To become a social worker, you will need to study a three year undergraduate degree or a two year postgraduate degree in social work that is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). You will also need to pass a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
Although social workers need a bachelor’s or a master’s, pursuing a career in the social work field does not necessarily require any kind of college degree. Several entry-level positions can be located with a high school diploma, and in some cases, a certificate will improve your chances of securing employment.
How long does it take to become a social worker? It takes between 4-6 years to become a social worker. Prospective social workers spend four years earning a bachelor’s degree in social work and two years getting a master’s degree.
The job is not without its rewards, but it can also be stressful, emotionally taxing, and physically demanding. Working conditions and pay can be just as daunting at times. The fact is, entering this helping profession is not for everyone. It takes a certain kind of person to become a social worker.
All social workers have to work within a clear legal framework and cannot do anything without having a sound legal reason. Any decision to take a child into care- even for a very short time – has meet the criteria set out in legislation.
It’s stressful work with a high burnout rate and it isn’t particularly well paid. People generally become social workers because they want to help people, feel a calling towards it etc. Not worth it if you are expecting an intellectually challenging education and subsequently career with good financial return.
Yup. Well it depends on what you consider rich. If you’re a clinical social worker who has moved on to management positions, earning into the 6 figures is not unheard of, especially if you’re leading a large case management or social work department at a major hospital. Also California has some good opportunities.
Healthcare social workers also make high annual mean salaries in California ($79,620), Oregon ($74,050), Connecticut ($72,980), and Nevada ($72,640). Mental health and substance abuse social workers earn the highest salaries in New Jersey, where the annual mean wage reaches $83,050.
Social work is perhaps one of the easiest professions to do badly and one of the most difficult to do well. As I long ago learned, social work and social care are not rocket science. They are far more complex than that! Social workers can’t be sure of getting the supervision and support they need.
Social workers do use math in their work to some degree, although their jobs don’t require them to know advanced calculus or abstract mathematical theory.
Is Master of Social Work hard?
Making it through an MSW program can be equally challenging. Many students report they underestimated the academic workload, stress, and personal impacts of their work before starting their MSWs. Others find that they have very little down time; every hour is consumed with study or working in the field assignment.
There are around 150,000 qualified social workers in Russia, each of whom will have undergone a five year degree programme based heavily in theory and psychology rather than in practice.
- Complete a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work or Related Field.
- Pursue a Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) or MSW-equivalent program.
- Complete Fieldwork Hour Requirements.
- Apply for State Social Work Licensure.
- Choose a Social Work Career.
- Advance Your Practice Through Continued Learning.
Social work is a challenging career in many ways – emotionally, mentally and often physically. However, the education required to attain this career is easy in some ways but difficult in other ways. Generally, the less advanced the degree you are pursuing is, the easier it will be to meet graduation requirements.
As a traveling social worker, your job is to travel to each assignment area and provide personalized care, mental health services, and other help as needed. Traveling social workers often focus on children or families with children, including those in foster care, but this isn’t universal.
- Social and human services assistants: $33,750.
- Rehabilitation counselors: $35,630.
- Substance abuse/mental health: $44,630.
- Health educators and community health workers: $46,080.
- Marriage and family therapists: $50,090.
- Probation officers and corrections specialists: $53,020.
- School and career counselors: $56,310.
Social workers have the potential to make nearly six figures in some segments of the career field. But they also have the potential for building up six figures of student loan debt. Here’s a closer look at current social worker salaries, including breakdowns based on location and education level.
Social workers have always been underpaid. One reason for this is that women, in general, are underpaid and 75% of social workers are women. As a result, people with less training are easily able to stake a claim and undercut professional social work jobs at lower salaries.
David Nilsen is the former editor of Fourth & Sycamore. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. You can find more of his writing on his website at davidnilsenwriter.com and follow him on Twitter as @NilsenDavid.