Applied Sports Psychology CAREER INSIGHT
LJMU CAREERS TEAM 0151 231 2048/3719 ❚ careers@ljmu.ac.uk
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Career Insight: Applied Sports Psychology
Introduction Your degree in applied sports psychology will put you in a good position to enter a number of careers within the sports sector. The British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited course provides an excellent foundation to progress onto further training to become a sports psychologist through a Masters programme, however, your strong grounding in science and psychology will enable you to consider both sports science and management roles within different organisations. You may also consider a career in research. Planning for your career and gaining experience throughout your course will benefit you when you graduate. Take advantage of work experience opportunities, attend sports science careers talks at LJMU and go along to networking events to develop your skills and help you decide what area you want to move into. Try and make links with people through your course and get involved with the wealth of sporting opportunities in Liverpool and beyond to broaden your skillset and open up opportunities. You could also conside up a LinkedIn profile and following relevant organisations through Twitter to keep up to date with opportunities and developments in the sports industry. Many employers use social media to post work experience opportunities so take advantage of using the site to help you make links and find out more about what opportunities out there.
Typical job options Sports psychologists look at the mental and emotional effects of participating in sports and deal with the behaviour and well-being of individuals, teams and organisations involved with sport. Sports psychologists can work with amateur to elite level clients, helping them deal with psychological demands of participating in sports. Their duties may include providing tailored interventions to prepare for competition and providing strategies to cope with anxiety, lack of confidence, setbacks and injuries. Practical sports related experience in areas such as coaching and health promotion will help develop your skills. You could also consider shadowing a sports psychologist to gain more of an understanding of the profession. The following skills are important in this profession:
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An interest in how people react and interact in a sports context
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Good listening and observation skills
A desire to motivate and help people
The ability to work as part of a team
A tolerant and patient manner
Good problem solving skills and a logical approach
The ability to deal with stressful situations and work well under pressure
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Career Insight: Applied Sports Psychology
Further information can be found on the sport and exercise psychology job profile on the Prospects website: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/sport_and_exercise_psychologist_entry_requirements.htm
Training as a sports psychologist Your degree in applied sport psychology will put you in a good position to enter a number of careers within the sport and exercise psychology sector. The British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited course at LJMU carries the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the Society, which provides an important stepping stone towards further professional training, either to become a sport and exercise psychologist or a psychologist in another discipline. Your strong grounding in science and psychology will also enable you to consider both science and management roles within different organisations. You may also consider a career in research. If you wish to become a sport and exercise psychologist after your BPS-accredited first degree, further training involves completing a postgraduate qualification and a period of supervised practice. Specifically, this involves studying for a BPS-accredited Masters in sport psychology or sport and exercise psychology, a programme that can be undertaken at LJMU. Some applied sport psychology degree graduates also consider a career in health psychology, and opt to undertake LJMU’s Masters in health psychology. For sport and exercise psychologists, Masters training is followed by either the Stage 2 Qualification in sport and exercise psychology with the BPS, or a Professional Doctorate in sport and exercise psychology. LJMU has the facility to offer both of these Stage 2 training options. Both these qualifications target the achievement of chartered psychologist status with the BPS and sport and exercise psychologist registration with the Health and Care Professions Council. This professional doctorate (pending BPS accreditation and HCPC approval) also confers a PhD. Students who complete a Masters in health psychology may undertake the Stage 2 Qualification in health psychology with the BPS, or a Professional Doctorate in heath psychology at LJMU. The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) offers accreditation as a sport and exercise scientist, which then leads to professional registration as a Chartered Scientist with the Science Council. This normally requires a sports science degree, though a deficient entry profile can be rectified through independent learning (subject to approval of a development plan at entry), and a Masters degree in a sport and/or exercise science discipline. Some students may wish to use this qualification route to work in the sport sciences, but if HCPC registration as a sport and exercise psychologist is the goal then a GBC conversion course and BPS accredited sport and exercise psychology Masters will be required before undertaking either the Stage 2 or Professional Doctorate qualification.
