{"id":2299,"date":"2025-12-10T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/?p=2299"},"modified":"2025-12-23T09:59:26","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T09:59:26","slug":"speech-and-language-therapy-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/speech-and-language-therapy-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Planning A Career in Speech & Language Therapy? Here\u2019s What You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A career in Speech and Language Therapy (often called STL) can be incredibly rewarding. That said, it\u2019s also a demanding discipline and one that takes a lot of dedication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combining healthcare, communication, psychology and hands-on practice, STL aims to help people of all ages with communication difficulties. Speech and language therapists also often work with those who have challenges in eating, drinking, and swallowing. Their patients include children with delayed speech development, adults recovering from strokes\/brain injuries, and those with complex neurological conditions impacting speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All told, it’s a huge field that impacts many people\u2019s lives in meaningful ways and a great opportunity for those looking to make a real difference<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speech & Language Therapist Jobs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many speech and language therapists are generalists, taking on diverse caseloads from clinics, schools, hospitals, and elder care<\/a> institutions. For more severe or unique cases, there are also specialists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, many patients who require STL suffer from a condition called dysphagia. This means that they cannot swallow properly and require treatment to help them eat and drink. Specialist speech and language therapists can work with these patients to find and help treat the root cause of their dysphagia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others choose to work with specific age groups. In education, speech and language therapy often goes hand-in-hand with treatment for neurodevelopmental conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s not to say STL is an entirely hands-on field. In order to provide the best possible treatment to such a broad range of patients with so many different conditions, therapists need a strong grounding in research and that\u2019s where the academic side comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with many academic careers, researchers<\/a> divide their time between conducting clinical trials\/studies and teaching students. This gives students direct insight into the latest developments in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Long Does it Take to Become a Speech & Language Therapist?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To practise STL in the UK<\/a> you\u2019ll need to study at either degree or postgraduate level. An undergraduate degree generally takes three years to complete, assuming you have the prerequisite qualifications (2\/3 A-levels and five GCSEs including English language, maths, and science or equivalent qualifications such as BTECs, T-levels, and NVQs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you already hold a relevant undergraduate degree, then you can do an accelerated postgraduate, lasting only two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also do an apprenticeship degree. On the one hand this allows you to earn as you learn, providing hands on experience and a practical view of the field. That said, apprenticeships can be incredibly demanding. You\u2019ll be expected to complete degree-level work alongside a challenging job. The major upside is that once you\u2019ve done this, you\u2019ll be well placed to jump right into a career<\/a>. If you\u2019ve got the passion and the dedication, then it\u2019s a great approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, that is assuming that you already have a clear idea of where you want your career to take you. The major advantage to a purely academic route is that it keeps your options open as you learn more about the field\/industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately there are lots of good speech and language therapy courses you can take in the UK depending on your current education level and plans. When researching<\/a>, make sure to ask lots of questions about what your options will be after completing the course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is STL Right For You?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So that\u2019s how to become a speech and language therapist but what if you\u2019re still on the fence? What should you do if you\u2019re not sure whether to pursue this profession?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve done your research and you\u2019re still not sure whether you want to follow a career in STL, then we would strongly recommend an academic approach over an apprenticeship. Many people don\u2019t know what they want to do for a career until after university<\/a> and that\u2019s why plenty of post-graduate courses will allow you to join so long as your undergraduate is at least relevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might even consider a degree in something more broad like linguistics or psychology until you\u2019ve made up your mind about the path you want to follow. You don\u2019t have to specialise right away<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A career in Speech and Language Therapy (often called STL) can be incredibly rewarding. That said, it\u2019s also a demanding discipline and one that takes a lot of dedication.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1288,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career-change-advice","category-career-success"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Become a Speech Therapist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover all you need to know about being a speech and language therapist and what a career in the field might look like.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/speech-and-language-therapy-career\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Become a Speech Therapist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover all you need to know about being a speech and language therapist and what a career in the field might look like.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/speech-and-language-therapy-career\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Career Navig8r\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/careernavig8r\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-10T12:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-23T09:59:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/power-of-peer-learning-min.