Explore career options in physiotherapy
Here you can find information on the types of careers and employment roles a physiotherapy degree may land you.
You can also discover where to look for job vacancies, as well as professional associations, mentoring and international opportunities.
Opportunities
Upon completion of a physiotherapy degree, you will be eligible to register to practice as a physiotherapist in Australia. Physiotherapists can find employment in a range of settings, including research or teaching positions, or as a consultant to industry and government bodies.
Postgraduate study options for physiotherapy graduates include the Master of Musculoskeletal and Sports Physiotherapy, if you’re interested in developing advanced knowledge and skills in this specialisation. This degree can be undertaken after two years of relevant clinical practice. Following completion of this degree ,you will be eligible to become a titled musculoskeletal physiotherapist and sports physiotherapist with the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA).
Career fields
- Hospitals and outpatient clinics
- Aged care centres
- Private practice
- Spinal Unit
- Maternity Units
- Defence Forces
- Rehabilitation services
- Sports institutes, clubs or teams
- Health promotion agencies
- Sports medicine
- Medical testing clinics
- Occupational Health (e.g. Work Sites)
- Health departments
- Insurance companies
- Workcover
- Education
- Schools
Employment roles
- Physiotherapist
- Occupational health and safety advisor
- Researcher
- Research assistant
- Rehabilitation consultant
- Health promotion officer
- Strength and conditioning professional
Occupation snapshot
Employed
44,700
Annual growth
4,300
Weekly earnings
$1,710
Part-time share
36%
This data is based on the occupation profile for physiotherapists, retrieved from the Government's Jobs and Skills Australia website July 2024.
Your employability
In addition to knowledge and skills directly related to your program of study, you will also develop a range of other skills such as teamwork, analytical, communication through academic study, employment, voluntary work, sporting and recreational activities and life experience.
Recognising the value employers place on these skills is an important factor in your graduate job search. You can further develop your employability with these resources:
Vacancies
Information on relevant vacancies and career resources can be found in a wide range of sources:
- Australian Physiotherapy Association (Jobs4physios)
- CareerHub
- Prosple (formerly Grad Australia)
- Australian Defence Force Recruiting
- CareCareers
- Australian Public Service recruitment
- SportsPeople Personnel Consultants
- New South Wales Government jobs
- Queensland Government Graduate Portal
- Queensland Health Employment
- Your World Healthcare
- MyHealthCareer—physiotherapy
To practice in Australia, physiotherapists must be registered with the Physiotherapy Board of Australia.
Job application resources
Craft a stand-out resume and cover letter, and learn how to prepare for job interviews.
Approach potential employers
Many work opportunities are not advertised, so we recommend approaching potential employers with the aim of researching their needs and how your skills, experience, interests and qualifications could match theirs.
This is called informational interviewing and will benefit you by:
- clarifying your specific career direction
- enhancing your professional network
- increasing your chances of being offered a job.
Industry outlook
The Your Career website includes helpful information such as job descriptions, employment prospects, average weekly earnings and skills requirements. Every job title in the database has a skills section to help you identify and describe essential skills for your future career.
The My Future website also has job descriptions and a useful career insight section.
The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching website has up-to-date information on graduate salaries, especially the Graduate Outlook Survey (GOS) National Report, which contains undergraduate salary figures.
More detailed information is available at the Labour Market Insights portal.
Professional associations
Joining a professional association is a great way to interact with people in your field who can assist you to explore your career options and potentially find employment opportunities. These associations hold regular professional development and networking events:
- Australian Physiotherapy Association
- Australian Council For Health, Physical Education and Recreation
- Australian Health Promotion Association
- Sports Medicine Australia
Students are welcome to join and often receive a discount on their membership.
Mentoring
The award-winning Industry Mentoring Program provides an excellent opportunity to further develop your employability and build professional networks.
The program is available to students with more than 80CP as well as recent graduates.
Sustainable Development Goals
Griffith University is aligned to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ) and is committed to promoting decent work and economic growth, advancing the principles of responsible and sustainable consumption and production, and advocating for peace, justice, and resilient institutional frameworks.
Further careers information
Careers counselling
Individual career counselling sessions are available to all current students and recent graduates.
You can book an initial appointment via CareerHub.
Career planning
Our website has an array of career planning resources you can explore at any stage of your student journey.
Career Readiness
Check out our Career Readiness site in Learning@Griffith for additional information and resources for your career development learning:
Similar career options
Please note: The content on this webpage is a guide only. Please refer to degree-specific information and accreditation requirements of your profession on the Degree and Course Finder website and with the relevant professional accreditation body for your degree.