1. v Francesca Burniston, Lucy Harvey, Alice Turland, Katie Piggott and Francesca Sawer, Trainee Clinical Psychologists at the University of Surrey, Guildford. Trainee Clinical Psychologists’ Perceptions of Unpaid Assistant Psychologist Positions IntroductionResults Zarathustra (2012) suggested that unpaid work in psychology has arisen due to the lack of paid assistant psychologist posts available, as well as many eager people willing to work for free to gain experience. It has been suggested that career progression and levels of pay are better for students who have undertaken an unpaid placement (Moores & Reddy, 2012; Reddy & Moores, 2006). However others argue that unpaid assistant psychologist posts are exploitative and questions have been raised about the legality and ethics these posts (e.g. Jump, 2012). Recent debates have highlighted how such posts could limit diversity in clinical psychology to those with alternative means of financial support (Bullen, 2012; Bywater, 2006; Clarke, 2012; Down, 2012; Thompson, 2012). Nevertheless, NHS services are likely to continue utilising the services of volunteers who are willing to seek such opportunities (Stuart et al., 2014). Research into unpaid assistant psychologist positions is sparse. O'Shea and Byrne (2011)’s qualitative study of trainee clinical psychologists in Ireland suggested that trainees believed having varied clinical experience from voluntary posts taught them the necessary clinical competencies for successful selection. Aim: To explore trainee clinical psychologists’ experiences of having been an unpaid assistant psychologist. Varied paths to clinical psychology: Whereas some approached voluntary services or personal contacts informally, others applied for their positions formally, having to go through an application and interview process Sample: Five first year Trainee Clinical Psychologists participated in this study. All had previously worked as unpaid assistant psychologists following completion of their undergraduate degrees. Design and procedure: Interviews were conducted by Trainee Clinical Psychologists. A semi-structured interview schedule was designed to ensure consistency across interviews and to allow interviewees the opportunity to flexibly describe their experiences. Analysis: Inductive, interpretive Thematic Analysis was used to analyse the data. Researchers discussed emerging themes after each level of analysis. Method "It was still competitive to get this unpaid role" Support: Financial support and additional paid employment were essential to undertake unpaid posts. A lack of, or insufficient, support from supervisors was thought to be a barrier to accessing opportunities, whereas good supervision could enhance the quality of an unpaid post. Value: Posts offered both professional and personal value. However, the post should be mutually beneficial for both the trainee and the supervisor or team: Awareness of others’ experiences: Trainees often compared their positive experiences to someone they knew who had had a less positive experience. Exploitation: All participants acknowledged some degree of exploitation and queried the morality of unpaid posts Culture of the profession: Unpaid roles were considered to be standard practice within the culture of the profession at the moment. It was also acknowledged that the scope of unpaid roles seems to be increasing. Trainees expressed the downside to this and the impact on the profession as a whole. “I was only able to…because my family were supporting me and I could live at home.” “In that sense the quality of the honorary position can be good…you need to be valued by their supervisors definitely.” “I got loads out of it. It was my first clinical experience, first experience of working in the NHS.” “You don’t mind doing work for them if you’re able to get some experience in psychology, and I was just doing all of the work, with none of the experience I was wanting” "…just talking to other people…. my experience probably isn't typical… of all honorary posts". "I've had feedback from other honorary's…. their supervisors weren't that great". “Taking advantage of people that are so desperate to get onto the clinical training course” “In the psychology world, for me, like just became the norm. Everyone does it, it’s fine” “I mean you even get honorary support worker posts now” “Psychology shouldn’t be a profession just for people that can afford it, I think that’s wrong and I think it promotes that a little bit.” Conclusions The trainees found their experience of unpaid positions beneficial for their careers, even when there were negative aspects to the job role. Despite this, all participants acknowledged some degree of exploitation involved in unpaid posts, and described them as being part of the culture of clinical psychology. This suggests that regulations are needed in order to promote consistency of experiences and opportunities across posts. Some trainees described financial support as a necessity for those undertaking an unpaid assistant position, which has implications for socioeconomic diversity within the profession. Equal opportunities should be a key consideration for those utilising the services of unpaid assistant psychologists. References Bullen, J. (2012). Some of us can’t work for nothing. The Psychologist, 25 (7), 482. Bywater, J. (2006). Exploitation or opportunity. The Psychologist, 19 (8), 466. Clarke, R. (2012). I congratulate Megan Down. The Psychologist, 25 (7), 483. Down, M. (2012). We Can’t Work for Free. The Psychologist, 25 (6), 398. Jump, P. (2012). Advert for unpaid research position withdrawn. Times Higher Education. Retrieved from http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/420451.article. Moores, E., & Reddy, P. (2012). No regrets? Measuring the career benefits of a psychology placement year. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 37(5), 535-554. O’Shea, G., & Byrne, M. (2011). Entrants experiences of the clinical psychology programme selection process. The Irish Psychologist, 37 (6), 150-157. Reddy, P., & Moores, E. (2006). Measuring the benefits of a psychology placement year. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 31 (5), 551-567. Stuart, S., Ross, M.K., Alexander, L., & Ross, K. (2014). Volunteering with NHS psychological services: Costs, benefits and personal perspectives. Clinical Psychology Forum, 255, (37-40). Thompson, C. (2012). In response to the letter ‘we can’t work for free’. The Psychologist, 25 (7), 483. Zarathustra. (2012). NHS trust advertises clinical post as unpaid internship. The Not So Big Society. Retrieved from http://notsobigsociety.wordpress.com/2012/08/28/nhs-trusts-advertises-clinical-post-as-unpaid-internship//