You say you have worked through an agency before - have you tried going back to agency work?
Also, although I personally believe there is nothing like the experience of working for the LA, have you tried the private sector?
It depends on the area you are looking in . Certain areas are offering newly qualified workers a golden hanshake to come on board.
I am still working for an agency, and am registered with 5 at the moment... I think the same, start workig for a LA, where they give you training - and then move on to agency work (if necessary) Private sector is a good idea... haven`t tried there yet.
I`m in London - and looking for work here... also, I`m not a driver which could be a problem outside London. No golden handshakes here, as far as I know...
Raf, this is unusual for London.
What were your placements on your course? What sort of SW jobs are you looking for? What sort of feedback have you had from the applications you have made? (question: how long have you worked at the day centre?)
good luck...
I have found my full time jobs via agency work (namely being placed in teams and then applying for the permanent equivalents of the jobs that I had been covering) rather than applying blind - it also allows you to get a feel for a team (and vice versa) so I wouldn't write off the agency work so easily.
you say you've applied for 100's of QSW jobs but had no luck, wow! thats an awful lot of jobs to be keep getting knocked back, well done for keeping at it
when you say you're having no luck, do you mean that you're not getting to the interview stage or you're having the interviews?
eastend11: Raf, this is unusual for London. What were your placements on your course? What sort of SW jobs are you looking for? What sort of feedback have you had from the applications you have made? (question: how long have you worked at the day centre?) good luck...
Had worked with elderly people, families and visually impaired clients... Working now with learning disabled service users, like to continue working in that field, but wouldn`t mind working with families/elderly. That`s the problem, no feedback at all.
Thanks!
cb: I have found my full time jobs via agency work (namely being placed in teams and then applying for the permanent equivalents of the jobs that I had been covering) rather than applying blind - it also allows you to get a feel for a team (and vice versa) so I wouldn't write off the agency work so easily.
Maybe I`m with the wrong agencies then... still cannot find a job for me, 6 months after GSCC registration.
jellytot: you say you've applied for 100's of QSW jobs but had no luck, wow! thats an awful lot of jobs to be keep getting knocked back, well done for keeping at it when you say you're having no luck, do you mean that you're not getting to the interview stage or you're having the interviews?
I haven`t had any interviews yet - I wish...
In that case ask for feedback as to why you are not being offered an interview. There may be a good reason. There may be aspects of your application that let you down and unless you ask you are not going to know. They may be able to offer you constructive advice to help you next time you apply. Or they may even think, hey this guy is serious, maybe we missed something first time!
Have you tried applying for jobs direct to the LA, rather than through an agency?
Try contacting the HR dept of your local LA, they may have longstanding vacancies that are not advertised. Also try contacting your placements and asking them.
aitch:In that case ask for feedback as to why you are not being offered an interview. There may be a good reason. There may be aspects of your application that let you down and unless you ask you are not going to know. They may be able to offer you constructive advice to help you next time you apply. Or they may even think, hey this guy is serious, maybe we missed something first time!
Good idea! thanks!
minimin:Have you tried applying for jobs direct to the LA, rather than through an agency? Try contacting the HR dept of your local LA, they may have longstanding vacancies that are not advertised. Also try contacting your placements and asking them.
Majority of jobs I applied for were at LA.
I will contact the HR dept.
My experience is that some jobs are advertised for a very short time - also, the term "newly qualified" rarely comes up.
Okay.
Not sure what you mean by '"families"?
I think you sell yourself short saying "no experience", but you don't have post-qualifying experience.
Not my area by I am aware that there are somewhat fewer qualified social worker posts in some of these area of adults services, with a move towards more genetic , multi-agency teams.
HR seems a good idea, but I would also spend a morning on the phone, politely trying to find out who the 'Development and Training' officer - or similar title - in adults services is and talk to them. (sometimes this person will share their time between adults and childrens services )
Best case scenario they may be aware of posts which are about to be advertised, but they might be able to set you up a meeting with a manager for an area of work you are interested in in a relevant service. If you had a good relationship with a tutor at uni, show them an application form you've completed - to be honest it might be something to do with how you express yourself in written English and maybe someone appropriate could help you discuss that.
Not many posts would specify newly qualfied - it wouldn't be legal. Just apply for social worker jobs - they will attract experienced and new applicants alike.
