Social Work Career in Australia
Do you feel a sense of compassion for those in need? Do you feel that you need to give back to the community as they have done so much for you?
Well, then you should go for a social worker career in Australia! You see, social workers’ job is to help people, which means it’s a very rewarding career- and not just financially. Since social workers help people solve problems and cope better, they are helping to make a difference in society. They protect and support vulnerable children and families. A clinical social worker, though, will have to diagnose and treat emotional, mental, and behavioural issues as well. They are supposed to maintain professional relationships with their clients and act as advocates, and guide to help them through difficult times. So, if you have a passion for helping others, you should definitely consider a social worker career in Australia!
As a social worker, your main responsibilities will include:
Helping children
Helping parents
Helping teachers and school administrators
Helping the elderly
Teaching life skills
Giving therapy
Counselling substance abuse victims
Research
Educate community members
Monitoring the progress of clients
Hence, if you think you’re up to the task, read on to find how you can go about choosing a social worker career in Australia!
The average salary of a social worker in Australia
Social workers in Australia need to have a very high-level skillset. They must have at least the basic understanding of therapy and counselling, psychology, customer and personal service, English language, education and training, social perceptiveness, active listening, reading comprehension, speaking, deductive reasoning, problem identification, speech recognition, reading expressions, building relationships, negotiating and resolving conflict, and of course, communication. But it pays because, with a degree in social work, you will be able to earn around 1,829 AUD per week which is significantly higher than the average weekly wage of 1,460 AUD. However, this is the average pay for a full-time social worker. Also, you will obviously not get paid as much when you’re only starting out, and you might have to gain some experience before you’re paid well. For more information on the social worker career in Australia, you can visit Job Outlook.
Demand for social workers in Australia
As with any profession, you need to be fully aware of the demand if you want to opt for a social worker career in Australia. However, you’ll be glad to know that the prospects for social workers are quite bright in Australia. There are 30,000 social worker professionals in Australia and the field is expected to grow strongly in the next 5 years or so. In fact, by 2025, the number of social workers in Australia should go up to 34,600, according to Job Outlook. Overall, the market and industry are pretty big, and since it will probably only increase in the near future, you can say it’s a fairly in-demand profession. Social workers are mostly involved in healthcare, social assistance, education and training as well as public administration and safety. Hence, so long as we have vulnerable people in our society who need help, social workers will stay in demand. Plus, the social worker is also on the PR occupation list.
Number of jobs advertised
According to SEEK, there are currently 12,792 jobs available for social workers in Australia. While Indeed has 9,430 available jobs. Hence, you can say the demand is quite fair. So, if you’re looking to become a social worker, head on over to these sites and get a job!
Universities that offer degrees in social work
University life is tough yet a fun time for most of the international students in Australia since the people are so friendly and accommodating, and the bills aren’t so high as to be a problem. Plus, even though Australia is an expensive country you can get plenty of jobs that can cover your expenses so that you can be relatively carefree and thus, have more time to focus on your studies. Therefore, Australia is definitely one of the best places to study, especially for international students.
Now, if you’ve decided to opt for a social work course in Australia, you should know which universities to apply to. Of course, there are many options and you can feel a bit intimidated by them. But rest assured, because we’ve gathered the best options, just for you! And, just in case, you want to check the university rankings, then you can visit our university ranking page.
University Name | Course Fee (Annual) | Location |
Southern Cross University | $ 28,000 | Gold Coast |
Australian Catholic University (ACU) | $ 25,064 | Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane |
James Cook University | $ 30,640 | Townsville, Cairns, Brisbane |
Victoria University | $ 26,800 | Melbourne |
Edith Cowan University (ECU) | $ 33,000 | Perth |
Curtin University | $ 36,600 | Perth |
Conclusion
There are many rewarding professions out there among which is the social worker career in Australia. You see, social workers are tasked with helping other people. They help vulnerable people adjust to society, cope better, and become fairly independent. Plus, they are also supposed to help these people acquire essential life skills to support themselves and live better lives. Basically, their role is to support and assist these people. And as true happiness comes from helping other people, social work is surely a very worthy profession. Not to mention, it requires a pretty advanced level skillset. And when it comes to educational opportunities, there’s no better option than Australia both for local and international students. Moreover, the social worker career in Australia is pretty elaborate, with a high probability of expansion in the near future. So, if you think you have what it takes to be a social worker, follow the above guide because the social worker career prospects in Australia is huge!