Part time employment while completing MSW

[nugget]

I plan to work part time while completing my MSW (ideally 5-6 hours per week). I'd like to work in a field related to social work. However, I can't work as a social worker since I did my bachelor's degree in another field. Could anyone recommend the types of jobs I should consider or suggest the types of organizations that may be interested in hiring a first year social work student? 

 

In case you're wondering....I did my undergrad degree in therapeutic recreation. I'd look for work in TR but the job market in TR is generally weak in Canada. So I only have internship and volunteer experience in the field. I also have experience as a nursing assistant in a hospital and a psychiatric unit.

 

I am primarily interested in working adults but I'd consider working with kids on a one-on-one basis. (I tried working with groups of kids before and it really wasn't for me).

 

I plan to contact the school and inquire about job postings on and off campus but I'd also like to drop off cv's at various facilities in case some organizations haven't gotten around to posting a vacancy yet. But I'm not sure what sort of jobs I should be targeting when I write my cover letter.

 

Do you have any suggestions or advice?

 

 

[michigan girl]

Get an on-campus job so that you have extra income and can still focus on your schoolwork and field practicum.

[nugget]

An on campus job would be ideal since I'll be living virtually across the street from the campus. Since I'm studying in a different province and some of the jobs are reserved for Ontario residents receiving Ontario loans and bursaries, I won't be eligible to apply for some positions, but I'll ask around just in case.

 

So far, I've considered contacting the mature student centre and the office for students with disabilities. I'm also going to see if there are any health care based employment agencies in the area for temporary part time work.

 

Do you have any other suggestions? If so, I'd love to hear your ideas. I'm not quite sure where else I should look.

[kiki123]

I'm also considering part-time employment. It's kind of scary - I prefer school-based employment, but if I can't get that I prefer employment within social work.

[Sigaba]

Do you have any suggestions or advice?

 

I am going to stray out of my lane for a moment to offer the following suggestion. Please double check on both the formal policies of your school and your program as well the implicit expectations of your department and your professors.

 

The former may prohibit outside employment during the academic year, especially if you're receiving financial support. (The logic is that your job is your school work.)

 

The latter may indicate that the formal policy is more of a rule than a guideline. Or that regardless of what the policy says, your professors expect you to focus fully on your coursework--at least during your first year. Another possibility is that your professors do not mind you working as long as you don't take certain kinds of jobs because such work is antithetical to your future profession's ethics. (As a specific example, I got offered work doing research for a private company that sold archival documents and items. I double checked with a mentor and he confirmed that doing such work would be a career limiting move.)

 

If you do get the green light to work, make sure that the administrative staff of your department/program knows you're looking for work. Sometimes, departments will get a call saying "I'm looking for someone who can do X, Y, and Z." If you're in the good graces of the staff, the person answering the phone may contact you before anyone else.

 

Now back to my lane.

[nugget]

Thanks for the feedback, Sigaba. I will make sure to let the staff know I am looking for work. I didn't think of doing that as I'm a new student coming in. The hiring policies of the school have more to do with providing opportunities to students in financial need with opportunities to earn extra income (except that they don't include students coming from other parts of the country).

 

I hear that some students in my department work part time so it should be ok. Since the program is unfunded and does not require a master's thesis, we are allowed to work as long as it doesn't interfere with our scheduled classes and internships. 

 

I am going to stray out of my lane for a moment to offer the following suggestion. Please double check on both the formal policies of your school and your program as well the implicit expectations of your department and your professors.

 

The former may prohibit outside employment during the academic year, especially if you're receiving financial support. (The logic is that your job is your school work.)

 

The latter may indicate that the formal policy is more of a rule than a guideline. Or that regardless of what the policy says, your professors expect you to focus fully on your coursework--at least during your first year. Another possibility is that your professors do not mind you working as long as you don't take certain kinds of jobs because such work is antithetical to your future profession's ethics. (As a specific example, I got offered work doing research for a private company that sold archival documents and items. I double checked with a mentor and he confirmed that doing such work would be a career limiting move.)

 

If you do get the green light to work, make sure that the administrative staff of your department/program knows you're looking for work. Sometimes, departments will get a call saying "I'm looking for someone who can do X, Y, and Z." If you're in the good graces of the staff, the person answering the phone may contact you before anyone else.

 

Now back to my lane.