Podnotes
So you want to be a psychologist
Almost 6,000 people applied for 1,179 NHS-funded doctorate places in 2025. That’s a 20% acceptance rate. Some universities saw more than 700 applications for 45 spots.
If you’re trying to break into clinical psychology, you’re competing with hundreds of others – and university tutors won’t tell you how to stand out.
We will.
Our Podnotes series offers insider career guidance for aspiring clinical psychologists – from someone who’s just navigated this path.
We ask the questions aspiring psychologists want the answers to – and give the responses university tutors won’t.
What it includes
University tutors give you the official version.
Career services send you generic CV templates. Online forums give you anxious speculation.
We tell you
→ How to tailor a CV when you’re competing with 700 others
→ What interviewers are actually looking for (it’s not what you think)
→ How to handle months of rejection without spiralling into despair
→ What a psychology doctorate is actually like – not the prospectus version
→ Whether a psychology career is worth the competition, the pay and the emotional toll
We give you:
→ Five video episodes (60 minutes total)
→ Resource guide, including CV templates, interview checklists, application timelines and recommended reading lists
→ Lifetime access
→ Downloadable transcripts
→ Discussion forum
→ Exclusive early access to our mentorship programme when it launches
Who’s it for?
→ Assistant psychologists preparing doctorate applications – and needing to understand how to stand out in a pool of 700 applicants for 45 places
→ Recent graduates navigating the brutal competition for assistant psychologist roles – 104 applicants for one post is normal
→ Psychology undergraduates researching the path to clinical training and wanting to understand how to stand out in a huge pool
→ A-level students considering psychology at university: is this career worth seven years’ investment?
→ Career changers considering psychology and looking for a realistic assessment of what it involves
→ International students navigating UK clinical-psychology pathways
Hosted by
Zara Tandy: Affiniti+ assistant psychologist, who navigated this exact path in 2024. She was one of 104 applicants for her current role. She got it.
with:
Dr Anindita Sarkar: Consultant clinical psychologist, with 26 years’ experience in the field, including as an NHS head of clinical services. Dr Anindita is also a doctorate supervisor.