Social Worker Salary

According to the US Bureau of Labor statistics, the average Social Worker salary at entry level is at USD 32, 500 per annum. A mid level social worker with a few years experience would take home USD 47, 500 per annum while one of the experienced ones with something like about 25 years in the field would take home USD 52, 500 per annum. There are some other statistics for social workers employed with private for-profit organizations earn an average pay of about USD 56, 700 per annum while social workers working for non-profit organsiations have been pegged at an average of USD 41, 300 per annum.

Social Worker is a broad term but as a Social Worker you can work in various areas. For example as a Child Welfare Social Worker, a Community Social Worker or a Court Social Worker salary is about USD 32, 500 per annum while a HMO Social Worker or a School Social Worker salary is about USD 37, 500 per annum. The ones who work as Members with Private Practice are expected to earn about USD 47, 500 per annum while those with solo private practice could earn about USD 52, 500 per annum. It is quite obvious that the compensation increases as you become more experienced. Jobs in this sector are mainly in healthcare and Social assistance industries, state and local government agencies.

To become a licensed Social Worker you would require a Bachelors degree in Social Work (BSW) which is a minimum requirement while a Master in Social Work (MSW) is now a standard for many positions. For a bachelors degree it helps to major in psychology, sociology or any other relevant subject. The BSW course includes subjects such as Social Worker’s values and ethics, dealing with various clientele, human behavior, policy, methods, field education etc. The Masters course, which is of 2 years duration includes about 900 hours of supervised field education. As a profession it offers good growth prospects in the future and though there is competition in the urban areas, the rural areas are those that offer good opportunities really.

To be a Social Worker you must have a strong desire to help to improve people’s lives, deal with fragile relationships and heal them, family problems, diseases, substance abuse, social problems such as inadequate housing, unemployment, disability etc. You must be emotionally mature, objective, sensitive, responsible and prepared to work independently. The major specializations that a Social Worker can opt for are Child, Family and School, Medical and Public Health Social Work and Medical Health and substance Abuse.

Though work is normally about 40 hours a week, some areas may require working in the evenings, weekends, attending community meetings and to handle emergencies. One thing is for sure, there is always more to do and it certainly leaves you with a feeling of having done something worthwhile with your time and really made a difference.