Are there jobs in social work? Need some guidance before I pursue a career change!!

Hello,

Please can someone give me some advice before I potentially make a big mistake??!!

I am currently a Teacher but have always wanted to be a Social Worker.    Life happened and I found myself taking the teaching route.  I don't regret it as I now have valuable life and professional experience. I am seriously considering making the career change soon and retraining...but I would be leaving a secure, well paid job!!  That money is not the issue though, I really need to know if jobs in Social Work are achievable especially with the government cuts.  Please can anybody shed any light on this??  Really don't want to retrain and be left unemployed!!  Thanks in advance.

yes there are still jobs outthere and by the time you qualify the situation may well have changed it may depend on which field you want to work in and if you are prepared to do agency work. Depending which part of the country you live in there should be C+F posts for NQSW's

I qualified two years ago and i am still not working in a qualified social work post. i am prepare to travel upto 50 miles each way which includes most of the East Midlands but I still cannot find a job. At the moment, social work jobs in the whole of the East Midlands are few and far between. There are lots of agency jobs of course, but you will need at least two years experience of working within a statutory team to even be considered.

If someone had told me before I did the degree, that it was going to be this hard to get a job, I would have considered studing something else. Don't take the decision lightly.

I would think hard about retraining at the moment if job security is important. There seem to be few jobs around, and it will not improve for a few years I fear. Maybe a compromise would be to look at what areas of work you might be able to move into with your current qualifications that are not front line teaching.

Right, frankly it depends on what area of social work you are drawn to. Childrens and families continues to have ample opportunities if you are willing to relocate to them.

Why do you want to be a social worker? What is your understanding of what a social worker does? I'm sure you have given this a lot of thought but I would suggest you really understand the role you are pursuing. I completed a two years masters and still didn't properly understand the role until I got my first job!

To sum up - the jobs are achievable, what I would focus on is why you want to do it and whether the same issues that have lead you to question working as a teacher (paperwork, lack of autonomy) might arise again.

M

Thank you all for your replies.  I live in Manchester and would like to work in Children and Families so I don't know if that makes a difference???  It really isn't the paperwork and lack of autonomy that have lead me to question working as a Teacher, I cope with the immense pressures of paperwork and meeting targets just fine and have a management position.  I actually  like my job most of the time!!  It's more about the fact that the ideology that underpins Education doesn't fit into my personal belief system and that bothers me.  My strenghts within my current role center around the strengths of a Social Worker.  Social Work was always the desired profession, since my own school days, just don't know whether to take the plunge or not!! Aaargh!

Well, Manchester has recently announced thousands of local authority job losses in the pipeline..........but if you do really want to be a social worker then go for it, but do everything in your power to give yourself an advantage over other newly qualified social workers when you graduate by ensuring that at least one of your placements is in a statutory setting - preferable children and families - and do voluntary work in relevant fields if you can manage it. If you are passionate and driven enough you will find a job in social work...but if you are an idealist be aware that just like teaching, social work is a tough place to be an idealist!

Most of the jobs seem to be in children's services and I would have thought that your experience as a teacher would be invaluable in securing a job. The number of jobs in adult services seems to be diminishing from what I have seen.

I think that the profession needs good motivated staff but I would recommend doing a few days shadowing with a local authority before making a decision so you know what you are letting yourself in for.

We have encouraged this in our LA  and I have 2 people shadowing in the next 3 months and they are not doing this through any university but because our HR department actually responded to their direct  requests and asked team managers if they would be willing to take on people to do shadowing. Obviously all CRB checks etc have to be done before this can happen.

Write to HR departments and try and do some shadowing. If you don't get a response then write to the director or the council because we should be trying to attract people like you !

Julian.

 

Hello, To be completely honest I would suggest you not to leave your current job. I am a foreign social worker but I have been leaving in the UK for the last five years. My initial problem was to register with one of the regulatory bodies, such as the GSCC. I thought that once this registry process would be completed it would be straight forward to find a placement, considering the amount of vacancies available. I was seriously mistaken. The GSCC washes their hands like Pilates. They take your fee, not cheap, and that's it, they won't give you any further support, certainly nothing concerning employability. You can proudly say that you are an unemployed qualified and registered social worker. There are literally several hundreds of vacancies available but it's all "jobs for the boys" they all require experience as a qualified and registered social worker. I worked as a social worker in my own country, I have experience, not as a registered SW because I have only been accepted very recently. It's a catch 22 situation, how can you have experience if only now you were accepted into the registry? Social work is a subject surrounded by fake idealism. When you are studying it at university it's surrounded by a mystique, you can change the world, "it's in your hands" the truth is far from that. You cant even get a job in a country which is crying for social workers. My advise is keep up your job, give it a try with social work but do not give up your current job or you will be a very qualified unemployed like my self. Thanks,

Thanks everybody for your help and advice!  In my own profession I know that there are people who can't get a job but from I have seen and experienced it is usually for a very good reason.  I suppose that if I am good enough and determined then I will succeed.  Julian, I am going to take your advice, thanks so much!

Hi,

I was in teaching; took the plunge and I am in my 2nd year of a masters degree. I have been really lucky as I have carried on teaching as " a supply teacher", one to pay the bills and secondly just in case I have to return to it on a full time basis.  I still enjoy teaching, but hope to link both my this with my newly acquired social work skills, supporting vulnerable children and families. I appreciate I may have to think "out of the box", but this is the way of the 21st Century. I have found it hard work, but have met some brilliant people, had many new experiences and I am so pleased I did it! I don't  know what the future holds but I am confident it will be better for me than some of the wonderful people I have supported whilst on the course. I have learnt so much from " service users, especially that "resilience" is the key. I know the post is late but hopefully it will help someone in a similar position!

 

 

 

This is an excellent thread and it's good that you found some of the comments helpful.

Some people complain about me 'advertising' but please feel free to draw upon BASW for any support you need.

You seem intent on joining a great global profession - welcome - social work is what we make it and it really can be the best work in the world.

Hilton Dawson

Chief Exec

British Association of Social Workers( BASW)

Hilton has clearly not read this thread - or if he has he has chosen to ignore the concerns expressed by some contributors - blatant advertising for BASW again - and that from a College member - oh, the sheer hypocrisy!!!

It is a difficult decision that you are taking and you are right to go in with your eyes open. Lots of advice that could give, but two key things a) you will have to be prepared to be flexible about location and job b) you will need to maximise the opportunities from a social work course and go beyond just getting by. You will also need to think how relevant your teaching is - the more you can demonstrate relevance the better it will be for your future. BASW have done a useful guide for Newly Qualified Social Workers and Students re the work situation and information about coming a social worker 

http://www.basw.co.uk/social-work-careers/

http://www.basw.co.uk/countries/england/policy-and-position-statements/

Good luck

That is brilliant - well done your department!

Joe

You may not read this Grapevine but I am curious about what you think you will be doing in social work that you can't do within education.

The same situation does somewhat concern me also, however you will be looking at two years training minimum so the scale of the cuts will have already been felt and perhaps some mitigation may have been achieved. perhaps consider part time training?