As well as earning you some good cash, being a social worker can really make a difference to your life and those your helping. We explore the opportunities in Oz.
Despite living in the lovely land of http://www.travelsearch.bugbitten.com/search_tours/TNT_Down_Under/trip_search/?search=australia[Oz], some Australian families aren’t as lucky as others and require a helping hand with getting through the tough times in life. This is where you can come in if you’ve got the right qualifications and a motivation to help people, as social workers are a necessity in many areas of Australia.
Before you start out, it’s important to know that you require an official qualification to become a social worker. “You will need a Bachelor of Social Work which is a four year degree or the equivalent degree qualification from your home country,” said Amicus Recruit’s Jo Willatts.
On top of your qualification, you will be run through a Federal Police check – to ensure you are who you say you are – and you’ll also need to be eligible to work in Australia, so basically you’re not here on a tourist visa.
Experience is usually a prerequisite for most employers with the more experienced likely to earn the most cash.
So how much can you earn exactly? “Anything between $45,000 to $55,000,” says Jo.
The beauty is, if you’re happy in Australia, then there is also sponsorship opportunities available if you have two or more years experience in particular fields.
Briton Lucy Burton was lucky enough to score a sponsorship visa and says she loves the job because no two days are the same. “The work is varied and different on a daily basis and being an organised person I love the fact that a nicely organised day can suddenly become disorganised,” she says. Sounds like a pretty interesting job to us!
