Looking for a Psychology Internship? Don't Overlook Regional and Remote Opportunities

If you're a provisional psychologist looking for work, your first instinct might be to search for roles close to home. But what if your next opportunity was somewhere you hadn't considered?

Across regional, rural and remote Australia, organisations are looking for psychology graduates and provisional psychologists to join their teams. For provisional psychologists, these roles can provide valuable professional experience while contributing to communities where access to psychological services is an important workforce priority.

You don't need to have your entire career mapped out before applying for a regional or remote role. But you do need to understand your internship pathway, your supervision requirements and what support may be available to you.

With a little preparation, you can approach employers with a clearer understanding of what you need — and what you can bring to the role.

Start by broadening your job search

When looking for psychological practice, don't limit your search to metropolitan areas.

Consider searching for opportunities in:

• regional centres
• rural communities
• remote communities
• outer metropolitan areas
• organisations that operate across multiple locations
• services that provide a combination of face-to-face and telehealth practice.

You can also search using different job titles. Not every suitable role will be advertised as a "Provisional Psychologist" position.

Depending on the organisation and the work involved, you may see roles advertised as:

• Provisional Psychologist
• Psychology Intern
• Graduate Psychologist
• Rehabilitation Consultant
• Mental Health Clinician
• Behaviour Support Practitioner
• Counsellor
• Guidance Officer
• Therapist
• EAP roles.

Provisional Psychologist Hub has put together a dedicated employment resource to help you navigate the process of finding psychological practice, including where to search, what employers are looking for and how to prepare your application.

Explore Finding Employment for Provisional Psychologists →

Free e-seminar: Finding Psychological Practice

If you're not sure where to start, Provisional Psychologist Hub also offers a free e-seminar, Looking for Work: Finding Psychological Practice for Provisional Psychologists.

The session explores where opportunities can be found, what employers look for, how to present your experience and how to approach the recruitment process with greater confidence.

Watch the free e-seminar →

Think about what a regional role could offer you

A regional or remote role can provide opportunities to develop your professional skills in a range of settings.

Depending on the organisation, you may work with children, adults, families, schools, community services, disability services, health services or other populations.

You may also have the opportunity to develop experience in communities with different service needs and learn how psychological practice operates outside a metropolitan environment.

For some provisional psychologists, regional practice may also provide an opportunity to build a longer-term career in a community they enjoy living and working in.

For others, it may simply be an opportunity to broaden their experience during their internship.

Either way, it is worth considering the opportunity on its own merits rather than ruling it out because of its location.

Before you apply, understand your pathway

One of the most important things you can do before applying for an internship role is understand what your pathway actually requires.

Your practice hours, supervision, National Psychology Exam preparation, observations, reporting requirements and overall timeframe all form part of your internship.

This becomes particularly important when you're considering a new role because the proposed employment arrangement needs to work alongside your internship requirements.

Ask yourself:

• How many hours of psychological practice will I be completing each week?
• Am I planning to complete my internship part-time or full-time?
• What supervision will I need?
• Who will provide my primary supervision?
• Will the role provide any secondary supervision or professional support?
• How will my practice hours be recorded?
• Does the proposed role provide enough appropriate psychological practice?
• What will my expected timeframe for completing the internship be?

If you are still unsure about how your program works, here are some helpful resources.

• Provisional Psychologist Hub offers a free e-seminar specifically focused on understanding the 5+1 internship. Watch the free 5+1 e-seminar →

• The PsyBA provides policies and guidelines for each of their programs here; https://www.psychologyboard.gov.au/Standards-and-Guidelines/Codes-Guidelines-Policies.aspx 

• You can book in with Provisional Psychologist Hub for a free 15 minute consultation to answer questions around what you need to get started.  https://www.provisionalpsych.com.au/contact 

Check your supervision funding before you apply

Supervision is one of the most important parts of your internship — and it is worth investigating your options before accepting a position.

Provisional Psychologist Hub currently delivers two national supervision scholarship programs that may be relevant to provisional psychologists undertaking the 5+1 pathway.

The scholarships are designed around different levels of psychological practice.

Completing 17–29 hours of psychological practice?

You may be eligible for the Provisional Psychologist Hub Supporting Provisional Psychologists to Practice Scholarship (SPPP).

The essential eligibility criteria include:

• undertaking a 5+1 Internship
• being a current Provisional Psychologist
• being an Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident
• undertaking 17 to 29 hours of psychological practice per week.

Successful recipients receive Gold Membership with Provisional Psychologist Hub, including up to 95 hours of individual supervision, up to 13 hours of group supervision, Primary and Secondary Supervisors, National Psychology Exam Training, access to the Professional Development Library and access to psychometric assessments.

Supervision is provided at 1.5 hours per week across 48 weeks per year for up to 18 months, or until general registration is approved, whichever occurs first.

Priority may be given to applicants working in areas of workforce shortage, regional and rural communities, or priority population groups. Employers in MMM3–7 locations with newly commencing interns may also be entitled to additional funding to support successful scholarship candidates.

Completing 30 or more hours of psychological practice?

You may be eligible for the CatholicCare Victoria Tasmania (CCVT) Supervision Scholarship.

The essential eligibility criteria include:

• undertaking a 5+1 Internship
• being a current Provisional Psychologist
• being an Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident
• undertaking 30 or more hours of psychological practice per week.

Successful recipients receive Platinum Membership with Provisional Psychologist Hub, including up to 84 hours of individual supervision, up to 12 hours of group supervision, Primary and Secondary Supervisors, National Psychology Exam Training, access to the Professional Development Library and access to psychometric assessments.

