Calling all Social Workers

Have you tried contacting local authorities on your own and not through an agency? Or applying through other agencies?

I wouldn't think it would be all the hard. I think the process is the most painful bit.

Good luck!

Just to second what Olive said.

Try http://www.socialworkcareers.co.uk/socialwork/links/authorities.asp

Thanks for the advice--I did get the job in Surrey and have been making my way up there this week (hence why I disappeared for a few days).  I really like the job overall and think I could really enjoy it--the commute is the only drawback.  Need to get a car ASAP!  However, if the drive does become too much, I am going to have to check other avenues...

Hi-Any social workers in the south west from U.S.? I am the only one from my U.S. group coming over to work at my council and would love to chat with others about their experiences here

I received word today from the courier that my visa has been approved and is now on it's way back to me.  I don't think I'll really believe it until I have it in my hands!!

Congrats!   

Thanks for the advice--I did get the job in Surrey and have been making my way up there this week (hence why I disappeared for a few days).  I really like the job overall and think I could really enjoy it--the commute is the only drawback.  Need to get a car ASAP!  However, if the drive does become too much, I am going to have to check other avenues...

Hey Zulu, have you tried other big cities in the South West. I work in Bristol and there are always permanent social work jobs, both in Adult and Child care. I know our department is constantly trying to recruit.

Besides UK Pro, does anyone know of other Social Work recruitment agencies in the US?

I am so excited to see this post! I will be scanning the rest of the messages after work [I am excited to say when I'm bored at work I've stopped looking at the gossip pages and now long on to uk yankee! this site is addicting].

I am a social worker in Florida, preparing to move to Croydon, UK in the ending of May for a social care position with the Borough of Croydon. It will be in the realm of children and families but I'm not sure exactly what my duties will be.

I am in the immigration process right now so hopefully it goes smoothly. The staffing agency I am using is on top of the ball and has processed everything smoothly. This is my 2nd attempt at moving to the UK; my first staffing agency [where I was supposed to move to Herefordshire UK] is so disorganized they let it the immigration process fall through and got denied to give americans work permits.

I cant wait to get home and scan the rest of the messages. Feel free to reply if you are in the similar position or have relocated from US to UK.

Hi Elenas. 

Are you one of the social workers who interviewed with Reed?

Just wondering if anyone has any experience of doing their PQ (post qualifying award) here in the UK. I'd love to start one next year, but I foresee problems as I am still on my spousal visa, and do not yet have ILR. I presume this will mean that my work place would have to fork out international fees for me to start the PQ.

I'm almost at the top of the social work pay scale and unless I do my PQ I can't move onto the advanced social worker scale, so I'm stuck...urgh! Just wondering if anyone on here has any experience of the issue.

Hi Elenas. 

Are you one of the social workers who interviewed with Reed?

Gyladene sorry it took so long it reply, Im just getting the hang of this site and realized there is a way to look at replies to my posts!

Anways YES I did interview with Reed. You must either work for them or also interviewed with them. Which is it?

Neither, unfortunately.   I saw the ad they had back when they were recruiting social workers earlier this year. I couldn't apply at the time because I'm still working toward my MSW. However...

I'm set to graduate in 3 weeks (woohoo!) and I'm trying to find someone, anyone, to take me on! Reed isn't recruiting at the moment, from what I've heard. But there are a couple of other agencies who are currently recruiting foreign social workers, so I sent them my CV yesterday. I probably won't hear back until next week, if at all.  I just wanted to say congrats! How are things holding up? Are you excited?

Do you (or anyone here) personally know of anyone willing to hire a recent MSW graduate?   The discontinuation of BUNAC has really made things difficult.

What is BUNAC? I havent heard of any other agencies at the moment but I will keep an eye out.

My advice from this whole process is that everything happens for a reason, as cheesy as that sounds.  I started this process a year and a half ago, first with Pulse Staffing agency [WHICH I DO NOT RECOMMEND]. I was supposed to go to Herefordshire but Pulse had never done this before [within the field of social work, they mostly do health fields] and it was a nightmare. After 8 months of HELL with them, I gave up on it and moved on. 2 months later, Reed came into my life and it has been a blessing.

From this experience, my advice is that with any staffin agency make sure they have experience with hiring american social workers and working with immigration. If it doesnt work out, it doesnt work out, something better will come along the way.

BUNAC is a student work exchange program that allows American college students/recent grads to undertake work in other countries. http://www.bunac.org

I worked (not as a social worker) in England two years ago via BUNAC and was hoping to use BUNAC again to get back to the UK. But with the recent changes in immigration, BUNAC-UK no longer exists. So now it seems the only way recently graduated social workers can get to the UK is via recruitment.

I'm currently bound for Dublin for a year via their new work authorisation program, however, the UK's been my dream for the longest (just in this thread alone, I've spent at least 3 years reading and posting and reading and posting...lol). Like you, I definitely believe things happen for a reason, and that when you want something badly enough, you'll get it in due time. That's why I don't feel completely discouraged by the changes that have come to pass. Right now they look like setbacks, but for all I know, they could be blessings in disguise. Guess we'll see.

Thanks for the heads up regarding Pulse. And I have checked out their job listings a couple of times in the past... Not that they'd be an option now anyway, seeing as they got denied.