Want to become social worker

[Alice211]

I’m thinking of going to uni to get my social work degree as being a social worker has always applied to me and I do think I would be good at it, is there anyone on here that’s done the course and is a social worker that can tell me what the job entails such as day to day, pay, hours.

Any help would be appreciated greatly X

There are many roles and specialities available to qualified social workers and you will need to decide your focus, as all are different.

More info here

I'm a former social worker. I left a few years ago after doing it for 8 years. When I left I was on around £40k, at the top of the scale. That was in London.

I worked with adults, mainly older people. It was rewarding but also very stressful, and I found it hard to switch off. You're spread far too thinly, and not able to provide all the care your clients need due to budget restraints. I left as I was feeling burnt out. I took a pay cut and moved to a less stressful job.

I would encourage you to get some relevant work experience to see first hand what it entails and if it's for you.

Thankyou for sharing! Aw I’m sorry you went through that, I can imagine it being super stressful, I think the social care defiantly needs a bigger budget, could you possible tell me what the hours typically are? I have children and just want to make sure I can get a good balance before I go to uni to qualify, i will defiantly take your advice on getting some work experience

My hours were 9-5, but I never managed to leave on time. Plenty of us had children and managed to stick to their hours, or thereabouts. You could also ask to work flexibly.

Not sure if this link will work, but you might find this Open University free online course useful:

www.open.edu/openlearn/health-sports-psychology/introducing-social-work-starter-kit/content-section-overview?active-tab=description-tab

Good luck!

I work 9-5 and I always leave on time and don't work at home but I'm pretty good at time management and can knock out reports very quickly. People who struggle with written work do have to work at home sometimes to get it done.

I earn £40k as a senior social worker, starting salary is usually about £27k.

I would recommend looking for a job as a support worker in a social care team - it gives you real insight and is often fairly well paid without a qualification. It also can open up opportunities to access training and development into a qualified role by studying while working.
You will need relevant experience and a clear sense of what job you are expecting to do in order to get on a course otherwise. They need to know you are aware of what you are jumping into!
I have worked part time since qualifying as had my children immediately after; p/t is not that usual but can be found. I’m also disciplined about work hours and sometimes think some colleagues can be sniffy about my lack of commitment (as they see it).

You need a thick skin. It’s tiring, misunderstood, under-resourced, and you don’t get thanked much! You are often criticised, and need to be able to cope with having an unpopular opinion. It’s pressured and can be stressful so you need to be honest about how you manage that.

Good luck!