Other jobs roles within the field of psychology The LJMU sports psychology programme is recognised by the British Psychological Society and confers eligibility for graduate membership of the BPS and the Graduate Basis for Registration, which is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist. This therefore means that you could consider training in other fields of psychology after your degree course as well such as: clinical, counselling, educational, forensic, health and occupational. All these fields of psychology would require further training such as Masters and then Doctorate level study. You may also need to gain work experience in a mental health setting before you can begin training in some areas of psychology such as the clinical field. To find out more about these different branches of psychology, refer to the careers section of the BPS website: http://careers.bps.org.uk/
Opportunities within a clinical setting Prior to pursuing a career as a psychologist in a clinical setting, some psychology graduates may seek to gain experience in a variety of job roles within a mental health setting. These include job roles such
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Career Insight: Applied Sports Psychology
as assistant psychologist or wellbeing practitioner. These types of jobs are advertised on the NHS jobs websites. Other job roles which graduates may undertake in order to obtain initially gain experience in a clinical setting include support worker and healthcare assistant. Graduates may then seek to gain further experience in positions such as wellbeing practitioner and assistant psychologist. Those graduates who are interested in educational psychology may seek to gain experience in roles such as teaching assistant or learning mentor.
Alternative options within the business and management sector include:
Roles in marketing and PR: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/types_of_jobs_advertising_marketing_pr.htm http://www.getin2marketing.com/ http://www.cipr.co.uk/
Roles in human resources management: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/types_of_jobs_human_resources.htm http://www.cipd.co.uk/
The suggestions listed here are by no means exhaustive so we would encourage you to consider other relevant options, e.g. based on previous work or voluntary experience, skills and interests. To explore job options by sector, check http://www.prospects.ac.uk/types_of_jobs.htm. You can also use career planning tools like http://www.prospects.ac.uk/myprospects_planner_login.htm and http://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-report to generate initial career ideas. Ensure you check entry requirements for each area, e.g. will you need a degree in a specific subject? Is a 2:1 degree classification essential? Will you need to complete a postgraduate degree? Is any specific work experience required? We also recommend that you download our “Planning your Career” guide from the Careers website at https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm. This includes a list of useful questions to help you explore your career options and introduces you to the DOTS model to help with your career planning.
Main employers Sports psychologists generally work with sports teams and athletes, often where the players/athletes practice and train. You could work as a consultant or you could be employed by professional teams or sporting bodies. Exercise psychologists may work in GP settings, health centres, sports centres, other clinical settings, or in clients’ homes. If you want to pursue a research career you may work in a university setting.
Typical employers include:
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NHS: http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/, http://www.nhsgraduates.co.uk/
Universities: http://www.jobs.ac.uk/
UK Sport: http://www.uksport.gov.uk/
England Athletics: http://www.englandathletics.org/
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Career Insight: Applied Sports Psychology
The Football Association: http://www.thefa.com/
All occupational profiles listed on http://www.prospects.ac.uk/types_of_jobs.htm include a section on typical employers and vacancy sources, so use these as a starting point to research potential employers within the career areas that interest you.
Useful links and websites
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LJMU My Jobs and Placements http://ljmu.prospects.ac.uk/
BPS Jobs www.bps.org.uk/jobs/jobs
Prospects – Careers information and graduate jobs http://www.prospects.ac.uk/
TargetJobs – Careers information and graduate jobs http://targetjobs.co.uk/
Milkround – Graduate jobs, placements & internships http://www.milkround.com/
Jobs in the public sector http://www.lgjobs.com/ http://www.jobsgopublic.com/
Vacancies in higher education and research http://www.jobs.ac.uk/
Graduate Talent Pool – Graduate internship opportunities http://graduatetalentpool.direct.gov.uk/
Information about postgraduate study http://www.postgrad.com/
Find a PhD: http://www.findaphd.com/
Accredited Psychology course search http://www.bps.org.uk/bpslegacy/ac
Postgraduate Studentships http://www.postgraduatestudentships.co.uk/
BASES vacancies http://www.bases.org.uk/Vacancies
British Psychological Society http://www.bps.org.uk/careers-in-psychology http://www.psychapp.co.uk/
Information about teacher training options http://www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/teacher-training-options.aspx
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Career Insight: Applied Sports Psychology
Follow relevant companies/websites through Twitter: @LJMUCareers
@targetjobsUK
@BPSOfficial
@NHS_Careers
@basesuk
