The dedication of educational psychologists is rewarded with the ability to help students learn and thrive

Educational psychologists help children or young people who are experiencing problems that hinder their successful learning and participation in school and other activities. These problems can include a range of emotional and social problems or learning difficulties.

As an educational psychologist, you will help children and young people, aged between ten and 19 years of age, in partnership with parents, teachers, social workers, doctors and other people involved in their education.

You will work in a variety of ways including observations, interviews and assessments of the child. Educational psychologists offer a range of appropriate interventions, such as learning programmes and collaborative work with teachers or parents.

You might also provide in-service training for teachers and other professionals on issues such as behaviour and stress management. A further aspect to the job is research and advising on educational provisions and policies.
Responsibilities
Duties typically involve:

assessing learning and emotional needs by observing and consulting with multi-agency teams to advise on the best approaches and provisions to support learning and development;
developing and supporting therapeutic and behaviour management programmes;
designing and developing courses for parents, teachers and others involved with the education of children and young people;
designing and developing projects involving children and young people;
writing reports to make formal recommendations on action to be taken, including formal statements;
advising, persuading, supporting and negotiating with teachers, parents and other education professionals;
attending case conferences involving multidisciplinary teams on how best to meet the social, emotional, behavioural and learning needs of the children and young people in your care;
prioritizing effectiveness, the context and environment that influence the child's development are seen as increasingly important;
conducting active research;
formulating interventions that focus on applying knowledge, skills and expertise to support local and national initiatives;
developing and applying effective interventions to promote psychological wellbeing, social, emotional and behavioural development, and to raise educational standards.
What to expect
Typically, there is a central-office base with time spent travelling to schools and clients' homes as required.
Work is often in multidisciplinary teams.
Self-employment and freelance work as a consultant is an option. However, doing this does change the range, nature and balance of the work you would do. The work is more likely to be focused on individuals, or within certain sectors, such as independent schools.
Currently, more women pursue this profession than men.
The profession is keen to increase its representation from all sectors of the community. There may be restrictions on ex-offenders and active members of political and ethical groups.
Working with people facing difficulties can be stressful. Educational psychologists receive supervision throughout their career.
Local travel within a region is a normal feature of the job. Overnight stays are rare.
In the current economic climate, some positions for educational psychologists are being frozen, and short-term contracts are becoming common, making it difficult for new graduates to find permanent positions. Opportunities are likely to increase if practitioners are willing to travel.
The training is for the UK education system. Overseas work and travel are uncommon.
Qualifications
Full details of the training required to become a registered educational psychologist with the HCPC are available from the British Psychological Society (BPS). You will need the following qualifications:

an undergraduate degree in psychology (see BPS Accredited Psychology Courses). Alternatively, if you do not have a psychology degree you can complete a BPS accredited conversion course. You will then achieve the required Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC);
a BPS accredited Doctorate in educational psychology or, for Scotland only, an accredited Masters in educational psychology followed by the BPS Award in educational psychology.
To use the title 'educational psychologist', you will need to be registered with the HCPC. This involves completing a Doctorate in educational psychology (or equivalent) approved by the HCPC. Contact the HCPC for more information on the entry requirements for their register.

In Scotland, all psychologists employed by local authorities must be chartered and must also be full members of the:

Division of Educational and Child Psychology
Scottish Division of Educational Psychology
Admissions tutors for Doctoral programmes will not normally accept graduates with a 2:2 degree without a higher qualification, such as an MSc or MPhil, ideally in an education-related area. However, candidates with a 2:2 and exceptional experience may be successful. Contact admissions tutors for further details.

Search for postgraduate courses in educational psychology.

For further details on how to become an educational psychologist and how to get funding for the government's training scheme see the Department for Education - Educational Psychology.

Funding is only available to applicants who are UK residents and intend to seek a permanent position as an educational psychologist with a local authority in England after successful completion of the programme.

Funding is likely to cover fees for all three years with a bursary for the first year. Trainees will be required to seek employment in a trainee post with a local authority for their second and third years. Failure to undertake this may result in the recovery of al,l or part, of the grant.

Competition for course places and funding is fierce, although the removal of the training grant in Scotland may affect future applications. There are 150 places a year available across 12 English universities. The Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP) runs the central application process for all educational psychology funded training scheme places.

In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland applications are made directly to institutions. These are the:

University of Cardiff in Wales;
Queen's University Belfast School of Psychology in Northern Ireland;
Universities of Dundee and Strathclyde in Scotland.
Early application is advisable and funding options are available in Wales and Northern Ireland. The Scottish government no longer offers a training grant to support people doing the MSc. This has been replaced by a loan of up to £3,400 a year from the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS).
Skills
You will need to show:

excellent communication skills;
sensitivity, tact and diplomacy;
the ability to be assertive, persuasive and an effective facilitator;
strong negotiating, administration and time management skills.
Work experience
For acceptance onto a postgraduate course, you will need to be able to demonstrate that you have relevant experience of working with children in educational, childcare, or community settings. Usually you will be required to provide evidence of at least one year's full-time experience, although two years are sometimes required.

Experience as a teacher is very relevant, although it is no longer a requirement. Teachers may be given exemptions from parts of the Doctorate. Contact course directors for exemption details.