💡 Why it matters: As more people survive strokes, accidents and long-term conditions, therapists who teach daily skills are needed more.
🌍 Around the world
- United States: Jobs are projected to grow 15% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦1.8M – ₦4M
- Mid-career
- ₦4M – ₦9M
- Senior
- ₦9M – ₦20M
≈ ₦333k – ₦750k a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇺🇸 United States
Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Hourly wage low and high x 2,080 hours; Job Bank shows no national median.. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Help patients relearn tasks like dressing and writing
- Design simple tools that make daily life easier
- Work with children who have learning difficulties
- Visit homes and schools to make them easier to use
- Teach families how to support recovery
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Creativity
- Patience
- Empathy
- Problem solving
- Communication
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Rehabilitation assistant courses
- Postgraduate paediatric or neurological therapy training
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Occupational therapist degree apprenticeship
- Start as an occupational therapy support worker
🇺🇸 United States
- Occupational therapy assistant (associate degree), then bridge programs
- Work as an OT aide while studying
🇨🇦 Canada
- Occupational therapist assistant college diploma
- Work in health or social care, then apply to a master's programme
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Study Biology and English in school
- 2Take a degree in occupational therapy or rehabilitation
- 3Do clinical placements in hospitals
- 4Register or get licensed with the professional body in your country
- 5Specialise in children, hands or mental health
⏰ A day in the life
You help a child with cerebral palsy practise holding a spoon, then show a stroke patient how to button his shirt again. You end the day designing a simple handle that makes a cup easier to hold.