I suggest posting something on the adults forum here as well.
Obviously be flexible but keep plugging for a SW post for a while whilst working at the day centre. It seems fairly likely something will come up.
And yes I guess there's no harm in registering with an agency but don't leave a permanent post for it unless you feel pretty sure it's for you.
Good luck.
ps aitch's advice is excellent. If you have applied for say 20 jobs, I'm sure at least 5 of those managers would be decent and nice people who would be happy to offer a phone chat or brief personal meeting to talk things through.
eastend11, thanks a lot for your help - feel much more confident now about finding a QSW job soon.
I`ve contacted my SW teacher and will have a chat with her discussing my applications soon.
Hallo Raf
Unfortunately, I am in the same boat as you: I am a qualified social worker with a MA in social work and I am registered with the GSCC. I graduated in 2004 and I have still not found qualified social work. This is despite being registered with at least 10 social work agencies, whom I have told I am willing to work anywhere in the UK.
I seriously believe that there are now too many social workers chasing too few jobs. Forget the myth that there is a shortage of social workers because of recruitment problems. I say this because whenever I have been interviewed for a permanent social work position (not via an agency), I ask how many social workers are the managers interviewing. Typically, they reply 10 to 15 over 3 the next days. According to feedback, I nearly always lose out because of my lack of experience (statutory). The agencies are reluctant to send me for qualified social worker roles, though I have been for some, as you are expected to: "Hit the ground running".
You see now social worker employers can afford to go for the cream of the crop. An agency told me that back in 2002/3 there really was a recruitment related shortage of social workers and that the attitude of employers was basically, if you are breathing and you have a DipSW then you have got the job. How times have changed. I asked one council, who had rejected me because of my statutory social work experience, how do I get statutory social work experience? They essentially replied that I get it by doing statutory social work.
It's as if social work is not really a proper profession compared to other professions such as the police, army or medical profession. No one would say to a policeman; soldier; doctor or nurse: you can have a job when you have more experience; but we are not going to give you that experience. It's no wonder social work has such a bad image.
Raf, perhaps we could write a letter together to the appropriate government departments because the system does not appear to be working.
Help End Discrimination Against Drug Users
Have you had professional help with filling in the application form? It appears you are not getting to the interview stage. You may need help.
If you have been unemployed for while, you can get this help at a local jobcentre or through the careers advice place at the university you studied at.
Under equal opportunities in short listing canditates for interview, points are awarded for meeting each of the essential criteria and the preferable criteria. Are you clearly meeting this criteria in your application form? It is an art to do application forms and meet the criteria. Check this out.
Do you drive a car?
I suggest that it is possible to get work as a social worker - after all you don't need a work permit - do you?
There is still a recognised shortage of social workers in the UK.
I recall a time when I couldn't get work as a nurse, because I had injured my back - 100 applications at the executive job club in Folkestone and I eventually got a job.
Don't give up - persevere!
Unemployed Social Worker:Hallo Raf Unfortunately, I am in the same boat as you: I am a qualified social worker with a MA in social work and I am registered with the GSCC. I graduated in 2004 and I have still not found qualified social work. This is despite being registered with at least 10 social work agencies, whom I have told I am willing to work anywhere in the UK. I seriously believe that there are now too many social workers chasing too few jobs. Forget the myth that there is a shortage of social workers because of recruitment problems. I say this because whenever I have been interviewed for a permanent social work position (not via an agency), I ask how many social workers are the managers interviewing. Typically, they reply 10 to 15 over 3 the next days. According to feedback, I nearly always lose out because of my lack of experience (statutory). The agencies are reluctant to send me for qualified social worker roles, though I have been for some, as you are expected to: "Hit the ground running". You see now social worker employers can afford to go for the cream of the crop. An agency told me that back in 2002/3 there really was a recruitment related shortage of social workers and that the attitude of employers was basically, if you are breathing and you have a DipSW then you have got the job. How times have changed. I asked one council, who had rejected me because of my statutory social work experience, how do I get statutory social work experience? They essentially replied that I get it by doing statutory social work. It's as if social work is not really a proper profession compared to other professions such as the police, army or medical profession. No one would say to a policeman; soldier; doctor or nurse: you can have a job when you have more experience; but we are not going to give you that experience. It's no wonder social work has such a bad image. Raf, perhaps we could write a letter together to the appropriate government departments because the system does not appear to be working.
