What to claim ?

Oldernotwiser

geek0 wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice everyone, i am hoping to go into either a social work or counselling position, it does state in the guidelines for the course that it would be sufficient for an entry level into these careers. There is an option to do a social work degree but it limits you in career options more so than taking one of the social science degrees on offer, it is also possible to move onto a dual degree on the second year from the social sciences and the sociology/psychology degree is something i would be interested in moving towards if they will allow me at the time. It is personal experience rather than academic that has led me to this path, and while i have an idea where i want to take this i would like to do some voluntary work to be 100% sure which area i would like to concentrate on when ive finished studying . As for the benefits issue if i have to seek work then i will take part time when required too, ive seen other lone parents manage the balance and im sure i will too.

If you want to be a Social Worker there's no point in doing anything other than a Social Work degree, although there are many other careers you can do with it. If you stick to the Social Scieces degree route you'll have to do another 2 years to get a Masters degree in Social Work before you'll be able to practise; you can't become a Social Worker with only a degree in Sociology!

You need to do your own research as to what you can do with these qualifications as course details are basically a marketing tool and you should treat them with the scepticism you would use for someone selling you a used car! Universities need students to fill their courses and will show things in the light most favourable to them.

geek0

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

If you want to be a Social Worker there's no point in doing anything other than a Social Work degree, although there are many other careers you can do with it. If you stick to the Social Scieces degree route you'll have to do another 2 years to get a Masters degree in Social Work before you'll be able to practise; you can't become a Social Worker with only a degree in Sociology!

You need to do your own research as to what you can do with these qualifications as course details are basically a marketing tool and you should treat them with the scepticism you would use for someone selling you a used car! Universities need students to fill their courses and will show things in the light most favourable to them.

Yeah it lists social work as one of the career options , i have seen the MSW and realise to be a fully fledged social worker i would need it i just thought i would be in the same situation with the social work degree as they offer the MSW after it, im going to have another look into this as im in my 30,s now and i would like to get back into working sooner rather than later.

bestpud

Also bear in mind post grad study is not usually as well funded as undergrad study. I'm not sure if this is the case for social work though.

In my experience, a sociology degree will leave you no more prepared for a social work career than you are now!

If you are concerned about bringing in money asap, I would be wary of counselling too. It is very expensive to achieve professional accreditation and full time work is very hard to come by. You would almost certainly need to do a few years of voluntary and/or short term work consisting of a few hours here and there.

I don't want to put you off but do research it really well before you embark on that path.