10 Reasons to Be a Regional Speech Pathologist
Speech Pathologists are able to work just about anywhere! But for us, there’s nothing quite like being a regional Speech Pathologist. There’s a lot to love about living and working in regional cities, so today we thought we’d share ten of our favourite things.
If you’ve been trying to figure out the next step in your Speech Pathology career and are up for an adventure, making the move to the regions could be for you! Keep on reading to learn the ten reasons you should be a regional Speech Pathologist.
Get Back to Nature
When you work in regional cities like Mackay and Townsville, you’re spoiled with access to some of Australia’s most iconic holiday destinations and natural wonders. A short drive will take you on the perfect weekend getaway to Airlie Beach, or an afternoon could be spent walking along the Kommo Toero track in Mackay or the Palmetum in Townsville.
If you love the outdoors – camping, hiking, fishing, nature photography – moving to the regions would be perfect for you! The regions are only a short distance away from the iconic Great Barrier Reef, so it’s an ideal location if you’re a snorkelling or diving fan too. You’ll never run out of places to visit, or things to do on the weekends.
Create a Better Work-Life Balance
Moving to regional cities as a Speech Pathologists is a great idea if you’re seeking a better work-life balance. Many private practices are now offering Speech Pathologists flexible working hours and other benefits to support lifestyle balance and wellbeing. If it’s something that’s important to you, consider a role in the regions!
At SpeechEase, we offer Speech Pathologists moving to the regions lots of great lifestyle benefits including:
- A $2000 relocation support payment to help you cover moving costs
- A $10,000 flexible Professional Development package
- An extra week of annual leave each year you’re in the regions
- Flexible admin hours – meaning you only need to be in the clinic ½ a day
- For new graduates, approximately $75,000 in your first year as a clinician!
Learn more about careers at SpeechEase and our Regional Relocation program today.
Make a Fresh Start
If you’ve been living in the same place throughout your studies or for most of your career, and are feeling a bit stuck, it might be time for a change! Make a fresh start in the regions and get to know a new area, new people, and make a new home for yourself.
You might want to stay in the regions for a short stint, or you might end up falling in love with the regions (like we have!) and stay here for the long haul. Either way, it’s always worth taking a chance on adventure – you never know where your fresh start will lead you.
Enjoy Affordable Housing
With the challenges of affordable housing (both renting and owning) in the big cities at the moment, moving to the regions can provide a bit of relief. With great house and land packages available in regional cities like Mackay and Townsville, you’ll be sure to find a great place to call home.
If you’ve always dreamed of being a short drive from a beach or rainforest hike, finding a new home in the regions could be everything you’ve been looking for!
Feels Like a Holiday Year-Round
Between the beautiful weather, slow-paced city drives, and cruisy beach walks, living in the regions can often feel like being on holiday year-round! If you prefer a laid-back lifestyle and are looking for a place where you can work hard and play hard, you’ll love living in Mackay or Townsville.
Get Access to Great Professional Development
As you may know already, there aren’t a lot of Speech Pathologists living and working in regional cities! Because of this, there are a whole lot of great benefits on offer to anyone looking to make the move. This includes great professional development packages that really compete with (and often go well above!) what is offered in city Speech Pathology settings.
Be Supported in Your Regional Move
Here at SpeechEase Speech Therapy, one of our biggest goals is to get Speech Pathology waitlists across the community down to lessto less than three months for access to services. We don’t believe in just shuffling Speech Pathologists from one clinic to another as this just puts more strain on the clients and doesn’t actually help the community one iota. To achieve our goal , we want to bring more Speech Pathologists into the region so need more passionate people like you in the regions!
Because of this, we have done everything we can to create support systems so Speech Pathologists keen to make the move feel prepared and able to commit to this big life change. Part of this is offering anyone moving to the regions a $2000 regional relocation package, as well as an extra week of annual leave each year they’re in the regions.
Reduce Your Commute Time
If you’ve been driving around for work a lot in the big cities, you’re probably at least a little sick of all the traffic! One of the best things about living in the regions, apart from what we’ve already mentioned, is the cruisy commute. There’s barely any traffic up here in tropical North Queensland, our team members are very lucky to be able to drive to the clinic in a short 10-15 minutes from just about anywhere around the regional city.
Work with Your Preferred Clients
Regional cities need Speech Pathologists in all settings and working across the lifespan. So, if you’ve got a particular interest or preferred caseload, you’ll be able to find a role that fits perfectly with what you are looking for in the regions.
Here at SpeechEase, we encourage our team to be generalists – working with clients across the lifespan in our private practices in Mackay and Townsville. If you do have a particular interest though, we’ll support you in building up a caseload that matches your preferences and passions.
Build a Community
As someone new to the regions, you’ll have the joy of meeting a whole new community of friends, colleagues, and connections. If you love a particular sport, like cycling, you could find yourself a community group to join and get active with on the weekends. If you’re into something else, like yoga, you’ll be sure to find a local class and build your community over time. In the regions, the community works really hard to make it somewhere people genuinely enjoy living, it doesn’t rely on the big games or the big concerts to keep people but the everyday things that make up your life.
Moving to the regions gives you so many incredible opportunities to step out of your comfort zone and into a new era of your life.
If you’re keen to see what the regions have to offer you as a new grad or experienced Speech Pathologist, look no further than SpeechEase! We’re now hiring Speech Pathologists for our Mackay and Townsville clinics.
Learn more about our Regional Relocation program here.