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1182\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"416\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Career Navig8r\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@careernavig8r\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@careernavig8r\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Career Navig8r\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/speech-and-language-therapy-career\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/speech-and-language-therapy-career\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Career Navig8r\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/714cdf7d03d168e413c004bc93867caa\"},\"headline\":\"Planning A Career in Speech & Language Therapy? Here\u2019s What You Need to Know\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-10T12:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-23T09:59:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/speech-and-language-therapy-career\/\"},\"wordCount\":712,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Career Change Advice\",\"Career Success\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/speech-and-language-therapy-career\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/speech-and-language-therapy-career\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/speech-and-language-therapy-career\/\",\"name\":\"How to Become a Speech Therapist\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-10T12:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-23T09:59:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"Discover all you need to know about being a speech and language therapist and what a career in the field might look like.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/speech-and-language-therapy-career\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Career Navig8r\",\"description\":\"Resources for Mentors and Mentees\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Career Navig8r\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Logo.svg\",\"width\":110,\"height\":50,\"caption\":\"Career Navig8r\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/careernavig8r\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/careernavig8r\",\"https:\/\/linkedin.com\/company\/career-navig8r\",\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/careernavig8r\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/714cdf7d03d168e413c004bc93867caa\",\"name\":\"Career Navig8r\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f86c1060809fea8673469c04d554afd7b4391c5bba63a62b20f0cc2a934f87e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f86c1060809fea8673469c04d554afd7b4391c5bba63a62b20f0cc2a934f87e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Career Navig8r\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Become a Speech Therapist","description":"Discover all you need to know about being a speech and language therapist and what a career in the field might look like.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/speech-and-language-therapy-career\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Become a Speech Therapist","og_description":"Discover all you need to know about being a speech and language therapist and what a career in the field might look like.","og_url":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/speech-and-language-therapy-career\/","og_site_name":"Career Navig8r","article_publisher":"https:\/\/facebook.com\/careernavig8r","article_published_time":"2025-12-10T12:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-23T09:59:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1182,"height":416,"url":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/power-of-peer-learning-min.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Career Navig8r","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@careernavig8r","twitter_site":"@careernavig8r","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Career Navig8r","Estimated reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/speech-and-language-therapy-career\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/speech-and-language-therapy-career\/"},"author":{"name":"Career Navig8r","@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/714cdf7d03d168e413c004bc93867caa"},"headline":"Planning A Career in Speech & Language Therapy? Here\u2019s What You Need to Know","datePublished":"2025-12-10T12:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-23T09:59:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/speech-and-language-therapy-career\/"},"wordCount":712,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Career Change Advice","Career Success"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/speech-and-language-therapy-career\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/speech-and-language-therapy-career\/","url":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/speech-and-language-therapy-career\/","name":"How to Become a Speech Therapist","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-12-10T12:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-23T09:59:26+00:00","description":"Discover all you need to know about being a speech and language therapist and what a career in the field might look like.","inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/speech-and-language-therapy-career\/"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/","name":"Career Navig8r","description":"Resources for Mentors and Mentees","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Career Navig8r","url":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Logo.svg","width":110,"height":50,"caption":"Career Navig8r"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/facebook.com\/careernavig8r","https:\/\/twitter.com\/careernavig8r","https:\/\/linkedin.com\/company\/career-navig8r","https:\/\/instagram.com\/careernavig8r"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/714cdf7d03d168e413c004bc93867caa","name":"Career Navig8r","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f86c1060809fea8673469c04d554afd7b4391c5bba63a62b20f0cc2a934f87e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f86c1060809fea8673469c04d554afd7b4391c5bba63a62b20f0cc2a934f87e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Career Navig8r"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2299"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2300,"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2299\/revisions\/2300"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}