Moving from teaching to social work

[Teaplease29]

Hi everyone.

I'm seriously considering the above move. Has anyone done this? How did you find it?

I feel like I'm just churning students through an exam factory these days. I want a job where I feel like I'm making a difference. I want more autonomy over my work. And I want to like my job again!

I’ve moved into a role of intervention teacher- it’s great! I make my own weekly timetable, see which kids I think I need to see as and when and write my own schemes of work and plans! I deliver work to small groups or 1-1 which ever I think best suited and am working with the most vulnerable kids so feel like I’m making a real difference again. I taught for 12 years before this and really loving it again

I want a job where I feel like I'm making a difference. I want more autonomy over my work .....not social work then.

I left my social work career because I had ceased to have any autonomy over my work, and professional decisions that I made based on years of experience were ignored in favour of form-filling narrow-focus assessments. I felt that I had just become a financial gatekeeper for the LA.

Honestly, no LA job in any field will fulfil your wishes - they are form-bound and exist to keep the pen-pushers in their jobs.

Even the voluntary organisations in these fields have been bitten by the form-bound bug.

I am now a school governor and absolutely understand where you are coming from; but I do not think social work is the answer.

Sorry to put a damper on this.

You would have to totally retrain and tbh if you're fed up with the stress and lack of autonomy in teaching believe me you are in for a shock if you think social worker is any better. Ridiculous hours, complex case responsibility, answerable to the court, high risk situations you will find yourself in cometely alone, terrible heartbreaking situations that you'll get little support for. Social work has always been extremely tough but at the moment it's mostly just horrific

Mmmm I don't think social work will be a good fit for you. I'm in a similar field and like PP has said it's all about targets, paperwork, filling out forms etc etc. The actual time spent talking to people and trying to help them is a fraction of your day to day role and is overshadowed by everything else.

Very stressful, you'll probably feel overworked and undervalued and have way too many cases that are manageable for any single person.

You want autonomy but can never really do what you want because of procedures etc and a nature of covering your own back and appease management.

‘Out of the frying pan into the fire’ springs to mind.

Heavily bureaucratic, unsafe caseloads, burn-out is rife. Teaching and child protection social work have similar downsides.

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer. I’ve done both (went from teaching to social work). I’m in a senior role in social care now. I think I’ve got another year left in me before I seriously look to get out. I’m mid 40s. It’s a choice between my health and this job, pretty much.

Frying pan into fire sadly

Oh dear, also a social worker, also wouldn’t recommend it given what you are hoping for. I’m not sure what to suggest, any regulated LA or health role tends to be quite restrictive these days. Support work is great and you can have a direct impact but it’s really poorly paid.

OP, I'm a safeguarding social worker and have a number of colleagues who have retrained from teaching into social work, and they do an amazing job.
Yes, there is still lots of paperwork and hoops and gate keeping, but there is also a lot of time to build fulfilling relationships with families and you can feel like you are making a real difference.
It is not an easy job, but it is incredibly incredibly rewarding.

I'd suggest you have a look at the Frontline grad scheme - it was set up by a teacher who felt they weren't able to have enough impact for children in their teaching role. I know a number of teachers who have retrained through the grad scheme.

Have you looked at roles with in the LA in their virtual school ? Or do tutoring for a company who work specifically with young people in care ?

I'm also a qualified social worker but have chosen a different path to a traditional 'field Social worker'. Have done the role for 25 with no burn out and live my job.

There are a lot of roles within children's services and some of them unqualified.

Hi there
I'm considering the same career switch. I just wondered if you had made the leap?

Such a shame that both jobs (I'm currently a teacher) are so stressful and very similar in how little autonomy we have.

What has gone wrong with our society?

Hi I’m interested in how you switched to become an intervention teacher? I’m a teacher currently and polishing at other job options.

Hi how did you switch over to become an intervention teacher??