Social Work Masters

WestboundSign86

Hi all

I have applied for the Step Up to Social Care Masters which is a course which runs over 18 months and pays approx 15k, I'm not sure if this is for the year or over the 18 months. I graduated in 2006 and have worked pretty much full time since then mainly in IT. Competition for the course is fierce and although I remain positive about my application I have to think about what happens if I don't get on it.

I would love to do a 2 year social work masters full time but just couldn't afford to do it on the bursary alone. There are placements too and this means it would be difficult to work whilst studying. Does anyone know of any other options for example being sponsored by an employer to do it? I am wondering whether it is best to give up on this idea.

LL30

I'm just about to apply for my full time MA in Social Work for next year. I've not looked at the Step Up course, so may have a gander! I too would have preferred to have worked, and done part time, but the bursary is pretty good - although I appreciate it depends on your circumstances. I should qualify for the whole £8.5K, and will get most of, if not all my rent paid, plus 85% of my childcare costs plus child tax credits - it won't be easy, but I'm determined to do it! RE: sponsorship, have you got any experience in the Social Care arena? If my job hadn't gone wally up (and if my boss hadn't been a banana) I was looking into doing the MA part time and working part time with support from my employer - but this would have had an impact on my bursary. Also, you can do part of your placement with your employer, but you would have to do placements elsewhere also, so if you did find somewhere, they'd have to be aware of this and be prepared to 'lose' you for a period of time.

Sorry if that's not much help, but don't give up, where there's a will there's a way!

dandelionclock30

Employers used to pay Social Work assistants to do this when there was a shortage of QSWs about 10 years ago.There is no longer any type of shortage as 1/4 of newly qualified social workers cant get any type of work.With personalization/cuts the market has shrunk
You may want to think about getting a people type job and get them to put you through your NVQ 3 as an alternative.

WestboundSign86

LL30 wrote: »

I'm just about to apply for my full time MA in Social Work for next year. I've not looked at the Step Up course, so may have a gander! I too would have preferred to have worked, and done part time, but the bursary is pretty good - although I appreciate it depends on your circumstances. I should qualify for the whole £8.5K, and will get most of, if not all my rent paid, plus 85% of my childcare costs plus child tax credits - it won't be easy, but I'm determined to do it! RE: sponsorship, have you got any experience in the Social Care arena? If my job hadn't gone wally up (and if my boss hadn't been a banana) I was looking into doing the MA part time and working part time with support from my employer - but this would have had an impact on my bursary. Also, you can do part of your placement with your employer, but you would have to do placements elsewhere also, so if you did find somewhere, they'd have to be aware of this and be prepared to 'lose' you for a period of time.

Sorry if that's not much help, but don't give up, where there's a will there's a way!

I volunteer as a mentor and I volunteer in a school one day a week so I do have some experience. I work for the NHS in an office and mainly in Computing so I am not sure how I could make this work in terms of doing the course part time around it. I know you have to be available for days at a time to do the work placements. They have been brilliant about me going part time but this feels like it is a request that is not so easy to accommodate. I suppose my other concern would be could I handle the academic side along with a part time job and the placements. It's quite tricky isn't it. The best option for me is the Step Up course. You can't apply for it anymore as the closing date has just passed but take a look anyway I am sure you will find it interesting.

Great to hear you are going ahead with your MA in Social Work!:T

LL30

Yes, it's very exciting! I've been working in CAMHS, but have been unable to case hold due to not having the professional qualification to do so - I've hit a ceiling (in both monetary terms and career wise) until I get the qual to push me up the banding (oh and being made redundant didn't help, but that's a whole different unrelated story!). It's funny, I'm hoping to do a social work Masters, but not with the intention of becoming a social worker (won't be telling them that at interview!) The MA in Notts requires you to have undertaken 2500 hours of work related experience, and you have to add it up for them on the application :O and they are very particular about what they deem 'experience' - I've just managed it by the skin of my teeth, so I'm expecting there's going to be a lot of competition, but I've got to go for it.

Sounds like you've got some fab experience, and a supportive workplace, so that's a great starting point. RE: placements, from what I know, but it probably varies from course to course, the placements are over weeks (I've just had a student to observe and she's on a four month placement at four days a week) I'm worried about childcare as they mention some unsociable hours when on placement - I'm putting that to the back of my mind though, I'll deal with it later, I can't be the only single Mum to have done the course. I also worry about the academic side of things, juggling my lo, uni work and placements sounds like a handful, but I'm always juggling something anyway, so I'm sure I'll get used to it, as will you. I think sometimes the thought of something is worse than the actual event

studentcd7

Hi,

I will be graduating next year from a BA Politics degree with a strong 2:1, I have trained as a Personal Assistant, Safeguarding training etc, and I have just started to volunteer with children through Barnardos, for which I have undergone lots of training, CRB etc. Also I intend to work as a home carer immediately after I finish lessons in May.

I am desperate to get into Social Work and want to do an MA in 2013, other options appear to be a diploma, Msc, or the step up to social work scheme,

what do you think are my chances of getting into these courses given my minimal experience, (I have some life experience also), and are there any routes I have ignored?

Any advice at all would be massively appreciated!

Thanks