Hello, and thanks for your message.
I agree with you - it is a myth that there is a shortage, and that a SW degree (and GSCC registration) means that you are actually getting a job. And it is very competitive, like any other sector.
You say, agencies did find you jobs - were these only for a short period of time?
What about working as a SW Assistant for a while? I imagine this would give you the (statutory) experience, and the LA could employ you as QSW later?
(That is my plan at the moment.)
I don`t think SW has the same level of recognition as the jobs you mentioned... Until recently, you didn`t need a degree/registration to be a SW. Would be great if some sort of program existed to help newly QSWs getting jobs...
Tell me more about the proposed letter!
fairygodmother: Have you had professional help with filling in the application form? It appears you are not getting to the interview stage. You may need help. If you have been unemployed for while, you can get this help at a local jobcentre or through the careers advice place at the university you studied at. Under equal opportunities in short listing canditates for interview, points are awarded for meeting each of the essential criteria and the preferable criteria. Are you clearly meeting this criteria in your application form? It is an art to do application forms and meet the criteria. Check this out.
Thanks for your suggestions! I do think it is mainly the application forms... I just found a great website about applying for jobs, and it is an art! : ) I`ll do the next one with this in mind - we`ll see!
DistrictNurse:Do you drive a car? I suggest that it is possible to get work as a social worker - after all you don't need a work permit - do you? There is still a recognised shortage of social workers in the UK. I recall a time when I couldn't get work as a nurse, because I had injured my back - 100 applications at the executive job club in Folkestone and I eventually got a job. Don't give up - persevere! No, I don`t drive. This is a problem with many jobs... I don`t need a work permit.Thanks, I`ll keep on trying! : )
No, I don`t drive. This is a problem with many jobs...
I don`t need a work permit.
Thanks, I`ll keep on trying! : )
I am too in the same boat. MA (registered) Qualified in 2004. 2 statuory placements - Assessments team and Children looked after. Prior to this 15 years working with Substance misuse and ex-offenders. I cannot get a job. I get shortlisted for every job that I have applied for and my interview feedback has been good. But it all boils down to no post-qualification experience. I have asked why hey shortlist me with no intention of employing me - I got a vague reply.
I have also registered with so many agencies that promise heaven and earth as soon as you get CRB checked. I have about 5 checks to date. Yet no luck. All they are interested in is sending me daily lists of jobs promising £250 for introducing someone. I am someone for goodness sake!!!
I know I can do the job, after all, despite theories, policies etc most of Social Work is common sense and intuition - that feeling when you know that something is not quite right!! and most of the Social workers (even those with tons of experience) don't have this.
What is being practiced now is defensive social work which will be relaxed as soon as Baby P becomes a distant memory. Same after Victoria Climbie. I have started asking myself if I want to work in a profession which is hated by most people!!
What a shame that the GSCC spent well over £25k in training me and I know there are 100's of people like me.
Hello, and thanks for sharing your experiences.
Why don`t you try to find a QSW job in the field where you have the most experience (substance misuse and ex-offenders) ?
I decided not to apply for jobs I am not enthusiastic about - so now I can concentrate on my chosen field (learning disability).
Also, I`m ready to start as SW assistant, or CSW... we`ll see what happens next.
I really think that part of the reason why I cannot find a job is:
1. I`m male (though this shouldn`t be a huge problem, but most of my female SW friends could find one)
2. I don`t have a driving licence - which is a problem, and not only outside London
3. My SW qualification and placements were not in the UK
It is a bit worrying though, that even people who trained and qualified here, and do have interviews, still cannot find a job...
Don`t give up, and keep trying! I`m doing the same.
Hi All
This may not be something that you have thought about but CSV (Communty Service Volunteers) have 100's of placements for full time away from home volunteers which are uk wide and work directly with people in need of support and care. The roles are 35 hours a week across 5 days, there is an allowance for food and living costs which totals £74 a week and accomodation is included. It is a great way of getting the experience you need and looks brilliant on application forms.
If you are interested you can go to www.csv.org.uk/ftvol or call 0800 374991
Hope this is useful.
G
Hi all,
I graduated from my social work degree almost exactly a year ago and have been unemployed since. I had three practice placements both stat and voluntary, and this is the extent of my social work experience.
