise and this is one of the many reasons why someone might choose to become an Educational Psychologist.

What type of skills does an Educational Psychologist require?

There are some key skills which an Educational Psychologist will need to be successful in their role. These include: 

• Great communication and interpersonal skills
• The ability to make different psychological assessments
• Assertiveness, sensitivity and empathy
• Observational skills and attention to detail
• The ability to use your own initiative
• The ability to manage multiple cases and a potentially busy workload
• Dealing with sensitive or private information
• The ability to deal with emotional issues
• Data analysis
  
  

Latest Educational Psychologist jobs at Spencer Clarke Group

If you’re searching for your next Educational Psychologist job, why not take a look at all the vacancies currently available at Local Authorities across the UK? 

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Why not upload your CV or contact our SEND specialist, Richard Shorrock, to discover more about upcoming opportunities. 

Who is Spencer Clarke Group? 

Since 2017, we've been changing the face of recruitment. From our employees, to the way we do business, to the culture within our office, we're determined to make a difference and create a positive impact on everyone around us.

Recruitment to us isn't just about matching candidates and clients; we’re passionate about finding candidates the perfect job which has the ability to boost their salary and standard of living, better their work life balance and improve their mental health. 

Similarly, we understand the impact which an experienced and skilled employee can make to a business and we love seeing clients thrive through the hard work of candidates which we have placed with them. 

We operate in two sectors:

Private Sector

Public Sector 

In eleven specialisms:

Accountancy & Finance

Education & SEND

Construction, Trades & Labour

Healthcare, Social Care & Nursing

Housing

Corporate Functions & Business Support

HR & Workforce Development

IT & Digital

Property & Asset Management  

Planning, Development & Regeneration 

Highways, Infrastructure & Engineering

If you’re searching for a new role, why not visit our job page to take a look at the latest opportunities? Alternatively, upload your CV and one of our experienced consultants will contact you when a relevant opportunity becomes available. 

If you’re struggling to fill a role, why don’t you give us a call on 01772 954200 to see how we can help? One of our consultants will be happy to listen to the challenges which you are facing and advise on the best possible solution for you.