How to Get a Sterling Draft

Well, my wife and I decided to bite the bullet and cough up the £155 in order to apply with GSCC to see if they'll accept her as a social worker there. The only problem is, they require payment with only the following way:

To pay by Direct Debit drawn on the UK banking system

To pay by personal cheque drawn on the UK banking system

To pay by sterling draft

We don't have a bank account in the UK, nor could we get one I don't believe without residency, and my bank won't issue sterling drafts.

Has anyone been able to get a sterling draft while in the US, and if so, how?

What state are you in?

California.

http://www.banking.us.hsbc.com/HICServlet?cmd_LocateBranch=&BranchState=CA&BranchDistrict=NC&BranchPrevious=cmd_GetUSMap=&accept-language=en-US

And ask for the FX Dept. 

I got mine from an American Express office.

Good luck to your wife. I am a SW too and had to go through the same process... now I am up for renewal! Time flies.

http://www.banking.us.hsbc.com/HICServlet?cmd_LocateBranch=&BranchState=CA&BranchDistrict=NC&BranchPrevious=cmd_GetUSMap=&accept-language=en-US

And ask for the FX Dept. 

Thank you for the link garry. It will be a bit of a drive, but I guess I'll do what has to be done.

I got mine from an American Express office.

Good luck to your wife. I am a SW too and had to go through the same process... now I am up for renewal! Time flies.

Olive, thank you for wishing us good luck. If you don't mind me asking, could you tell me a little about your situation and any tips that could make getting GSCC approval and a job any easier for my wife? Who knows, maybe you'll be working together someday.

We just sort of feel alone right now in this process and could use a friend who has been in a very similar situation. I guess for me, I need a little reassurance.

My situation was straightforward. I have a BSW and MSW. I applied and was approved by the GSCC and started to look for jobs and interviewed for one I liked and the rest is history.

I am confused about your wife's education... a BA in Community Service? That is not a 'social work' degree to my knowledge and as you said is not accredited by the CSWE and therefore is not likely to eligible for registration through the GSCC.

The work experience is good for an unqualified post but she won't get one of those on a work permit because the UK can fill those jobs with their own people.

Your wife can email or call the GSCC people for advice before she applies. 

Well she did call the GSCC this morning and was told to submit an application and if the classes she took were not adequate for the GSCC approval, that they might tell her additional courses to take in order to meet the GSCC requirements.

Are you under the impression that the GSCC is so strick that they would flat deny her application without even giving her other options to become approved? The application fee is not chump change, and if this route is a waste of time, I'd rather not waste the money.

Thank you for the link garry. It will be a bit of a drive, but I guess I'll do what has to be done.

Hopefully you'll call them and ask them what they need from you in order to cut a draft...

Are you under the impression that the GSCC is so strick that they would flat deny her application without even giving her other options to become approved? The application fee is not chump change, and if this route is a waste of time, I'd rather not waste the money.

The GSCC is also the registering body for social care workers including qualified social workers.

The UK is looking for 'qualified social workers' which includes US social workers who have graduated with a CSWE accredited degree in social work. If your wife does not have that then, yes the fee would be a waste of money unless she were already in country with a job in hand.

The social work title is protected in the UK and is only to be used by those who have trained to be a social worker.

I am surprised that your wife has a job as a 'social worker' in the US without having a degree in social work. My experience in California was that it appeared to be a protected title with many social workers holding their MSW.

My wife earned her degree in Washington State, and the college she attended there calls it community service. It is the equivalent to a social work degree, and it has never limited her in getting a job in social work. Just to be on the safe side, we are going to attach a copy of her official transcript listing the coursework.

but didn't you say it is not accredited by the CSWE?

http://www.gscc.org.uk/gscc/Templates/Anchor.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRORIGINALURL=%2fThe%2bSocial%2bCare%2bRegister%2fApply%2bfor%2bregistration%2fWorkers%2bfrom%2babroad%2fCountry%2bassessment%2bguidelines%2f&NRNODEGUID=%7b104FC2EB-E246-4E82-92FC-43623BE7B2F3%7d&NRCACHEHINT=NoModifyGuest#11

The USA 
Last reviewed: June 2006
If you qualified in the USA and hold a Master's degree in social work that is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, you would normally be expected to meet the DipSW requirements.

You can demonstrate this through providing a short personal statement detailing the course (a paragraph on its length, content, and your supervised and assessed practice placements) together with brief details of any relevant social work employment (a paragraph on your roles and responsibilities).

An A4 page headed 'personal statement' covering these aspects, together with a suitably certified copy of your degree, should normally be sufficient for the purposes of demonstrating that you meet the requirements of the DipSW. You should also provide a suitably certified copy of your current or previous social worker state licence.

If you hold a Bachelor degree in social work that is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, these are assessed on an individual basis because of the generalist nature of some courses. You should provide a personal statement and supporting documentation about the content of the course, your supervised and assessed practice placements and any social work experience. You should also provide a suitably certified copy of your current or previous social worker state licence and your qualification certificate.

As the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is the recognised accrediting body for social work degrees in America, the GSCC will not process applications from holders of degrees in social work which are not accredited by the CSWE.

Other qualifications, or combination of qualifications, would not normally be expected to meet the DipSW requirements. Please note that if you are refused registration, the GSCC cannot refund the application fee.

The UK isn't too flexible on some of the US renaming of courses so they rely heavy on the CSWE standards. The actual transcript is not going to help other than show that she graduated. 

Best of luck to you and your wife.

Thank you for looking into this for me. I guess I am confused because we called the GSCC directly and informed the woman on the phone that her degree was not accredited by the CSWE and the woman said they still might accept her based on my wife's experience and education as a whole. You seem to have a strong feeling that the GSCC won't accept my wife's application regardless. Do you have special experience regarding this, or do you know someone who has applied and been denied? I would sure appreciate any additional information you can provide on the matter.

Whatever you do, it's not a smart tactic to just use what somebody told you on the phone unless you can substantiate it or get them to commit it to writing.  I suggest calling her back and explaining that it's a substantial time and emotional investment and how to best nail down exactly what the policy actually is.

As the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is the recognised accrediting body for social work degrees in America, the GSCC will not process applications from holders of degrees in social work which are not accredited by the CSWE.

Other qualifications, or combination of qualifications, would not normally be expected to meet the DipSW requirements. Please note that if you are refused registration, the GSCC cannot refund the application fee.

This seems pretty clear and matches the experience I've had with other American social workers who have all held BSWs or higher. £155 is a steep risk to take without getting some sound advice from other professionals.

Experience does not necessarily outweigh 'qualifications' and the Brits are big on that these days because until recently many unqualified workers were calling themselves social workers. The profession is trying to clean up the SW name and are very strict about 'qualifications.'