Annual Salary
£28,000 to £50,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Childcare or Education or go back to all job sectors
Swap to Childcare or Education or go back to all job sectors
Occupational therapists help people who have difficulties caused by physical or mental illness, disability, accidents or ageing.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: 9am to 5pm;
There will be
3.8% more Occupational therapist jobs in 2027.
As an occupational therapist you could:
You may need to wear a uniform.
You could work at a client's home, in an NHS or private hospital, at a client's business, at a GP practice or at an adult care home.
Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.
You can get into this job through:
You could do a degree in occupational therapy, approved by the Health and Care Professions Council.
Courses combine work placements with academic study.
Postgraduate conversion course
You might be able to do a postgraduate conversion course if you've got a degree in a subject like:biological science; health science; psychology
You'll usually need:
You could do an Occupational Therapist Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship.
This usually takes 4 years to complete and is a mix of learning on the job and academic study at an approved university.
You'll usually need:
You could start as an occupational therapy support worker.
With support from your employer, you could study for a degree part time to qualify as an occupational therapist.
You'll find it helpful to get some work experience in healthcare before you apply for jobs or training.
You'll need to:
When applying for courses and jobs, you'll be expected to have an understanding of how theNHS values apply in your work.
You can find out more about careers and training in occupational therapy from the Royal College of Occupational Therapists and Health Careers.
With experience you could:specialise in an area such as elderly care or services for children; go into private practice, education or research; do further training and move into more senior or management roles within the NHS; work overseas
You'll need: