Social work

Job options

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

• Education mental health practitioner
• Family support worker
• High intensity therapist
• Social worker

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

• Adult guidance worker
• Advice worker
• Chaplain
• Community development worker
• Counsellor
• Education consultant
• Equality, diversity and inclusion officer
• Housing manager/officer
• Life coach
• Mediator
• Special educational needs coordinator (SENCO)
• Volunteer coordinator
• Youth worker

Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.

Work experience

You'll complete work placements as part of your social work degree, giving you valuable hands-on experience and a realistic insight into what the role involves.

Organising additional work experience yourself can further demonstrate your commitment to the profession. This could involve volunteering or paid work in areas that interest you, such as community care centres, charities supporting vulnerable adults or children, counselling services or youth centres.

Any experience that shows empathy, an understanding of how to support people in vulnerable situations and a genuine desire to improve the quality of life of others will be particularly beneficial.

An interest or involvement in your local community is also useful. Relevant voluntary work may be found through Volunteering Matters.

Search for placements and find out more about work experience and internships.

Typical employers

Most social workers are employed by local authority children's or adult social services, but you can also work within other settings, such as:

• children's homes
• educational settings
• primary care trusts
• prisons
• private fostering agencies or nursing homes
• voluntary organisations or charities, such as community outreach or youth clubs
• youth justice settings.

It's possible to work freelance for social work staffing agencies or to work as an independent practitioner within social enterprises.

Find information on employers in healthcare, social care, charity and voluntary work, and other job sectors.

Skills for your CV

During your degree, you complete placements in settings such as the NHS, schools, police and housing services, working alongside and learning from experienced professionals. These placements help you build the practical skills essential for social work, including an understanding of ethics, respect for diversity and a commitment to promoting social justice.

As you develop these skills, you strengthen your ability to make sound judgements and become more accountable, reflective, critical and evaluative in your practice.

You also develop a range of valuable transferable skills, such as:

• effective communication
• conflict management and mediation
• the ability to analyse situations and solve problems
• advocacy
• negotiation to support clients in identifying goals and planning next steps
• strong observational and active listening skills
• effective time management and organisation.

Further study

Most social work graduates go straight into jobs as social workers immediately after completing their degree. However, you may choose a different path - for example, specialising in work with children or vulnerable adults, or moving into mentoring or offering advice and guidance. Postgraduate study or a professional qualification can help you deepen your knowledge, build specialist expertise and strengthen your employment prospects.

It's also possible to study for a postgraduate qualification in an area such as community justice, social policy, social research or counselling. A teaching qualification is another option if you'd like to move into education.

For more information on further study and to find a course that interests you, see Masters degrees and search postgraduate courses in social work.

What do social work graduates do?

The majority (83%) of social work graduates in employment in the UK are working as social workers. Welfare and housing associate professionals (3%), care workers and home carers (2%), youth and community workers (1%) and child and early years officers (1%) are also among the top five jobs reported 15 months after graduation. 

For a detailed breakdown of what social work graduates are doing after graduation, see What do graduates do?

Graduate Outcomes survey data from HESA.