Hello - this is my first post, as I wanted to get advice from those in the know and who've been through the system.I want to become a social worker, but I am currently working full time in a completely different industry so this is a total career change for me (I've always wanted to help people, and volunteer at Childline already, not been doing this long but have thought long and hard and really want to make this more of a career than a 3hr a week interest). I do not have any other experience in social care, and am somewhat daunted by the qualifications required/experience needed to be eligible for the BA, and wondered if, as a postgraduate, it would be better to do an MA (I already have a BSc in Psychology and Law but did not achieve a good grade which of course I am now kicking myself for!) I also fear I have left it too late to apply and may not have enough experience - and so I am really after some advice from those who have had a similar experience, what they did and how they managed.
As a working professional with no savings I will also struggle to support myself through a 3yr degree, and wonder if there are any other routes into social work that don't involve surviving on less than the average wage - sorry, not meant to sound defeatist, but I do still need to pay for bills and food and it's been awhile since I was able to live on £37pw? Many thanks for any help you guys can give
I was in a similar position to you. My undergrad degree is Crim and Social Policy and I have wanted to do social work for a long time. I was working in the social care field although I found this hard to get into to gain experience. I started working for a charity with adults with learning disabilities as I didn't need any social care experience to do this - I found I related back to this experience quite alot through my sw interview.
If you already have a degree another routh you can go through is the CWDC - they fund students to undertake the MA (this is what I am doing) £15, 000 per year tax free - doesn't sound like much but is not too bad and I live in London! Some councils will top this up too and they will pay the tuition fees. you need to apply for the positions through the councils as they advertise them. Last year my council advertised in June (so a while after to uni application deadlines) and they got me my uni place. Other coucils wanted students to find their own uni place though. Your best bet is to look on the CWDC website and give them a ring about the graduate schemes - they gave me an indication of when the councils would be advertising. Most coucils ask for 2:1 or 2:2 for rligibility criteria - I think unis want the same?
Good luck!