Sources of work experience Download our mini-guide on “Making yourself employable whilst at University” from https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123833.htm for an overview of the different types of work experience available and some general suggestions about finding work experience opportunities. As part of your course you may have the opportunity to complete a placement with local sports organisations such as Liverpool, Everton and Tranmere Football Clubs; Sale Sharks Rugby; Wirral Metro Swimming Club; Liverpool Swimming Club; Warrington Rowing. In addition to this we would encourage you to gain further experience working in sports and exercise. Once you have some initial career ideas, undertaking work experience or voluntary work in these areas can be a great way not only to find out whether this role would be right for you but also to build up a network of professionals and organisations in your chosen sector, which can often lead to further work experience or even a full-time role after graduating. Contacting sports organisations directly via email or through LinkedIn or speaking with people at networking events may lead to work experience. Even when applying to secure work experience for the first time in this industry, show the employer what you have to offer. Briefly outline the relevancy of your course. Look at the skills outlined above and try to discuss these in your CV, drawing on examples from your course and other work experience or extra-curricular activities to demonstrate these skills. Make sure you research the organisation beforehand and find out the best person to get in touch with. It is important that you demonstrate that you are interested in the organisation and have spent some time finding out what they do. Useful websites to research a range of voluntary opportunities include http://www.do-it.org.uk/ and http://www.volunteeringliverpool.org.uk/. You could also contact LJMU Volunteering Manager Chris Prescott on 0151 904 6356 or c.j.prescott@ljmu.ac.uk to enquire about current opportunities. It is also worth researching relevant organisations/charities and contacting them directly to find out about voluntary roles on offer. Voluntary work in a local hospital could be a good way to gain some useful experience for a future career in the healthcare sector. Bear in mind that the application process for voluntary work in hospitals can take several months, and some hospitals even have waiting lists for volunteers, so ensure that you apply well in advance and also consider other types of voluntary work, e.g. in a care home, a hospice or for a mental health charity.
Recruitment schedule Recruitment cycles and deadlines will vary depending on the type of work you are applying for. Research is crucial to ensure that you do not miss relevant opportunities. If completing a placement with an organisation you would like to work for after graduation, ask your employers if they are aware of any opportunities coming up and when these are likely to be advertised. You may also find work through small and medium-sized enterprises/businesses (SMEs). These types of companies recruit ‘as required’. They may use their own application form but most applications will be by CV and covering letter. These positions will be advertised on company
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Career Insight: Applied Sports Psychology
websites, relevant recruitment websites, the Job Centre, and national and local newspapers. The ‘creative’ or ‘speculative’ approach to job hunting, outlined above, is also important when looking for graduate roles. Making contacts and approaching organisations speculatively to look for work is a common route into employment. For more information about the speculative approach to job hunting, download a copy of our guide to ‘The Hidden Jobs Market’ from: https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm Many graduate training schemes with large companies will accept applications from students of any degree background. If you are interested in these roles, you will need to be aware of the graduate recruitment cycle. Many recruiters begin the graduate recruitment process during the autumn term for final-year students. Most closing dates are in November and December, but some are earlier so it is important to start researching companies that you want to apply to early on. The application process usually involves completing an online application form, which may require you to answer ‘competency based questions’. This may be followed by psychometric tests, a telephone interview and an assessment centre. You may also need to submit your CV. Most of the large recruiters have a section on the student/graduate pages of their website that outlines the different steps of their selection process, so check these to find out what is required. For more information about graduate schemes, download the ‘Graduate Schemes’ guide from https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm You can get advice about the recruitment process by booking a one-to-one appointment with a careers or employability adviser or you can attend relevant workshops or webinars arranged by the Careers Team.
Key events and networking
Liverpool Careers Fair: usually held in the autumn and spring of each year, see fairs website http://www.liverpoolfairs.org.uk/ for additional events
Careers and employability events at LJMU: keep an eye on our events page at https://worldofwork.ljmu.ac.uk/events/ for details of upcoming employability workshops, networking sessions and employer talks. You might be interested in attending our employer event about “Working in Physiotherapy and Nutrition” which will take place in the Autumn Term. The date will be announced on the events page.
LiverpoolSU Clubs and Societies: www.liverpoolguild.org/main-menu/societies
Other information Centre for Entrepreneurship supports students and graduates who want to set up their own businesses. Whether you want to develop a new business idea, work as a freelancer or launch a product or service, the Centre for Entrepreneurship can help. To book a place at one of their free workshops or a confidential business advice session with one of their business advisers, call 0151 231 3300 or visit their website https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/startup/
Careers Zones Campus-based Careers Zones provide easy access to careers support in convenient locations at Byrom Street, Aldham Robarts Library and at IM Marsh, staffed by the Careers Team. Support available includes CV and application form reviews, Careers Adviser appointments, drop-in quick queries, practice interviews and access to careers resources and information. The Zones also host regular employer visits during term time where you can meet and network with employers and discuss job and placement opportunities. For the latest updates and details of locations and opening times, try our Twitter and Facebook pages or call 0151 231 2048/3719.
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