Where the money is at in Social Work...

[detroitMSW]

I recently had a conversation with a professor of mine about future careers that are possible with an MSW. He mentioned (without actually saying it) that one needs to "go where the money is." To me, "going where the money is," is not what social work is about, I am not going into my MSW program with the intent of becoming wealthy. However, he did raise some curiosity in me. Are there careers that can be obtained with an MSW that result in a decent salary? 

[Maleficent999]

Government jobs.

[nugget]

Go work in Canada.

[coffeenut]

Private practice?

[mirah56]

I work for a (Canadian) hospital and the pay is not something I'm mad about. I'm also pretty lucky since at the moment I only have my BSW

[nugget]

You are indeed correct on that point. If you only have a BSW the pay is not the best from what I've heard from others in the field.

 

But as for an MSW level professional, the average starting salary of new graduates at my school is $53,000. If you have a BSW and do the advanced standing MSW degree, add an extra $10,000 or so to that figure. (Which would suggest that after a few years of experience, graduates of the 2 year MSW program should get around $60,000-65,000).

 

I heard of one grad at school who was offered a 1 year contract for $80,000. I don't think you will find the same salaries in the US unless you are really, really lucky. From what I've heard, some new MSW graduates in the US earn  $38,000-$40,000/yr. So we are quite fortunate here in Canada to be able to do what we enjoy doing and to live a little more comfortably on our salaries.

 

I work for a (Canadian) hospital and the pay is not something I'm mad about. I'm also pretty lucky since at the moment I only have my BSW

Edited October 29, 2013 by jenste

[mirah56]

It took me about 2 years to get to the level of pay where MSWs start. I love my union <3

[elprez33]

How difficult would it be to get a MSW from in the US and move to Canada?

 

If I were to go that route should I get licensed here as well?  Is there a big demand for social workers?

 

I also heard that social workers do not do as much counseling/psychotherapy in Canada as in the states, any truth to that?

 

Sorry about the barrage of questions, my wife and I are VERY interested in immigrating.

[nugget]

I'm not 100% certain on this point, but it might be easier to do the MSW in Canada and apply for immigration later on. This would probably be a cheaper option too. I'd contact the immigration office or check out their website and find out if it's easier/faster to get a student visa first then apply for immigration or to study in the US first then try to immigrate later on. The answer would depend on a lot of different factors. There is a point system in place and for each item you have that's on the list (ex: a certain level of education, a particular skill or trade, etc), you receive a certain number of points and once you achieve the minimum you can go ahead and put in your application.  

 

How difficult would it be to get a MSW from in the US and move to Canada?

Edited November 13, 2013 by jenste

[Kreamy]

Yes, you do make more as a SW in Canada but jobs are few and far between in big cities unless you're willing to relocate to suburbs / rural areas.  My plan is to work in the States for a few years to get more clinical experience before trying my luck in Canada lol.  Just to give you an alternate take on things!

[nugget]

My prof told our class that our SW program has a 95% job placement rate based on some school statistics he's seen. However, 60% of students get contract work and some have multiple part time contracts at the same time. Once you have a few years of experience under your belt, things shold start to get easier.