Complementary Therapies
Research careers and find opportunities in complementary therapies
About complementary therapies
Most complementary medicine and alternative therapy practitioners are self-employed. Opportunities are also available working in GP surgeries, hospitals, occupational health departments and sport and leisure centres.
Complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) are treatments that fall outside of mainstream healthcare.
Salaries
Starting salaries for graduate jobs in this sector can vary depending on the position.
To get an idea of typical starting salaries use the following resources:
- our offers access to The Pay Index. This shows you how salaries vary across different roles, industries and locations
- job profiles, such as those listed on or
- vacancy sites such as and
For information about how to negotiate a salary, visit Handling job offers.
Inspiration from people working in the industry
- Browse our and directories. See where our students and graduates have had work experience, or been employed.
- Use LinkedIn’s鈥�痶o find out what 缅北禁地 graduates are doing now. You could ask to connect with them, to gain advice and insights into their career. 厂别别鈥�缅北禁地 Alumni on LinkedIn鈥痶o help you get started鈥痮r watch our quick tutorial on鈥�痆3:13闭.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
- Attend alumni events, such as鈥�缅北禁地 Develop, to hear directly from our graduates.鈥�
- Sign up for mentoring support with鈥�痑苍诲鈥�. These aim to match students with industry professionals who can provide invaluable insights. Register to be connected for a one-hour meeting.鈥�
- Attend events such as recruitment events鈥痑nd 鈥痚mployer and sector insights.鈥疕ear about graduate jobs, placement schemes, build your network and ask questions.鈥��
Online reviews
Searching for reviews online can be a useful way to get an idea of what to expect from certain roles or employers. Reviews are written by employees with different opinions about what makes a good employer.
Use the following review sites for inspiration and insight into the recruitment process:
- - placement year reviews written by students.
- – graduate job reviews
- – company reviews from employees
Attend events
Attend events to hear directly from professionals in the industry.
See also our recruitment events and employer & sector insights.
Social media
Use social media to find industry insights
Join on LinkedIn to keep up to date. Posts often include news, events and opportunities. You can also find useful insights on careers on Twitter and TikTok. Treat these with caution, as not all content may be accurate.
Find out more about how to use social media for your career and subscribe to our sector Twitter list.
Professional bodies
Consider joining a relevant professional body/industry network
Professional bodies often:
- run networking events
- have specialist groups you could join
- post vacancies on behalf of their members
- have member directories, useful for speculative applications
General
Acupuncturist
Chiropractor
- - statutory regulatory body for the chiropractic profession
- includes information on how to
Dance movement psychotherapist
Homeopath
Horticultural therapist
Hypnotherapist
Medical herbalist/Phytotherapist
- - includes information about
Nutritional therapist
Osteopath
- - includes information about
Play therapist
Reflexologist
Shiatsu practitioner
Sports therapist
Finding professional bodies worldwide
骋辞颈苍骋濒辞产补濒鈥檚 country guides include details of professional bodies. Find them under 鈥楶rofessional and Personal Networking鈥� on each individual country guide.
How to find opportunities
Advertised internships and placements are less common in this sector. However, there are other opportunities to gain related work experience. You can also contact employers directly to ask about opportunities.
Finding work experience
You could find a part-time job as a carer or personal assistant, building up your work experience by caring for others. See 'finding part-time jobs' for more information.
See 'non-advertised work experience and graduate jobs' for more information on how to contact practitioners to shadow them. See the professional bodies list for ideas of who to contact.
We鈥檝e included more tips below to help you with finding work experience and graduate jobs.
- search for advertised vacancies using the vacancy sites listed below
- look at the careers sections on company websites for student and graduate opportunities. Use Researching Employers to help you gain insights into companies
- attend events such as and employer and sector insights
- contact employers speculatively 鈥� see to help you find organisations to approach
- follow companies on social media for latest news and updates
- consider registering with a recruitment agency for graduate jobs
- register with EmployAbility if you are disabled, neurodivergent or have a mental health condition. They can offer advice and support on applications to 缅北禁地 students. They also run first year, internship and graduate programmes with inclusive employer partners.
- ask family and friends if they have any useful contacts who may be able to offer you work experience
- consider alternative ways to find relevant experience and
- by starting your own business or working freelance
Advertised work experience
The majority of complementary healthcare is provided within the private sector, with most therapists working as self-employed. Complementary healthcare is rarely used in the NHS, but limited acupuncture, the Alexander technique and chiropractic treatment can sometimes be available.
Getting into complementary therapies is competitive. Work experience is invaluable in developing relevant skills and demonstrating your interest and commitment.
Advertised placements and summer internships are less common in this sector. However, you could gain relevant skills and experience in a related role. Many students will gain experience through volunteering. See How to find opportunities for more information.
Search for internships and placement years
Use our resources to get started:
- 鈥�- search for internships and placements in the North East, UK and overseas. Register/log in to access vacancies and sign up for personalised email alerts鈥�
- Internships, placements & shadowing鈥�- links to vacancy sites
- Global work experience鈥�- for internships or placements abroad
NCL internships
Off campus
The Careers Service runs flexible term-time and summer internships with local employers. NCL internships are aimed at all students, from any stage.
