Nowadays, without any experience, it is very difficult to find a great job. This is especially true for the field of psychology. So, obviously I was over the moon when I got offered an internship at HSR Psychology in Manchester.

Here are some things that I have learned so far:

• You can never start too early with the house search I was aware that this might be difficult, as searching for a house from a distance is always a struggle. I thought of myself as a bit of an experienced “house hunter” as I have lived in many countries, but so far I found moving to the UK the hardest. I can only repeat what everybody says: Don’t pay any money before receiving a contract and try to get at least a Skype interview to check the room before you pay a deposit.
• Language: Accept the fact that you may not understand some people and what they are saying. It’s not always your English, it’s not always your fault – some people’s accents can be very hard to understand. You will get used to it.
• Food, food and more food! One thing I love about the UK is the variety of food available. You could go out for dinner every night for a year and you would still find places you have not tried. Amazing!

About the internship at HSR Psychology

Unless you are from the UK, the first week you spend here will be getting to know the basics, for example the schooling system or health care. It’s very interesting to see what is similar or different from the places I have lived before and it gave me the chance to widen my knowledge and an opportunity to think critically about the education system. I hope that one day I will be able to contribute to positive changes in our educational systems.

HSR Psychology is a small company, but that is the reason why it seemed so appealing to me. When working for a relatively smaller company, you get more chances to gain deeper knowledge – not only about your working areas but also the possibility to see how other departments and services function. Another great thing about this company is that it is lead by young but experienced professionals, most people are between the ages of 20-50. I like the idea of working with people who are open-minded and welcoming to new ideas. The HSR Psychology team is great, everybody is very supportive, helpful and kind. We have work events as well, which are excellent opportunities for teambuilding and getting to know each other a bit more. Another thing I like very much is that we are encouraged to take on training and courses related to psychology. Also, I cannot get over the fact that there is a cake to share at least once a week, how sweet is that!?

What I hope to achieve…

All in all, I am excited to see how this internship will support me in developing my skills further and working towards my goals. I am mostly looking forward to gaining more experience in the practical areas of psychology along with getting to know the UK’s culture and people a bit better. I am eager to learn more about the health care system, especially the mental health care customs here in the UK.

I hope I will have the chance to learn more about techniques in psychology and how they can contribute in the process of therapy. I am hoping that my contribution during this period of 8 months will be helpful to my colleagues as well as to the people who reach out to HSR Psychology.

I would like to connect with more people so please feel free to tweet me:@DHsrpsyc