Is pre-trainee exp relevant to post-training job seeking?

[ManonFire]

I'm just wondering if anyone can shed light on the job market after training.

If for example I wanted to work in a specialist CP post in CAMHS, what weight would experience as an AP in that setting give my application? Or is the slate more or less wiped clean? I have seen in some of those job descriptions that 2 years post-training experience is required...

I'd hate to fathom an employer held years of hard work at assistant stage in low regard.

[BlueCat]

The two years post qualification experience is for an 8a I'm guessing, not a 7? Absolutely it would need to be post qualification. Employers won't discount pre qualification experience but being an assistant psychologist is in no way shape or form equivalent to working as qualified. So no, experience as an assistant wouldn't count towards post qualification experience.

[ell]

I don't think your slate is wiped clean by training. It might depend a bit on who is employing though. I feel like my pre training experience helped me in getting my post training job, both in terms of experience with the client group and because of my professional connections I had made in the local and surrounding area over that time. It certainly helped in me negotiating my pay.

Of course, pre training experience does not count towards post training experience. Cos, y'know, explicitly different thing.

[Peach]

There in some jobs (particularly in quite specialist areas) that will stipulate as a desirable criteria that you have pretraining experience as an assistant in that area. This is by no means a pre-requisite and obviously trainee experence and qualified experence will have greater weighting but having pre-training experience as well in that area can be useful also. I've known a couple of trainees able to go straight into a post at 8A without a preceptorship period because they had signficant pretraining experience in that specialism...but this is not common.

[ManonFire]

It'd be really disheartening to think that years and years of hard graft for relatively low pay at assistant stage while playing the annual CP lottery was for nothing, seeing as some get on so early. Although some CP's have substantial experience before training, many do not, and my guess is a lot of experienced APs would be able to demonstrate ability in areas some CPs might struggle with. For example if an AP had a specialist interest from an early stage, other qualification etc.. I would imagine that cumulative experience in one area for example would enhance a post-training application in that area. I do also accept that it could unwittingly present oneself as one-dimensional. Hadn't thought about the already being known in that network helping things too. Of course post-training experience is different - it is a different job after all!!!!

Good on you Ell negotiating pay - not something I thought was possible in healthcare!

Peach you just made a lot of APs' day (mainly mine) with that encouraging anecdote, thank you!!!!!!

[bob1]

Well, I had a lot of pre-training experience in a particular specialist field. Because of that I applied for 8a posts as my first qualified posts. A couple of the posts I contacted in advance of applying stated I looked appealing to them, but they would have to employ me at band 7 due to lack of post qualification experience. However, I was able to secure a band 8a job immediately on qualifying, and within 8 months had moved to my dream job in another band 8a role. So, I would say pre-training experience does count - especially in specialised areas.

[maven]

It'd be really disheartening to think that years and years of hard graft for relatively low pay at assistant stage while playing the annual CP lottery was for nothing

It isn't for nothing. It helps you gain the skills to get onto training, and pass the placements, and it gives you transferable skills that you retain throughout your career. It might mean you have knowledge of the systems and people in that specialism which is helpful, or that you appear more committed to that client group. But it isn't normally relevant to pay banding or any requirement of length of experience - let alone if post qualification experience is specified, as this it to do with the experience that gives seniority within a service, and therefore needs to include the qualified skills of that client group and being a CP more broadly - formulation for complex cases, working with systems, supervision, etc.

I think it is an unhelpful (and incorrect) mindset to think that someone with longer NHS or AP experience pre-qualification will in some way be a better CP. Plenty of CPs come from other types of roles (eg related professions, research posts, doing a PhD) and have loads of helpful transferable skills, or a greater breadth of skills, that are equally valuable to just spending longer as an AP in one particular speciality. But most importantly, most people don't get to choose their pre-qualification speciality according to their interests, and take the posts that are available. So why expect bias in favour of those lucky enough (or privileged enough to move geographically) to work in their preferred speciality? I know I moved from spending two years working with a client group I don't personally have a particular interest in as an AP to an entirely different client group post-qualification, and I still refer back to what I learned from those years. In some ways client group is a real red herring when it comes to what you gain from a post (particularly before training), and it certainly isn't something I'd consider much when appointing a qualified CP.