It is very hard to recieve constant 'knockbacks' and be out of work for so long and my self-esteem and confidence has been affected. I cant get a job due to lack of experience and cant get experience without getting a job.
I feel totally misled as to how easy it would be to find work. A programme to enable newly qualified social workers to find work, give advice etc would be fantastic.
I'm starting as a residential care officer for children with learning difficulties in a respite centre soon and can't help but feel slightly concerned that future employers will view this as 'not direct enough' experience. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it though! I'm also volunteering as a family support worker for a local charity which as well as beiong something i enjoy shows employers I am committed to getting out there and working in the field. I do suspect that lack of experience will affect me for some time however.
In regards to interview feedback, it took countless phonecalls and over two months (!) fo me to get feedback from one particular interview but it was really worth persevering and was very useful indeed.
I qualified in 2005 and have worked as a QSW in adult services via a recruitment agency ever since. I actually prefer this type of working and it certainly pays more realistic wages. I've also had good varied expeiance working with LD, PD, older peoples, reviewing and for the past 12 months a CMHT.
I got my first agency to pay for PQ1 with my 6 month loyalty bonus and twisted the odd managers arm to get the feedback/reports/obs I needed
I generally am able to persuade managers to let me access LA training courses and also pay to access some more specialist courses. I have also persuaded the current manager to pay me agency senior prac rate - I've been asked to apply for a paid position but this would mean a drop of about £15K!!!!
Raz - a driving licence is essential. If I did not have one, I would not have got my first post. In the days when one was able to leave a position on Friday and start at a new post on Monday, the shortage was so acute managers would have given you a start - not any more. It's a question that is always asked and I have had some interesting dialogues about how people without driving licences expect to be able to practice in community teams. Where did you qualify, there seems to be loads of QSW's from Canada, NZ & Aus over here so providing your qualification is equivalent - and you have gor your GSCC so it must be - I can't see why this is a problem.
I'd say finding a good consultant who is prepared to push your corner for you - most are just greedy reps but some are more professional and they are worth their weight in gold. be flexible and enthusiastic. I've also found it an advantage to be prepared to work away from home when needs be.
Best of luck guys.
Hi Raf
My Masters degree in Social Work was gained (employment based )while I was working with offenders/substance misusers. It was supposed to be an escape route. After all that time, the job was getting more and more dangerous. I was also no longer happy with it and wanted a change.
I don't agree wholly about the reasons you cannot get a job because
I am female, have a driving license, have my own car. The only difference is that I but trained in the UK.
I just think that there is a discrimination against newly qualifieds. I just don't get it! How is one supposed to have any experince if nobody will give them a chance?
At present I have no motivation to continue trying - maybe that will change..I don't know...
I find the situation that you are in extremeley baffling
You've had 2 stat placements and you've got a wealth of experience prior to this and yet you still can't find a job??
You're interview feedback is good, so what's going wrong? I'd have thought they'd be queueing up to employ you!
I had no previous paid SW experience prior to undertaking my degree, I did some voluntary work which i understand stood me in good stead. Yet I had no problem finding employment as a NQSW neither did most of my fellow students
I really can't understand why you're finding yourself in this situation, you must be so dissillusioned
I M
I graduated 5 years ago my MA in social work, and I still have not been able to find a job as a social worker. This is despite being with at least 10 agencies and telling that I will work anywhere in the UK. have applied for many types of social work jobs; I have a perfect attendance record and I drive. Employers will simply not employ me because I do not have statutory social work experience. No one welcomes a NQSW who does not have statutory social work experience. Now I just stick to what I have experience in: alcohol and substance misuse.
Social work is a job for the elite
Hi ther ei dont know if the OP is still looking to find work, but when i came across the post i had to join this site! I thought it was only me! I qualified in 2004. I had a rocky start as when i was put on student placements i was not given the opportunity to work in statutory. That has impacted my career to date. Fortunately or unfortunately during my final year placements there were issues of my pracice teacher leaving so i became quite close to the manager. Upon completetion of my course there were positions in the team so i applied for one and was sucessful! I am so thankful. But now even with 5 years PQ social work experience i am unable to change my job as i never hear anything back from who i am applying to, not even an interview.
