BA in Social Work

mazigirl

Hello,
I currently hold a BA in Social Work and I was wondering if it was difficult for me to get work in the UK with my degree. I have searched the net and I cannot get my head around the information, some sites say my degree is enough to be a Social Worker, others say it isn't. I have tired to get work in Ireland as a Social Care Worker but I am not having much luck. If anyone has any information about the topic I would be grateful for your reply. Thank you readers

ibizaprincess

I am currently studying for a BA in Social Work in England. Do you have any experience prior to starting your course with working with children and families or with adults (whichever area you want to work in)? Also, where did you undertake your student placements? If you have any statutory experience on your placements then a lot of newly qualified social workers tend to stand a better chance of geting a job or people with prior experience. It's pretty hard over here at the moment with sustaining a SW job. A lot of newly qualified social workers I know have been kept on following their last placement in the thrid year. Some I know have had numerous interviews whilst others have had a few successful job interviews and have had the option to choose which job they want.

My understanding is studying Social Work in Ireland is a 4 year course whereas in the UK it is 3 years. Therefore I'm sure it would be sufficient. I have enquired about sustaining work in Ireland once I have qualified in the UK and I was under the impression that I could use my degree in Ireland. I suggest maybe that if you want to apply for a SW job here in the UK to ring the HR department before you apply and to ask them.

There is the option to apply for Family Support Worker jobs here in the UK on a temp basis whilst also applying for Social Worker jobs if you decided to come to the UK.

Hope this helps a little.

k_t11

Hey I know its been a while since this was posted... but in case anyone else is wondering about this...

If you qualified in Ireland and go to the UK you have to get your degree recognised and register with one of the regulatory bodies HCPC/SSSC depending on where you are going. As I understand it costs 126£ to get recognised with HCPC and another 129£ to register for 2years.

If you qualify in UK and come to Ireland you have to get recognised by CORU (410e) and submit a very long application form. With the application form you have to get all documents verified by a solictior and this is around 40/50e. it takes about 4weeks as long as you submit everything correctly. Once resognised you pay another 100e to register as a social worker.

bisset

I think you can get your documents confirmed by a Peace Commissioner. They don't charge for this.