Medical

Physiotherapy assistant

Physiotherapy assistants help physiotherapists work with patients to restore or improve movement.

Annual Salary

£18,545 to £21,176

Working hours

40 to 42 a week

You could work: evenings / weekends; on a rota

5.4%
Future employment

There will be 5.4% more Physiotherapy assistant jobs in 2027.
In your local area

What's it all about?

Day-to-day tasks

As part of your day-to-day duties, you could:

  • talk to patients and prepare them for therapy
  • show patients how to use mobility aids
  • demonstrate and work through exercises with patients
  • set up equipment
  • keep records of patients' progress
  • provide reports to physiotherapists

Working environment

You may need to wear a uniform.

You could work in an NHS or private hospital, at a health centre or at a client's home.

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
  • applying directly
College

You could do a college course, which would teach you some of the skills and knowledge you need in this job. Relevant subjects include:

  • Level 2 Certificate in Work Preparation for Health and Social Care
  • Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Skills for Health and Social Care
  • Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Sport and Exercise Science

Most health and social care courses include work placements, which is a good way for you to get experience.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
For more information
Apprenticeship

You can do an intermediate apprenticeship as a health care support worker, or advanced apprenticeship as a senior healthcare support worker.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
For more information
Work

You could start as a healthcare assistant and learn on the job, then move into physiotherapy work through further training and promotion.

Volunteering and work experience

You'll find it useful to get some paid or voluntary experience in a healthcare setting or personal care role.

You could also contact the voluntary services co-ordinator at your local NHS trust for advice about opportunities.

Private physiotherapy clinics, nursing homes and sports clinics may also offer work placements.

Direct application

You can apply directly for jobs if you've got relevant skills and experience from working in a healthcare setting.

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

More information

Career tips

When applying for courses and jobs, you'll be expected to have an understanding of how NHS values apply in your work.

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a physiotherapy assistant from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and Health Careers.

With experience and further qualifications, you could become a senior physiotherapy support worker, or assistant practitioner.

You could take an accredited degree to train as a physiotherapist.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

  • sensitivity and understanding
  • the ability to work well with others
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • customer service skills
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • knowledge of psychology
  • thinking and reasoning skills
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
My top 5 skills from the skills bank
Please sign in to compare your skills to this job. Sign in

To save or view your choices and results you must sign in or register (takes 1 minute).

Sign in Register