You can find these advertised throughout the academic year. Full-time summer opportunities are advertised from around March.
Search for these under Vacancies on . Type in ‘NCL internship’ into the text search box.
On campus
Opportunities for internships on campus may be available. To find out more:
- Check with the school office for your academic school or speak to your academic adviser to see if they are advertising any roles.
- Register with Unitemps to be notified when roles become available.
Worldwide experience
Access GoinGlobal for internships in over 120 global locations, updated daily. Search for opportunities in the local language, as well as in English. You can also use their country guides to find:鈥�
- additional vacancy websites鈥�
- CV, application and interview advice鈥��
- advice on living and working in different countries and cities around the world
When to apply
The resources in this section advertise both graduate jobs and graduate schemes. See our graduate jobs page to understand the difference between them.
Jobs in this sector tend to be graduate jobs, after training.
For graduate schemes, apply as early as possible.
UK applications typically open early in the academic year from September or October. Some close as early as November-December. Many employers close applications as soon as their places are filled.
Graduate jobs tend to be鈥痠mmediate start positions which can be available all year round. You are more likely to apply for these towards the end of your studies.
Vacancy sites
Use our resources to get started:
- MyCareer鈥�- search for graduate schemes and graduate jobs in the North East, UK and overseas. Register/log in to access vacancies and sign up for personalised email alerts鈥�
- Graduate Jobs鈥�� lists graduate vacancy sites
Most complementary medicine and alternative therapy practitioners are self-employed, or find work in complementary therapy centres.
The NHS employs therapists to offer complementary therapies, such as osteopathy and acupuncture to patients. See for vacancies and for details of trusts to contact speculatively.
Worldwide vacancy sites
See International jobs鈥� for details of overseas vacancy sites.
Access GoinGlobal for job adverts in over 120 global locations, updated daily. Search for opportunities in the local language, as well as in English. You can also use their country guides to find:鈥�
- additional vacancy websites鈥�
- CV, application and interview advice鈥��
- advice on living and working in different countries and cities around the world
Non-advertised work experience and graduate jobs
This will be the most common way of searching for roles in this sector. Have a look at how to network and develop your own business:
- networking and making contacts
- develop your own business ideas
A speculative approach is common for finding internships and placements and graduate jobs. This is where you approach a company directly to ask if they have any opportunities available.
How to access hidden opportunities
Start by identifying organisations you are interested in. Our guide to finding organisations below can help. Then use the following steps to approach them speculatively about possible opportunities:
- Identify a contact name to address your cover letter to. Call or email to find out who handles recruitment within the organisation. Or, find a key contact in the department you want to work in.
- Send them a tailored CV and cover letter. Express your enthusiasm for the sector. Show that you have researched the company.
- Follow up your speculative application with a phone call, or email, around a week later. This shows you are serious and motivated.
- If your application was unsuccessful, ask for feedback or advice, and keep trying!
How to find organisations
- find organisations on . Select ‘search' then 'organisations’
- use the business directories and databases on our Researching employers page
- search for companies on LinkedIn. The tool shows you where 缅北禁地 graduates are currently working
- browse our directories. See where our students and graduates have had work experience, or been employed
The best way to find hidden opportunities in this sector would be to find and contact people via our professional body list.
Worldwide organisations
Search GoinGlobal's employer directory for company information in 196 countries.鈥疶heir country guides list professional bodies around the world.
Specialist recruitment agencies
Recruitment agencies can be useful for finding graduate jobs in complementary therapies. These tend to be for immediate start positions. It's worth registering with one or two agencies towards the end of your course.鈥�
厂别别鈥�recruitment agencies鈥痶o find more agencies.
Finding overseas recruitment agencies
骋辞颈苍骋濒辞产补濒鈥檚 country guides include details of recruitment agencies in specific countries. They are listed under the following headings:鈥�
- staffing agencies and temporary help firms鈥�
- executive recruiters and search firms鈥�
Recruitment agencies may not operate in the same way in different countries. In the UK agencies are free for job seekers, but this may not be the case elsewhere. Explore the terms and conditions of an agency before signing up to use them.鈥�
Other ways to gain relevant experience
We've added some suggestions to help you develop your skills and gain relevant experience.
- complete a free鈥痸irtual internship. For example, with鈥�, you can filter by career interest to find virtual internships
- sign up for free online courses鈥痶o develop new skills
- attend events and network鈥痶o make contacts and connections
- volunteer. 厂别别鈥�Volunteering鈥痜or more opportunities
Work for yourself
Working as self-employed or freelance is the main way of working in the complementary therapies sector.
Our START UP team can help you explore working for yourself at any stage. Whether you want to explore an idea or have already launched a business or freelance career, you can access the following help:
- support with idea generation
- provide tailored advice
- help you develop your skills
- introduce you to like-minded peers
- refer you to further support from mentors
- award grant funding up to 拢3,000