How to Become a Social Worker

About Social Worker

Social work is a rewarding career for those who are interested in working with people and wish to address social and community issues. Many people think that social work simply involves working with NGOs as a part-time job/activity. But in reality, social workers work with individuals, communities, and families and deal with social issues such as unemployment, education, and poverty. Social workers contribute to society by working for the upliftment of poor people, by working with children with special needs, and by promoting women's empowerment. 

Social work offers a diverse range of opportunities in a variety of settings and specialties, particularly for master's degree holders.  Social workers may be employed in schools, clinics, outpatient services, nursing homes, and government agencies. Social workers provide a variety of services depending on their chosen setting because they address the specific needs of their clients. 

What does a Social Worker Do? 

Social workers assist individuals, families, and communities in confronting difficult or stressful circumstances in life. They work in rehabilitation centres, schools, hospitals, care centers, and detention institutions, and they frequently collaborate with other social service professionals. Social Workers may assist children with behavioural disorders, poor families, or victims of domestic abuse. Social workers provide care and outreach for their clients regardless of the community in which they work.

Some of the roles of the social workers may overlap with services provided by the counselors. Counselors assist people in dealing with specific issues such as alcoholism, divorce, or depression. Social workers offer a broader range of services to a larger and more diverse client base. Apart from counselling, social workers also aid and assist their clients with other social services. Although some social workers may provide individual counselling as part of their services, they are not private therapists. 

Why should one become a Social Worker?

People seeking for a meaningful, people-centered career should consider a career in social work.  social workers make a living by assisting others. They assist individuals, communities, and organisations that are at risk or underserved. Social workers support those in need in achieving their goals, gaining access to social services, and determining treatment options. Many of their clients have mental health issues, behavioural disorders, addiction, eating disorders, or are terminally ill. Social workers also assist divorcing couples, families attempting to adopt children, and students experiencing academic difficulties. Social workers' career opportunities are rewarding. And apart from a growing number of job openings, the field offers a competitive salary that is higher than the national average for all occupations.

Eligibility to become Social Worker

• For B.S.W / B.A (SW) programme: Candidates should have completed their class 12 in any discipline from a recognised board.

• For M.S.W / M.A (SW) programme: Candidates should have completed their graduation in any stream from a recognised university/ institute but graduates with social sciences or sociology are given more preference.

  • Candidates who have completed their M.Phil can also apply for the M.S.W programme.

• Candidates having M.Phil or M.S.W degree can pursue a Ph.D/doctorate in social work.

• Candidates are also required to qualify entrance exams such as TISSNET, AMU Entrance Test, JMI Entrance test , DUET etc. to take admission into Master's programme.

Types of Social Work

Social work as a practice is broadly divided into three categories they are Micro, Mezzo, and Macro Social Work.  These three different types of social work denote and refer to the scale and reach of the work. Each type of the mentioned social work practice is very vital in its manner. It is very important to recognize that most social work jobs will have some overlap.

Macro-level social work: It concentrates on large-scale social policy changes or the implementation of new social programmes that affect a significant number of individuals on a large scale. There will almost certainly be no direct one-on-one interaction with clients.

Mezzo social work: This type of social work is typically found in small to medium-sized organizations, such as schools or neighborhoods. Mezzo social work usually concentrates on institutional work, such as group culture or management transformation. Mezzo social workers can work at both the micro and macro levels, addressing the requirements of individuals while also considering larger social issues.

Micro social work: It plays an important role, which includes social work at the most general level.  These social work positions frequently involve face-to-face interaction with individuals or families. Social workers may allocate resources, assist individuals in finding housing and accessing health care or advocate for them during these micro-interactions. Micro social workers can work with families, children, military personnel, and people suffering from addiction or psychiatric disorders.

Types of Job Roles Social Worker

Unlike other professions or careers, the job profiles are quite different for a social worker. Social workers are engaged in social activity in which they deal with issues such as unemployment, education, and poverty. Following are some job profiles available in the field of social worker:

• Welfare Officer: A welfare officer is a fundraiser for a university, college or private organisation. He/she also works for the welfare of Child/Youth/Women/Labour, etc.

• Social Scientist:  A social scientist is responsible for creating a relationship between society and human behaviour.

• Medical Social Worker: A medical social worker provides the necessary psychosocial support to help patients deal with terminal illnesses or conditions.

• Community Development Officer: The role of a community development officer is linked to urban planning, housing needs and evaluation of revival projects within a city or community.

• Probation Officer: The role of a probation officer is to arrange rehabilitation services, supervise the criminals and arrange job training.

• Rural Development Officer: The rural development officer is responsible for promoting integrated rural development and social upliftment with the aim of improving the standard of living of agricultural workers.

Employment Sector/Industry for Social Worker

A social worker can find employment opportunities in both government and private/corporate sectors. Following are some of the fields that social workers can explore.

Medical and Healthcare Sector: In this field, a social worker works with patients and ensure that proper care is provided to them. and also take care of health and hygiene measures for efficient work.

Education and Research: A social worker can get into the education sector and teach students about the value of Social Work.

NGOs: A social worker can work with domestic and international NGOs such as Amnesty International, UNICEF, Green Peace, Oxfam, etc. He/she can also work with rural as well as urban populations and can contribute to relevant issues such as inadequate health, lack of sanitation, poverty, unemployment, etc.

Corporate Sector: A social worker can also work in private or corporate sector such as HR departments of various companies and MNCs, etc. In this field, he/she can work on the social needs of employees, and hire social work graduates.

Government Sector: A social worker can work in government organisations as a development officer or a welfare office such as state homes for women, adolescent house, child, and women development projects and HIV test centers in hospitals, etc.

Top Recruiting Companies/NGOs for Social Workers

Some prominent NGOs where an experienced and qualified social worker can find employment opportunities are as follows:

• Smile Foundation   

• Amnesty International

• UNICEF

• Green Peace

• Oxfam

• Helpage India

• CARE India

• Circle of Animal Lovers

• Human Rights Agencies

• Disaster Management Departments

• Old Age Homes

Pay Scale/Salary of Social Worker

The salary of a social worker can vary according to his/her educational qualification and experience. It usually increases with knowledge, experience and time. Here are some relative salary figures for different types of social workers:

Note: The above-mentioned figures are an estimate and may vary from individual to individual and company to company.

Books & Study Material to Become Social Worker

Below is a list of books that will help applicants to take entrance test at the Master's level

• Sanjay Bhattacharya, K.Singh for Social work

• Vidyabhushan & Sachdev for Sociology

• Asthana for Counselling & Guidance

• Murli Desai for Integrated Social Work

• H.B. Trecker for Group Work

• Elizabeth for Child Development

• Ram Ahuja for Research Methodology

Pros of becoming a Social Worker

• Social workers can choose to work in any field such as education, healthcare, military, etc.

• Social work offers a sense of fulfillment as it involves helping others. 

• The job market for social workers is expected to grow by more than 10%.

Cons of becoming a Social Worker

• There are chances that you may get emotionally involved in some situations but have to keep it professional.

• Social work may not be a very lucrative career. In fact, it could take years for a person to establish his/her name in thus field.

Career path for Social Worker

People from any educational background can get into the field of social work. However, for a professional start, you will first have to complete your bachelor's degree in social work, followed by a master's degree. You may also pursue a B.S.W / B.A (SW) programme in social work. 

At the undergraduate level, there is no entrance test in the field of social work. However, if you want to do master’s in social work, there are some universities who conduct entrance exams for admission into their courses in social work.