Supervision is provided at 2 hours per week across 48 weeks for up to 12 months, or until general registration is approved, whichever occurs first.

Preference may be given to applicants who are First Nations, from CALD backgrounds, located in MMM3–7 areas or working in high-needs roles.

Find out which scholarship may apply to you

The two scholarships have different inclusions and eligibility requirements, so it is important to check the details rather than assuming that one program applies to you.

Explore the PPH Supervision Scholarships →

Your scholarship eligibility can be useful information for an employer

If you may be eligible for a supervision scholarship, consider mentioning this in your application.

An employer may not know that external supervision funding is available to provisional psychologists, or that you may be eligible to access it.

You don't need to make your scholarship eligibility the centre of your application. Your experience, skills, interest in the role and suitability for the organisation should remain the focus.

But including a short statement can help an employer understand that you have already considered how your supervision requirements will be managed.

For example:

I am currently undertaking the 5+1 internship pathway and am interested in regional practice. Based on my anticipated practice hours, I may be eligible to apply for the Provisional Psychologist Hub Supporting Provisional Psychologists to Practice Scholarship, which provides funded supervision for eligible provisional psychologists undertaking 17–29 hours of psychological practice per week. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my internship and supervision arrangements could align with the role.

If you are applying for a role involving 30 or more hours of psychological practice, you could instead say:

I am currently undertaking the 5+1 internship pathway and am interested in regional practice. Based on my anticipated practice hours, I may be eligible to apply for the CatholicCare Victoria Tasmania Supervision Scholarship, which provides funded supervision through Provisional Psychologist Hub for eligible provisional psychologists undertaking 30 or more hours of psychological practice per week. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my internship and supervision arrangements could align with the role.

Only describe yourself as eligible if you meet the relevant criteria.

Don't wait until you've been offered the job to think about supervision

Ideally, supervision should be part of your planning before you accept a position.

Once you have found a suitable role, you can explore your supervision options and determine what arrangement will work alongside your employment.

If you are eligible for a supervision scholarship, you can apply through Provisional Psychologist Hub once you have a work role confirmed. 

If you are not eligible for a scholarship, you can still request supervision through Provisional Psychologist Hub, including supervision for 5+1 internships and secondary supervision arrangements.

Request Supervision →

What should you ask a regional employer?

An interview is not just an opportunity for the employer to decide whether you're suitable.

It is also an opportunity for you to understand whether the role is right for your internship.

Consider asking:

What will my psychological practice involve?

You want to understand what you will actually be doing day to day and whether the work is appropriate psychological practice for your pathway.

How many hours of psychological practice will I be expected to complete?

Your practice hours can affect which supervision scholarship you may be eligible for, as well as your overall internship timeframe.

What support will be available within the organisation?

Ask about the people you will be able to turn to for day-to-day professional support, case discussions, clinical consultation and workplace guidance.

How will supervision be arranged?

Find out whether supervision is provided by the employer, externally, or through a combination of arrangements.

Is there an opportunity to work across different programs or services?

A broader role may provide valuable opportunities to develop your skills, provided the work remains appropriate for your pathway and is properly supervised.

What would relocation involve?

If you're moving to a regional or remote location, ask about practical matters such as the location of the workplace, accommodation, travel, community support and whether the role is primarily onsite or includes telehealth.

Show the employer that you've thought about regional practice

If you are applying for a role outside your current area, don't be afraid to explain why.

Employers may want to know that you have genuinely considered regional practice rather than simply applying because the position was available.

Your cover letter might say:

I am particularly interested in the opportunity to work in a regional community and am open to relocating for the right role. I am attracted to the opportunity to develop my professional experience while contributing to accessible psychological services within the local community.

You can then combine this with information about your internship pathway and potential supervision funding.

This creates a much stronger picture of you as an applicant: you understand the role, you've considered your internship requirements, and you've thought about how you can contribute to the organisation.

A simple checklist before you submit your application

Before applying for a regional or remote provisional psychologist role, make sure you can answer these questions:

☐ Do I understand my psychology program?

☐ Do I know how many hours of psychological practice I need to complete?

☐ Have I considered whether I will complete my internship part-time or full-time?

☐ Have I checked whether I may be eligible for a supervision scholarship?

☐ Do I understand what supervision arrangements I will need?

☐ Have I researched the organisation and the community?

☐ Can I explain why I'm interested in regional or remote practice?

☐ Have I considered whether I am willing to relocate?

☐ Have I included relevant information about my internship and potential supervision funding in my application?

☐ Have I watched the free e-seminar on finding psychological practice?

☐ Have I watched the free e-seminar on the 5+1 Internship (if relevant)?

Your next step

You don't need to have everything worked out before you start looking for work.

Start by understanding your pathway. Then explore the types of psychological practice that interest you. Look beyond metropolitan areas and consider whether regional or remote practice could be a good fit for your professional goals.

Once you find a role you're interested in, investigate your supervision and scholarship options and make sure the employment arrangement will support your internship.

Useful resources from Provisional Psychologist Hub

Free e-seminar: Finding Psychological Practice
Learn where to find opportunities, what employers look for and how to present yourself confidently. Watch the free e-seminar →

Free e-seminar: Unpacking the 5+1 Internship
Understand the internship requirements, timeframes, practice hours, observations, reporting and National Psychology Exam preparation. Watch the free e-seminar →

Supervision Scholarships
Explore the current national supervision scholarship programs and check the eligibility requirements. Explore supervision scholarships →

Request Supervision
Once you've found your role, request supervision and explore your options for your internship. Request supervision →

Regional and remote opportunities may be closer to the start of your psychology career than you think. The more informed you are before applying, the better positioned you will be to find a role that works for both you and your internship.