About Jack…

Jack McGeehan studied BSc Educational Psychology* at the Manchester Institute of Education. He graduated in 2022 and has spent the years since working in the nonprofit sector across Greater Manchester. He now works for the Salford Foundation, a charity who help give people and communities the tools to overcome disadvantage.

*now Psychology of Education

The present – where has Jack’s degree in Educational Psychology taken him?

You are currently a Project Coordinator at the Salford Foundation. What does that role involve?

I design and deliver programs to prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG) across Greater Manchester. This includes curriculum development, resource design, CPD and consultancy with school leaders and staff.

How did your BSc Educational Psychology degree help prepare you for this role? How does it help in your work with programs to prevent violence?

Firstly, my degree provided me with the skills to stay up to date with current research in psychology and education. In turn, these skills allow me to provide evidence-based resources for schools.

Secondly, doing a broad range of hands-on placements gave me an understanding of different contexts. More than that, they made me an adaptable and curious professional.

Thirdly, and most personally, the support and openness of my lecturers helped me keep an open mind about my choices post-graduation.

What has your career path looked like since graduation?

Since graduation, I have worked in the third sector.

First, I worked on an investigative project working with boys aged 9-13 in Bolton and Salford.

Building on this, we secured funding for Steps – our VAWG prevention project. This was funded as part of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Gender-Based Violence Strategy.

Through this, I have been able to work with over 30 schools and thousands of young people. I have been able to present our work to national and international audiences at conferences run by groups like British Educational Research Association and Boys’ Impact. I have collaborated with academics I admire and seen our work become embedded in school policy across Greater Manchester.

I have also had the privilege of founding and co-chairing Manchester’s first Boys’ Impact hub, set up to improve outcomes for boys receiving free school meals.

Are there any skills or areas of expertise from your Educational Psychology degree that have been especially helpful? What lessons have served you well in your work in the third sector?

It’s difficult to narrow down the broad knowledge base provided by Educational Psychology!

But, for example, there are theoretical frameworks I still use – such as ecological systems theory – when consulting with schools regarding VAWG and related behaviours.

The past – how did Jack go from Educational Psychology to working with young people at a nonprofit?

Are there any moments from your degree that stand out as inspiring you? Or that changed how you see the field of Education?

I think it was in my second year.

As part of the course, we had visiting lecturers from the third sector and other informal learning spaces. We also took time to investigate how learning is shaped by contexts outside of the classroom.

Not only was this a glimpse at diverse forms of education, but it also challenged me to deconstruct my preconceptions. It made me rethink when and how learning happened. And I had to examine the conscious and unconscious decisions that influence education’s outcomes.

That work has stuck with me since.

Was the University of Manchester able to support you along your career path? Were there any resources or pieces of advice that helped you take the first few steps?

Before graduating, I asked my course tutors to meet with me to get some advice on my next steps.

I was clueless about what to do, apart from two things. I knew I wanted to work with young people, and I wanted to gain experience with a view to applying for Educational Psychology Funded Training (EPFT) further down the line.

I was advised I should keep an open mind and take opportunities as they came. This advice has been invaluable.

I have found, since graduating, that saying yes to opportunities – for collaboration, learning and new experiences – has led me to a career I didn’t know existed when I first came to Manchester.

What has surprised you about life after graduation? Did you expect Educational Psychology to set you on this type of career pathway?

I think if you had asked me when I graduated, I would have seen violence prevention as being outside the scope of Educational Psychology. But, since graduating, I have learned that an Educational Psychology background provides skills and knowledge that are applicable in a broad range of work.

This has allowed me to bring a psychological perspective to a field where it isn’t always a common way of seeing things.

On the other hand, working with people from diverse professional and personal backgrounds has exposed me to ways of thinking that challenge me and expand my capacity.

The future – new places, new skills, new experiences

What are the next steps for your career? What do you hope to accomplish in the future?

Right now, I am in the process of moving to London, to take up a new role in a local authority’s Education Welfare Team.

In the long term, I hope to return to study through the EPFT scheme. I also maintain an interest in returning to work with the third sector in the future.

What is one piece of advice you’d like to give to current and aspiring Psychology of Education students? Is there anything you wish someone had told you while you were a student?

I would recommend keeping an eye out for opportunities in the third sector, as I found it to be an exciting and welcoming place to work. It gave me so many opportunities to grow and develop.

While you’re at university, make the most of the knowledge around you; be that your peers, your course tutors or the universities resources. You have so much information at your disposal and the time to find it. And, unfortunately, a lot of that information quickly goes behind paywalls after graduation.

Lastly, enjoy spending time with your mates, living with them or seeing Manchester together. I loved my time in Manchester, and the friends I made there were undoubtedly the best part of it.

You can find out more what it’s like to be a BSc Psychology of Education student (and read more profiles from students and alumni) on the Education Student Stories page.

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