Careers

Career in Speech and Language Therapy

What is speech and language therapy?

What is speech and language therapy?

Speech and language therapy is a profession focused on assessing, diagnosing, and treating communication and swallowing difficulties.

As a speech and language therapist, you have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on individuals’ lives by supporting them to communicate effectively and swallow safely.

It's a rewarding career path for those who are passionate about helping others and enjoy working in healthcare and education settings.

Why speech and language therapy?

Work with all ages

Speech and language therapists can work with people of all ages:

For children

  • Stammering
  • Speech sounds – articulation; phonology
  • Apraxia of speech
  • Language (understanding and use)
  • Dysphagia
  • Cleft lip and palate
  • Complex needs

For adults

  • Brain injury
  • Learning disabilities
  • Dementia
  • Aphasia
  • Stroke
  • Voice

Work in lots of settings

You may work in hospitals, clinics, nursery, preschool, primary schools, secondary schools, or prisons.

There are opportunities to work in the NHS, private services or even start your own independent company

Creative and fun - be part of a team

Work with other allied health professionals such as occupational therapists and physios.

Create fun sessions to suit each of your client’s needs and interests

Common questions

Pay

The Band 5 NHS starting salary is around £30,000 full time. This can increase with time and experience.

Hours

  • Part time or full time.
  • Can have flexible hours.
  • Work-from-home days.

How to become a part of a speech and language therapy team

Undergraduate course: Four years at university.

Master courses: a handful of universities offer this across the UK (two years at university following an undergraduate degree).

Apprenticeship: Three universities in England currently offer apprenticeships.

 

Become a speech and language therapist support worker

Apply for a band 4 role within an speech and language therapy team (does not require a degree)

Find out more

Send us an e-mail at cpm-tr.SLTmailforparents@nhs.net

Look out for us at careers events.

Myths around speech and language therapy

Speak properly

  • Speech and language therapists do not teach people to ‘speak properly’.
  • Speech and language therapists help people communicate their needs and thoughts.
  • We do work on speech sounds but we do not work on ‘proper pronunciation’ of the correct sound.
  • We consider the impact of speech on day-to-day life.

Speech and language therapists only work with children

Speech and language therapy covers all ages:

  • New born
  • Pre-school
  • School age
  • Teenagers
  • Adults
  • Older adults

Just speech

Speech and language therapy is much more than just speech. For example, people who may not use words to communicate, speech and language therapy helps them find their voice through sign, visuals, and alternative communication (such as an an ipad).

There is also language, voice, eating and  drinking, social skills - for example, turn taking

Pay

Pay will vary depending on your role and the job you apply for - for example, NHS vs private

NHS banding

A band 5 starting salary is around £31,000 (as of 2026). This can increase with time and experience. This will also vary if you work in London.

You need a degree

You do not need a degree to be part of the speech and language therapy team.

There are roles within the speech and language therapy team that do not require a degree such as a support worker, admin staff, or assistant.

You can also become an speech and language therapist via an apprenticeship if university isn’t for you

You work so many hours

  • Working hours can vary.
  • Hours will vary depending on your role.
  • Part time or full time.
  • Work-from-home days.

Annual leave

  • NHS annual leave includes bank holidays + 27 days
  • Your annual leave allowance increases the longer you work in the NHS

Useful links:

Routes into speech and language therapy

There are two main routes into the speech and language therapy profession — university and apprenticeships.

University

Undergraduate (BSc)

Requires A-levels in subjects such as languages (including English), biology, psychology, or sciences. Specific entry requirements vary by university.

Postgraduate (PGDip or MSc)

Requires a related undergraduate degree, typically in science, language, or psychology. Education and childhood courses may also be accepted. A minimum of a 2:1 grade is usually required. Check with individual universities for specific entry details.

 Apprenticeships

  • Offers a blend of work-based and academic learning.
  • Aligns with Health and Care Professions Council requirements to register as a speech and language therapist in the UK.
  • Apprentices are employees, not students, and do not take student loans. Employers pay wages, while tuition is covered by the government’s apprenticeship levy.
  • A minimum of 20% of the apprentice's working week is dedicated to learning outside the workplace, which may be arranged flexibly.

Career change

Speech and language therapy combines a passion for helping people with communication and swallowing issues with an interest in language, communication, and science.

It’s a fulfilling career choice for those looking to make a difference.

You can join the speech and language profession at any time in your career.

Work experience and shadowing opportunities

Work experience with our team 

Interested in a career in speech and language therapy?

Our team supports children and young people (aged 0–18) with speech, language, swallowing, and communication needs.

We work in clinics, schools, homes and pre-schools across the community.

Click on the link for more details:  Work Experience Opportunity: Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy | Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Trust Volunteering