Social Work Students
Will I have a choice about where I do my placements?
Universities are reliant on local social work employers to provide placement opportunities for their students, and clearly these employers will have their own limitations in terms of the numbers of students they can accommodate – so, whilst your university or training provider will do their best to accommodate your preferences for placements, you may need to be a bit flexible about your options, depending on what is actually available locally.
It’s a good idea to build in some variety to your placement experiences, so that you get a broad overview of the different types of social work, and the ways that social workers operate within different organisations. We’ve known some students who’ve been sure they wanted to work with adults but, when given a placement with children’s, have acknowledged that they actually enjoyed it and have changed their plans – so give yourself the opportunity to explore different types of social work – and embrace the experience it gives you!
Within our local universities (Nottingham Trent University, The University of Derby, The University of Nottingham) placements are assigned to students by the course team, based on their identified learning needs and placement availability. Students are given the opportunity to express a preference regarding the type / area of placement work they would like, and this is accounted for as much as possible. It is, unfortunately, not possible for students to arrange their own placements.
- What are the different routes into social work?
- How long will it take me to qualify?
- What types of roles could I undertake as a qualified social worker?
- What courses do the Partnership’s three universities offer?
- When will I go on my first placement?
- Will I have a choice about where I do my placements?
- Who will support me whilst I’m on placement?
- How can I prepare for a placement?
- How long will my placements last?
- What about placements in the voluntary sector?
- What contact will I have with the University whilst on placement?
- What about travel costs and expenses?
- Which local employers offer an ASYE programme?
- Where can I find out about ASYE programmes?
- What are the average rates of pay for a newly qualified social worker?
- What else should I think about when picking a prospective employer?
- Where can I get help with job applications and preparing for interviews?
- Where can I go to find out about jobs?
