Speech and Language Therapy as a Career

How do I become a Speech and Language Therapist?

All speech and language therapists must complete a recognised three- or four-year Bachelors degree course or a two-year post-graduate Masters degree in Speech and Language Therapy, and register with the Health Professions Council. Please refer to The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists www.rcslt.org for educational establishments where this course is offered.

Unfortunately at present we are unable to offer prospective students the opportunity of spending one-to-one time with a therapist. This is due to time pressures on our service and also a number of health and safety issues.

There are however a number of other ways of finding out more about Speech and Language Therapy as a career or spending time with clients who may have communication/swallowing difficulties. Some suggestions that we have include:

• Contacting the paediatric SLT service: East Coast Community Healthcare 01493 809977 as they may be able to offer sessions for people considering Speech and Language Therapy as a career.

• Volunteering at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital – see our Voluntary Services pages

• Contacting the Stroke Association, to enquire whether or not they require volunteers to help with various groups they run.

• Look at the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists website www.rcslt.org as they have further information about a career in Speech and Language Therapy.