Would you like a career that’s rewarding, challenging, varied and makes a difference? Then there’s a profession that is the perfect fit. Here are seven reasons why social work could be the right career for you.
1 You want to make a difference to people’s lives
Social work offers the opportunity to support people, often at their lowest ebb, to change their lives for the better. Megan Lewis, a social worker in Manchester who specialises in supporting people with substance misuse problems, says that the job “can completely and utterly transform a person and their family’s lives”.
The people she works with have often experienced a lot of trauma: “My role gives me the opportunity to work with those people from a completely and utterly non-judgmental perspective, figure out what they want to get out of life, and I’ve got free rein in helping them do that.”
The difference you make can be felt years later. Liz Shaw, a principal social worker in safeguarding at Barnet council, recounts how rewarding it was to hear of a service user telling staff that 25 years earlier she’d been supported by a “really good social worker – her name’s Liz Shaw”. Shaw says: “She felt that I had done something good for her and she didn’t forget me.”
2 You like working with other professionals
In social care, you’ll be part of a team of people with a variety of skills and professional backgrounds. But you’ll also collaborate with people from outside your organisation.
Phil Chiza, development manager for race at Essex county council, has spent most of his career as an occupational therapist. “You work with social workers, community physiotherapists, district nurses and you liaise closely with GPs, but you also work with other organisations like housing associations and equipment providers,” he says.
For Lewis, in Manchester, who works with drug and alcohol services, housing services, children’s services and probation services, “one of the things I appreciate is that it’s always a team effort”, she says. “You’re not making decisions on your own.”
3 You’ll have a wide range of career choices and opportunities
Social work offers a number of different career paths. You could be a care worker for children or adults, a psychological wellbeing officer, a housing support officer, a child protection officer, a counsellor or, like Chiza, an occupational therapist. You might specialise in supporting young offenders, or refugees, or people with mental health or substance problems. You can also switch specialisms or settings – from mental health to family services, or from hospital practice to local authority work. Chiza began his occupational therapy career in the NHS, but moved to a local authority because he wanted to support people in their own environment.
There are also plenty of opportunities to progress, and you could eventually become head of service or an independent children’s guardian, appointed by the family courts. Philippa Mariani, CEO of Think Ahead, an organisation that fast-tracks graduates into social work careers in mental health, says its trainees have very quickly become leading frontline practitioners, principal social workers or team leaders. Others have become strategic leads for mental health transformation in the new integrated care systems, or moved into teaching roles.
4 You enjoy being autonomous
A job in social work means working with, and learning from, people with different expertise and specialisms. But it also gives you a good deal of autonomy in how you do your job. “The upside is that you have a lot of creative flexibility, so in terms of how you spend your day, you can organise your diary,” says Shaw.
“Obviously there are things that you have to do, and your manager will say that you have to be at a certain place, at a certain time, but to a large extent you can organise things around what you feel fits with your families. And there is a reasonable amount of creativity: when you are going into someone’s family, it’s about what you want to do with that space and how you are going to use the time … You’re really connected to your humanity, you’re not an automaton in a sausage factory.”
5 You can make tough decisions
A career in social work means doing everything you can to help people who are in very difficult situations. Inevitably it also means taking painful decisions, such as moving a child into foster care. “We’re looking for people with compassion, but also people who can work really well in a team, and people who are prepared to make tough decisions when needed,” says Mariani. “There are times when social workers need to step in and put safeguarding measures in place to protect people, and these can be very hard decisions to take.” You will, however, be well supported in making those decisions.
6 You’re proud to be part of the public sector
Working in the public sector means having a public service mindset. It’s about doing your best for other people. “This is your opportunity to be part of something great, working alongside compassionate, dedicated, and like-minded people to change lives,” says Mariani. The practical benefits include having a clear career structure, good opportunities for promotion, flexible working, continued professional development opportunities, job security and a guaranteed pensions scheme.
7 You’re resilient
The role involves working with people who have been, or are going through, very difficult life experiences. Lewis, who was supported by social workers during a difficult childhood, says that “having the combination of the good and bad experiences led me to social work because I could see how helpless you can be, how scared you can feel when you don’t receive that support, and then how quickly things can change when you do have the right support in place”.
Not everyone has the aptitude for it, however. “It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted,” says Shaw. “You need a strong stomach and you need to be personally resilient.” The positive part, she says, comes from changing someone’s life for the better.
To find your next move in social work, browse exciting opportunities on Guardian Jobs