A senior prac who does my supervision says i have gone as far as i can in the private sector and need to get into LA but no one will have me. Now the position is even worse becuase i am due to come off maternity leave in 2 months and i have as good as been told that i dont stand a hope in hell with having my request for part time hours approved so i might have to consider leaving the profession all togehter.
Just wanted to say that i feel the pain! and i think for a profession that has such negative press and opinion but yet still good fair people who are willing to learn and work hard for and within our society that there should be an easier way...it is sad
Just some thoughts:
I was working in LA C&F team before I qualified and then again as soon as I qualified. I have since worked in the P&V sector and am now independent. So I've seen both sides.
Working in the LA is vastly different from the P&V sector. It's much faster paced and you have to be able to make recommendations and decisions within the statutory framework relevant to your client group. That sounds easy but it is a very different mindset to working in P&V. Stress levels and rates of burnout are also much higher in LA posts.
For these reasons I think that not only are LAs not keen on NQSWs who don't have stat experience but older workers like myself who have been working outside of the LA for any length of time are at a disadvantage in applying for stat posts, which will also impact on the government's 'great idea' about trying to bring retired social workers back into the field.
Statutory experience is invaluable if you can find it but it isn't the only way to do social work. Stat work is about making assessments, writing care plans, managing and reviewing those care plans and moving on. However, if you want to actually do quality individual work with people then the place to be is outside of statutory (just my view). Not having the 'authority' to make the recommendations and decisions that can get the machinery of care provision moving can be frustrating though, particularly when you know your service users needs a particular type of input and the LA SW either disagrees or is unresponsive. The LAs carry a lot of power and although individual LA SWs don't feel like they have any power they are in a much better position to get things moving.
thought it was just me that was struggling, i qualified last september and unable to find a job due to me not having enough experience. I am a similar to you and i am doing an unqualified support worker role on minimum wage. I have tried to get into education, health, housing, social work, social care, charities and have registered with over 20 agencies but no job.
...and the government id creating extra places for students. Don't even know if they are aware of people like us!!!
I've just had a QSW interview. I felt like being treated as an idiot... The interview itself went quite well. I lasted about 45 minutes. I was answering questions, only to be asked in the end: so, you don't have any QSW experience in the UK? I said, no. The answer: sorry but we're looking for someone with experience, because as an agency worker you should have enough experience to be able to start working immediately... OK - but why on earth did you invite me for an interview then? If you read my CV, it is there - no QSW experience. Why do people play these games? I seriously think I've had enough of this nonsense.
Hi Raf, am sorry to hear the interview didn't go well. Have only just registered here and scanned through the topic (sorry) do unsure if anyone else has suggested this. Is there any way you could link up with a statutory team and shadow the social workers for a short period? Perhaps approaching HR depts, if you have a particular field/team you'd like to work in, see if you can make some contacts. Am only thinking because if then a permanent post comes up the LA will know your name, know you're really keen etc and plus then you could say you might not have employment experience of QSW but this is what you've done to try and get a flavour of it. Might be difficult given that shadowing usually gets done by social work students on placement but you never know.
Perhaps if it's possible trying to access some additional training yourself to keep up to date with statutory developments in the field you wish to work in might help, am sure you'll already know things change so much in statutory work. Maybe your local uni SW dept might be able to help/signpost you or a SW agency? I qualified in 2004 and it's fair to say policy, law, practice changes so much, it's ongoing, so any pre-qualifying degree can only be a starting point.(BTW prior to the degree, you did need to do a 2 year DipSW and from 2005 be registered with the GSCC, job market might have been different then but it wasn't always as simple as have DipSW, you're hired ;) )
If you could move/travel to other areas outside of London this might increase your chances of being taken on (not every1 has the luxury of being able to up sticks I know). I did hear once Manchester didn't mind if you don't have a driving licence but unfortunately, given the state of public transport in many parts, the fact that it isn't always safe for social workers to be waiting for buses (esp. in darker winter hours) with confidential info on them/lone working issues and that you my haveto transport service users/do many visits within a short period, means being a driver prepared/having some transport available, is essential.
Hopefully the new changes within social work will mean that social workers who have recently qualified or have a lack of experience will gain more support.
That is really unfair that you went through the whole interview process - they obviously didn't read your Cv - if they did not very well! Good luck with any interviews in the future.