Working part-time in grad school

[Gabby]

I've heard that grad school in speech pathology is a full-time job. I was wondering if it is possible to work part-time while in grad school? I have to make money somehow since I'll need an apartment, car, etc.

[slpfall14]

In my program I was able to work part-time as a graduate assistant.  They worked with my schedule.  The money however was very minimal.  It's possible but pretty difficult to find a "outside job" to work with your crazy schedule.

[Crimson Wife]

Do you have your SLP Asst. license?

[Gabby]

@Crimson Wife I don't have my SLPA license. I'm an undergraduate student and I'm going to apply to graduate programs in the fall.

[jpiccolo]

Grad school is definitely a full time job but it's all about time management. I did not work this past year and relied on loans and I'm glad I could just focus on school. However it's doable for some people if you can find a TA job or something on the evenings or weekends. I wouldn't try much more than 10 hours though. It just is too much with classes and surviving clinic. One other thing that would help is trying to minimize time planning for sessions. You don't need to spend hours creating crafty things. If your clinic had a good materials room take advantage of anything ready made or games/toys so you can save time on session planning. 

[Apogeee]

My advice (take it for what it's worth) do not attend grad school if you don't get full funding. Aim for a TAship besides. The TAship should pay for you to live - rent in a shared apartment, food, and a little over to travel home, perhaps, but not much.

[Cowsy]

1 hour ago, Apogeee said:

My advice (take it for what it's worth) do not attend grad school if you don't get full funding. Aim for a TAship besides. The TAship should pay for you to live - rent in a shared apartment, food, and a little over to travel home, perhaps, but not much.

This is the SLP forum... My somewhat educated guess is that there would be a 75-90 (???) percent decrease in the number of SLP grad students if we all followed your advice. I think that what you're saying is appropriate for most grad students. But the reality for this field is that there's just not very much funding. On the flip side, we're all virtually guaranteed jobs once we're certified. Not sure if that's true for most graduate students. 

[Gab - future SLP]

I am starting grad school in the Fall. I haven't heard anything back about a GA or work study, but if I do not get either (although I think I should get at least one) I believe getting adjusted to the course work and schedule is more important than worrying about finding a job. I know it is going to be challenging to not work since I have always worked since I was 15, but I want to focus on school. Good luck!

[Crimson Wife]

9 hours ago, Gabby said:

@Crimson Wife I don't have my SLPA license. I'm an undergraduate student and I'm going to apply to graduate programs in the fall.

Look into SLPA requirements in the states where you are applying to grad school. Some states have way more stringent requirements than others. Out here in CA, you would need your bachelor's in CSD + completion of a formal SLPA training program (1 semester if you start after you finish the bachelor's, longer if you do it concurrently like me). Other states like TX and MA only require the bachelor's + observation hours.

Some grad programs are designed for working SLPA's. They typically take longer but the flip side is that you would earn money to pay living expenses and tuition. I'm not sure yet which route I'll go. I should know my fieldwork placement before I have to finalize where I'm applying.

[futureSpeechLP]

I'm planning to tutor fridays and on the weekends as well as bartend friday and saturday nights. I'll leave friday and saturday mornings and all sunday for prep and studying. I also know some people who substitute teach on fridays. Just writing this I feel exhausted. 

[Jolie717]

Actually, in areas of California you can work as "speech specialist" with only your bachelor's in CD and a credential waiver.  In essence, similar to a SLPA.  This is provided you are also actively seeking your master's degree in speech-language pathology.  There may be other states that operate similarly, particularly in areas with SLP shortages.  

Be aware, however, that many SLPs (professionals and professors) frown upon this as it devalues the master's degree to some.  There are also ethical concerns as some are asked to do more than they are qualified to do.  This happens in fields other than SLP too.  

[delete-account]

I'm currently in grad school and in addition to work-study, I have a part time job at a car dealership with flexible hours. I just let my boss know that I am in graduate school and he was really willing to be flexible. Talk to some students in the program you decide to attend... if several of them have part time jobs, then it's probably fine; if not (some programs are more intense than others) then I would not recommend it. 

I also know many girls who babysit or nanny as their part-time job. If you market yourself on Care.com as someone with experience in child language development, graduate student, maybe CPR certified, etc. you should be able to get $15-20/hour babysitting in most metro cities (Atlanta, Dallas, etc.). 

[jazspeaks]

On 6/15/2016 at 9:28 AM, Apogeee said:

My advice (take it for what it's worth) do not attend grad school if you don't get full funding. Aim for a TAship besides. The TAship should pay for you to live - rent in a shared apartment, food, and a little over to travel home, perhaps, but not much.

I wish that could be the case for everyone.  However, these assistantships are very very competitive.  I wouldn't hold out for one.  There were only 2 graduate assistantships available out of the ~36 students admitted.  I interviewed, but didn't get it.  I am saving up as much as I can this summer, taking out the full $20k allotted for financial aid, trying to establish residency for the spring semester, and will be trying to work 10 hrs/wk to just barely skate by.  I've had friends who took 1-2 bartending/server shifts each week and this seemed to be the best way to make it through.

[castikat]

I know people in SLP grad programs who work. Jobs that are flexible are key. If you can work only on weekends and/or in the evenings, that's best. However, working during the week can be possible, it's just about your schedule. Jobs I can think of for this would be respite, ABA therapy, and tutoring. Don't feel limited to jobs related to the field, if you need money, you need money. You can wait tables or bartend or whatever. Do what you gotta do. Also, see what your school has available for jobs. Obviously graduate assistantships are best but there might also be lab positions and TA positions (my friend works in an AAC lab doing research for one of her profs) and even outside of the department there might be something like an RA position, working the desk at a library, etc. School jobs tend to pay less but really work with your schedule because they understand your situation. In any case, just don't take on too much; going to grad school is absolutely a full time job. It would be better to take loans than to fail out because you didn't have enough time to do your best work. But 10-15 hours a week should be doable for most people.

[BonnyLass]

You can do it! Just be honest about what you can do and try to find something flexible that you enjoy or is convenient for another reason. 

I work on campus during textbook rush season, but babysitting (if you're down for that) is a good alternative. I've heard good things about care.com!