Provisional psychologists are not permitted to work independently, which means they are not able to be contractors or set up their own practice – they must be employees to comply with the requirements of the Psychology Board of Australia. This is outlined in the 4+2 and 5+1 guidelines.
The position title does not need to be ‘provisional psychologist’ because what really matters for internship is whether you have the opportunity to develop the skills needed across the core competencies for psychologists.
As employees, provisional psychologists are entitled to be paid for every hour they work – not just billable time.
This means you should be paid for:
- Time in session
- Administration time
- Observing people on the job for learning
- Writing notes and reports
- Attending team meetings
- Anything that is part of your job
What about unpaid internships?
The Psychology Board permits unpaid placements, although the APS Code of Ethics requires psychologists not exploit their junior colleagues. This means that from an ethical perspective, unpaid placements must be mutually beneficial.
Pay requirements also come down to the obligations under the Fair Work Act. Fair Work have some useful information.
Student placements are allowed to be unpaid. This means that placements during masters programs are often unpaid, although some universities may permit people in suitable paid roles to use their work for at least some placement hours.
Genuine volunteering is allowed to be unpaid. For instance, if I as a supervisor were to offer pro bono assessment for people who are struggling financially and offered internship to someone willing to volunteer along side me and recieve supervision in the assessment competencies at the same time, the arrangement would not be exploitative, and with no one else being paid to do the same work, it may also be seen as acceptable by Fair Work. If I were not paying a provisional psychologist, yet charging clients thousands of dollars for assessments they complete, this would be unacceptable.
Internships where someone does not produce work can potentially be unpaid (e.g. spending a couple of days just shadowing someone).
Roles that other people are paid to do are not typically allowed to be unpaid.
My personal view is that university placements should be paid, particularly when students are providing services that attract fees. Some universities allow people to undertake at least some paid placement, so ask around.
What pay should I expect?
The minimum pay for most provisional psychologists is outlined in the Health Professionals and Support Services Award. The award rate as of 2023 for a Level 1 Pay Point 4 employee health professional (the minimum rate for someone with a masters degree) is $29.14 per hour. This is a little over $56800 per year for a full-time worker doing a 38 hour week.
The award outlines the bare minimum rate that is legally required. Some people are paid a higher rate, such as people under salary arrangements. For example, when I was a provisional psychologist, my salary was higher than the award, and there was an expectation that I sometimes work additional hours without extra pay beyond my salary. This is permitted, so long as if you were paid under the award for every hour you worked, you would not be paid more. Salaries can allow employers and employees more flexibility, but most provide at least the what would be provided under the award.
Some employers will pay more than the award rate, particularly if you have extensive experience already, however what is reasonable to expect depends immensely on the funding available to business. As a very loose rule of thumb, if someone undertakes a role providing fee-for-servive work, a reasonable pay rate for someone on salary might be around 1/3 of that hourly rate. This is because running a business is expensive. Employers must fund room hire, insurances, superannuation, leave, account for periods of lower productivity, consider costs of supervision and providing other training. In new graduates, it’s also good practice to start out with reduced client contact as people adapt to roles, and this means a substantial initial investment from businesses. Business also carry the risk of finding the right people for their practice, and recruitment costs as people move, which is quite common for people completing internships.
Whilst everyone should be paid fairly for their work, there is a big difference in expected salary for provisional psychologists compared to if someone works as an independent contractor after gaining general registration. Contractors are responsible for many more costs, and carry the risks associated with practising as individuals.
Who pays for supervision?
Sometimes employers provide supervision to provisional psychologists as part of their role, or fund some or all supervision costs. This is common in government roles, and some private practices will also provide supervision. In non-government roles, provision of supervision will often depend on whether or not organisations have supervisors available.
When negotiating salary, it is also worth considering supervision costs. Accepting a lower salary in a role that includes supervision can work out better financially than a higher salary but no supervision.
There are benefits to funding your own external supervision. Whilst this is an expensive option, it ensures that supervision is kept separate to line management. The risk of conflicts of interest can be much lower if the supervision is not tied to an employer.
On the other hand, external supervision can be expensive, and sometimes an external supervisor may not be as familiar with the context of your work role as someone internally would. This can lead to confusion!
Whilst supervision rates can vary enormously, expect to pay anything from around $250-$600 per week for supervision if working full-time and requiring two hours of supervision a week. It is important to find the right fit for you in a supervisor, and that fit doesn’t necessarily correlate with the rate charged.
Supervision fees for provisional psychologists in paid roles are often tax deductible. This does not mean you recieve all supervision fees back at tax time. It means the amount you spend on supervision decreases your taxable income, and so you may recieve some tax back. Check with your tax agent or accountant as taxation can be a bit complex.
What if I am being underpaid?
If you are not being paid appropriately or don’t know if you are being paid appropriately, here are some actions to take:
- Read the relevant award (usually but not always the Health Professionals and Support Services Award). This describes the minimum you should be paid. If you are salaried above the award, you may reasonably be expected to do some extra hours without extra pay but if you calculate your total hours, you must still be paid at least what your award rate for your total hours would be.
- Contact Fair Work for advice. They’re very helpful in educating the public about the requirements of the Fair Work Act.
- If you are in a union, contact them. HSU / HACSU are a relevant union for psychologists, depending on the state. They can provide advice and support. You may be able to recieve legal advice via your union, or via any professional association you may be a member of (such as APS or AAPi).
- If you feel safe to do so, approach your employer. Sometimes (most of the time) the reason people aren’t paid correctly is that’s not every employer understands the requirements. Awards are complex! Some employers when made aware of their mistake might choose to rectify it.
- If your underpayment has not been resolved, consider seeking legal advice, or contact Fair Work and make a formal complaint. Provide a detailed log of all work hours (not just client contact and client related, remember this is different to the psychology board, it should be about all work time). Provide pay slips and any other evidence you have. Email trails can be useful.
- If you’re not sure if you’re being exploited or this raises anything for you, please reach out to a trusted friend or colleague, or seek legal advice. Conversations about pay and conditions can be challenging. It is important to know your rights, and also to have realistic expectations about what an employer can provide.
Ceara Rickard, Psychologist 