What's your day job?

[Mims]

HI,

I have a BA in speech pathology, but I haven't applied to grad school yet.  I'm wondering what people do to both gain experience and make money either as undergrads or in between BA and Master's. I have kids, so I'm particularly interested in something I could do part time during the day while they're in school.

[Speechster]

Technically the only thing you can do with it is be an slpa if your state allows it. But a lot of ppl do something in the special ed route like a para or tss, or the aba route like an rbt. Good luck! 

[pbandj]

I second the above post. I had friends working as a para in special ed classes, and they had great experiences. If you work in a school I think your schedule will pretty naturally fit into the schedule of your children. I went the ABA route and worked part-time at a center providing ABA services to children with autism. I loved my job and the hours were extremely flexible, though that may vary a bit between agencies. Can't go wrong with either. Best of luck to you. 

[Spondee]

I mean, I worked retail during my postbac, and I got into schools. 

[Daniel998]

I'm a substitute teacher. Pays way more than being a Para and I've subbed for SPED and Intervention classes. All you need is 90 units or a degree, LOR, CBEST, and TB to work as one. Going rates in my area are 125 a day. I'd take my classwork when I subbed for Honors/AP classes since there is nothing to do. Im near Fresno, CA so it may be different if you're OOS.

[Daniel998]

Sometimes we'd get paid 150 if the district had common core training so it's not a bad gig at all. You'd clock out at 2:30-3:15 depending on the school site.

[SpeechLaedy]

I'm a teachers assistant at a special education school. There are a bunch of integrated classrooms and the age ranges from birth-12. There are about 15 SLPs on staff and many other types of therapies. You get to go to goal meetings and meet with the team of educators/therapists to talk about how each child can make progress, etc. I've observed almost all of the SLPs there and have seen an incredible range of pathologies from doing so and also from when I started as a floater teacher's aide (I helped every classroom in the entire school within my first year there). I'm now a permanent TA in an 8:1:3 ABA preschool classroom and love that I get to see the progress of each child from the beginning to the end of the year. Truly remarkable. So I think doing something like that would be a great experience if there is anything like that available in your area. Wait, I just saw that you're in NY as well. Are you located on Long Island or in the city/boroughs?

[Pjeak]

Honestly while in undergrad I worked as a receptionist at a senior living home. I went away to school so I was only able to do it during breaks (Christmas, spring, etc.). It was only the best four years of my life and it turned me into the caring, patient person I am now. I talked about this in my letter of intent. You don't necessarily have to have SLP experience

[theominousfuture]

I second Pjeak's point! I'm working on a university research team. My job is to go around the city and meet with teachers to help them implement our PI's storytelling intervention. A few times a year, I go into all the classrooms and observe and administer language/self-reg assessments to the kids to see if the intervention has yielded any particularly positive outcomes. So it's not direct SLP work but I get to talk about how much I enjoy classroom-based intervention in underserved school communities!

So don't be afraid to go for unconventional experience if it will mean something to you and give you something to talk about in your letter/interview.

[hopefulslp1]

I'm going to be starting as a special-ed assistant (parapro) at an elementary school this upcoming fall. Everyone I've seemed to talk to who works in the shs field says this will be great when it comes time for applications. It's also super easy to get your parapro license and the hours will match up with your kids most likely!

[Alanna DeSavino]

I graduated with my BA in speech language hearing science and a minor in psychology in 2016 and applied for a job in the behavioral health field as a TSS worker to gain experience working with autistic children while I took some time off. I started off working with one client at his school 20 hours/week, then picked up an additional client and moved up to 30 hours, and I now work full time for the summer, going to summer school and daycare with my client. Many of my coworkers are parents and this job works very well with their busy schedules! 

I feel that this job has given me a great deal of experience that can be applied in a clinical setting as an SLP and I hope it looks good on my resume. Good luck to you!

[amy.will]

I worked as a receptionist at a pediatric speech clinic. 

Honestly just doing the front desk end was really informative. I know more about insurance and billing than I ever wanted to, but that clinic management stuff is important! I also learned a lot kind of just by osmosis...just chatting with the SLP's and overhearing their conversations. I was also able to help out with therapy even though I wasn't a certified SLPA in my state, but I'm not sure if that's allowed everywhere as those things vary so much from state to state. 

[kingspeech]

Insurance and billing is important, too. Always learn as much as you can about that end of things.

[rchldid]

I teach EFL to East Asian students. I am glad that I have pursued this career (I actually considered getting my MA Applied Linguistics for a long time). I'd like to say that many of the skills I have developed teaching EFL will transfer over quite well to SLP. 

In addition, I have managed to be active in the international SLP community. I have shadowed SLPs in international schools and hospitals, and have volunteered for SLP related charitable organizations. I'm hoping that this will give my SOPs an edge.

[mimithebellydancer]

On 7/27/2017 at 2:54 PM, Daniel998 said:

I'm a substitute teacher. Pays way more than being a Para and I've subbed for SPED and Intervention classes. All you need is 90 units or a degree, LOR, CBEST, and TB to work as one. Going rates in my area are 125 a day. I'd take my classwork when I subbed for Honors/AP classes since there is nothing to do. Im near Fresno, CA so it may be different if you're OOS.

What! I wish we got that in NC!

[ObsessLP]

I was a reading coach, and now I work part time as an assistant at a child development center while finishing up my courses. It doesn't pay a lot but it's fun, easy work and allows enough time for school work.

[Crimson Wife]

Some options not already mentioned:

Lindamood-Bell Tutor

Respite worker for the disabled

Newborn Hearing Screener

CNA  (requires training that at my local community college is 10 weeks)

 

[AlwaysaFalcon]

I volunteered at an integrated preschool. I was able to get a chance to interact with the kids and also observe an slp! Really solidified my decision to be an slp. I only volunteered once a week for a few hours but hey its better than nothing!

[mimithebellydancer]

@Mims, try sub teaching

[SLPIwannabe]

I am a Special Education Instructional Aide at a High School. Working with high school kids is such a different experience, but so rewarding. Although I love it, I am still passionate about pursuing my Master's in Speech Language Pathology. I am currently working on my applications so wish me luck! 

[jessinjapan]

I'm currently teaching English in Yamaguchi, Japan (JET Program)! Before coming here, I worked as a TA for 2 years in elementary lifeskills and learning support classrooms, spent 3 years working in long term care as a CNA, and one year as a patient care technician in the ICU. Before working as a CNA I had no idea what I wanted to be when I "grew up" haha I'm so grateful for my experiences in healthcare and education!

[rchldid]

I teach English as a Second Language abroad. It was never meant to be a career, but I was a linguistics major, and enjoyed the application of my academic knowledge. I have had the pleasure of interviewing many travel SLPs, and I also believe that my experience has been very relevant to the field. 

[NatRose]

Today is my last day as a bilingual SLPA since I start grad school January -- it's been so emotional! I'm gonna miss all my kiddos.

[colormespeech]

I currently work as a para in the elementary multi-needs classroom of a therapeutic day school. I am so in love with my school and the work I do with each student. Not only do I get to incorporate teaching strategies from fellow teachers, paras, and related services (including licensed SLPs), but I also learn so much about behavior management. I am also learning more about AAC since a majority of my kids were just approved by their school districts to use them! 

I am also being interviewed for a part-time position in behavior therapy. About 10-12 hours a week. Makes for great experience and extra funds!