If you are interested in becoming a social worker, then you need to know that becoming a social worker will require you to take some essential steps first. These steps include obtaining the necessary education, obtaining field experience, and making sure that you are qualified for your particular social work specialty. Once you are done, you can begin looking for relevant social work jobs in Canada, jobs in the UK, jobs in the USA, or jobs in Australia. If you are job hunting, consider a site such as Joblang that will let you view countless listings that are relevant to your experience, educational background and current specialty. For now, let’s take a closer look at the steps you need to take in order to become a social worker.
Decide on a specialty
Before you can begin down your career path, you need to decide on a specialty for your social work. Are you interested in children’s and family social work? Social work for elderly people? People who are incarcerated? People with low incomes? There are nearly endless types of specialties within the social worker field, so consider this carefully before deciding.
Get (at least) a bachelor’s degree
Once you have decided on the specialty you want to pursue, it’s time to get your bachelor’s degree. Look for a relevant degree program is that is related to your specialty, as this will make it much easier to find degrees within your specialty later on. You should also consider planning on getting a Master’s degree after your Bachelor’s degree, especially if you want to continue up the career ladder and not remain at entry and mid-level positions.
Complete internship(s)
While you are pursuing your degree, then you need to start working on internships. Internships will give you necessary field experience while allowing you to make networking connections within the social work industry. You can make some great connections with prospective employers during an internship, so look for internships that are closely related to your chosen specialty.
Obtain any required certifications
If necessary, make sure you take and qualify for any required certifications that are necessary for your field of work. This can include social work qualifications, CPR qualifications, and so on.
Apply for relevant jobs
Once you have graduated and obtained any necessary certifications, it’s time to start applying for jobs! You can typically apply for entry level jobs right after graduation; if you had an internship at a specific company or organization and you liked your work there; consider applying there as they may consider you more seriously than other candidates due to your previous work experience.
Becoming a social worker requires careful planning and consideration, especially if you plan on pursuing a specialty. When you take into account the required degree for your career path, complete internships and make sure that you are prepared in every way to begin applying for entry level jobs, and then your path to becoming a social worker will be much clearer.
