Working in Canada

[combinedphd]

I'm a PhD student in an APA-accredited program in the US, and I'm interested in working in Canada after I've finished grad school. Does anyone out there have insights into the job market for psychologists in Canada? Are non-citizens at a significant disadvantage? And are there significant differences for hospital-based psychologists because of the state-run health care system? Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[thewesternsky]

I'm a PhD student in an APA-accredited program in the US, and I'm interested in working in Canada after I've finished grad school. Does anyone out there have insights into the job market for psychologists in Canada? Are non-citizens at a significant disadvantage? And are there significant differences for hospital-based psychologists because of the state-run health care system? Thanks!

Good questions! Can I ask which province you're interested in working in? Like each state in the US, each Canadian province has its own licensing requirements that you'll need to look into. The info for Ontario is here:

http://www.cpo.on.ca/new-applicants/supervised-practice/index.aspx?id=302

If you're interested in a different province and are having trouble finding their website, let me know; I can likely help.

The job market seems fairly strong here, but I'm not actually looking yet (just starting my PhD), so I could be wrong. As in the States, jobs in less attractive locales and with difficult populations tend to be more plentiful.

Non-citizens may be at a significant disadvantage, namely because of immigration rules. That said, if you were to apply for jobs and be hired by a Canadian employer, you could apply for a work permit as a skilled worker. There's some good info (and a useful tool) at:

http://workingincanada.gc.ca/

 

[combinedphd]

Thanks for the links! I am interested in working in Toronto and surrounding metro, so the Ontario-specific link was perfect.

 

[aagman01]

Hi everyone,

I thought I would resurrect this thread. I'm a pre-doc intern (just started in July). I am seriously considering moving to Canada (Toronto) for my career/life. Obviously, it would seem to me that completing a post-doc in Canada would ease my path towards work/licensure in Canada. I am trying to learn more about post-doc opportunities in Canada.

As a US citizen, how difficult is it to get a clinical post-doc in Canada?

Is anyone aware of any links/articles on others who have taken this path?

I've done some google searches, but haven't come up with much regarding experiences of American trainees/psychologists who have moved to Canada.
Likewise, what is transportability like for those who have completed post-doc and then want to move to Canada (assuming I completed post-doc in the US).

Also, any links/sites/clearinghouses/data that anyone knows regarding Canadian institutions that typically hire post-docs would be great.

Thanks!


interested in learning more about how to becom

I'm a PhD student in an APA-accredited program in the US, and I'm interested in working in Canada after I've finished grad school. Does anyone out there have insights into the job market for psychologists in Canada? Are non-citizens at a significant disadvantage? And are there significant differences for hospital-based psychologists because of the state-run health care system? Thanks!

 

[AleksPsych]

Hello,

I am a few weeks away from completing my pre-doctoral internship and starting a hospital-based position in Ontario, so I can give you some information based on my experience and the experiences of my friends.

Getting a hospital-based job is not very easy in Ontario. Lots of psychologist positions are being cut in mental health settings, and I know several people who struggled to find hospital positions. That being said, it isn't impossible to find a hospital-based job. The most plentiful jobs are in child psychology (based on my job hunting over the last 1.5 years). My specialty area is forensics, and I can tell you in the next year or two there will probably not be a single available psychologist position in a forensic hospital. There are many psychologists jobs in prisons though. I can better address your likelihood of finding work if you let me know what you particular interests are (clinical expertise, research, etc).

As far as post-docs: People do not typically do post-docs in Canada unless they are seeking an academic career. In Canada, most people work a full-time job during their licensing year.

Let me know some more details about your career plan....

 

[aagman01]

hi aleks...

thanks for the reply!

i am actually focuzing on child psych. i am one month into internship, at an inpatient state hospital. my major rotation is with inpatient adolescents with severe mental health challenges. my minor rotations are with adult inpatients and worrking at a cmhc providing assessment and intervention w childdren and adolescents with auttism and dds.


ideally i would love to do some applied research and practice at a childrens hospital, but i would be ok providing clinical servvices with youth experiencing smh issues, dds, and/or trauma..

any feedback is appreciated! thanks!

Hello,

I am a few weeks away from completing my pre-doctoral internship and starting a hospital-based position in Ontario, so I can give you some information based on my experience and the experiences of my friends.

Getting a hospital-based job is not very easy in Ontario. Lots of psychologist positions are being cut in mental health settings, and I know several people who struggled to find hospital positions. That being said, it isn't impossible to find a hospital-based job. The most plentiful jobs are in child psychology (based on my job hunting over the last 1.5 years). My specialty area is forensics, and I can tell you in the next year or two there will probably not be a single available psychologist position in a forensic hospital. There are many psychologists jobs in prisons though. I can better address your likelihood of finding work if you let me know what you particular interests are (clinical expertise, research, etc).

As far as post-docs: People do not typically do post-docs in Canada unless they are seeking an academic career. In Canada, most people work a full-time job during their licensing year.

Let me know some more details about your career plan....[/QUOT

 

[AleksPsych]

Hi again,

Specializing in child/adolescent psychology puts you in a relatively better position when it comes to finding work in hospital settings in Ontario. From my experience, when I was job hunting, I came across lots of positions for psychologists focusing on child/adolescent work. I also know a few friends who easily found child positions in the last few years. The fact that you are getting inpatient experience now puts you in a good position to do hospital-based work in the future. Doing research is also a plus, because hospital-based positions often have job descriptions that include program evaluation and other research projects.

I would start looking out for positions within the next few months. You can subscribe to the site wowjobs dot ca, and get daily emails on psychologist job positions. I found out about a few job opportunities that way when I was searching.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask