bellebruin Posted March 19, 2014 Posted March 19, 2014 Hi all, I am interested in hearing from current social work students, current social workers, and recent graduates about their experience in either interviewing for this stipend, working for the county of child welfare services, and any relevant information pertaining to this stipend. I have an interview for the stipend next week and it would mine amazing to get accepted and be able to fund my grad studies but I also know that the 2 year commitment is a long time and eventually I want to take the board exam to become a LCSW so I don't know how the 2 year commitment will effect my obtaining clinical hours to sit for the board exam. Any advice, feedback will be much appreciated!
NPP Posted March 20, 2014 Posted March 20, 2014 Hello and congrats on your interview! I am in my first year of my MSW program and am a CalSWEC recipient. To answer your questions: My interview for the stipend was really straight forward, highlight your strengths, what skills you bring, and show your enthusiasm for your chosen profession. As for working for "the county," it really varies depending on the county you'll be interning at. Some counties have better reputations than others, and I have had a very fulfilling experience in Orange County (which is said to be one of the best.) With that said, there is more than one kind of field placement within a county, and you can experience a range of positions. Your experience will also depend on your field instructor and the amount of support you receive from your placement. There are so many factors that go into working for the county that it really depends. The stipend is a financial godsend if you are attending a state school. After tuition, you will still have money left over. If you are attending a private school, that might be a different story. I believe the award amount is around $18,500 annually. The two year commitment is a long time, but it's time that you will be learning valuable skills and honing your expertise. I also plan to get my licensure, and from what I was told by my field instructor, all of the hours accrued working for the county will be able to go towards your LCSW. Hope that helped, and if you have any more questions, just ask! chavcsu 1
bellebruin Posted March 23, 2014 Author Posted March 23, 2014 Hi nguyencredible, Thank you for your reply. I really appreciate it! Congratulations on almost completing your first year of the MSW program and also on your CalSWEC reward. Do you think it would be too soon to contact the field instructor now and ask about placement? (assuming that I do really well and am one of the recipients.) That is great news that you can gain hours during the 2-year commitment that will go towards the LCSW. That was a huge factor for me. How is your program going? What focus/specialization are you in? That is great that you're in Orange County because I think it is a lot more diverse than San Diego. I see in your picture that you're wearing a UCLA robe! Did you go there for undergrad? I did!
creativesocialworker Posted March 23, 2014 Posted March 23, 2014 Hii. Whether or not you will get licensing hours while at DCFS depends largely on your county, and even office. For example, it's often very difficult to get hours if you are in LA. Some counties may also make you wait for 9 months until you are off of probation to get hours. Feel free to contact me via email if you have any specific questions I can help you with (uclasocialworker@gmail.com). chavcsu 1
bellebruin Posted March 23, 2014 Author Posted March 23, 2014 Thanks, creativesocialworker. Also, thanks for passing your email along. Hope your program is going well at UCLA.
chavcsu Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 I got a phone call last week to confirm an interview for the Title IV-E stipend in April. I'm pretty excited and also pretty nervous about the interview. Would anyone mind sharing what kinds of questions were asked during their interview or sharing any bits of advice about it? Any input would be greatly appreciated
creativesocialworker Posted March 26, 2014 Posted March 26, 2014 Hii. I still remember some of the questions and vignettes from my interview and would be happy to share. Would you mind sending me an email or private message through gradcafe? There are a number of caveats that go along with the stipends that I didn't know about until after I graduated that you should be aware of before signing any contracts. -CreativeSocialWorker
bellebruin Posted March 26, 2014 Author Posted March 26, 2014 I have my interview tomorrow morning so I will definitely keep you guys updated!
NPP Posted March 27, 2014 Posted March 27, 2014 Hi bellebruin! I suspected you were a fellow alumnus from your username, but yes, I did my undergrad at UCLA and am class of 2013! It's always nice to hear about more Bruins going into social work! To answer your very first question, I think that it would be a little too soon to reach out to your field instructor. I've only had one experience with Cal State Fullerton (where I'm getting my MSW) but a field coordinator or the school's CalSWEC coordinator will reach out to you first to gauge your interests in where you would like to be placed. My program is going wonderfully! I'm really enjoying what I'm learning, and moreover, the experience I'm getting at the county. My concentration is child welfare, but I'm still on my foundation year and have not started my specific concentration classes yet. And like creativesocialworker mentioned, there are absolutely caveats and it's essential you read your contract very carefully before signing. But you should read any contract very carefully before you sign! If you have specific questions or would like me to address the more 'worrisome' details about the contract, feel free to PM me. Good luck to everyone with their interviews! I wish you the very best creativesocialworker 1
bellebruin Posted March 31, 2014 Author Posted March 31, 2014 Hi all, I just wanted to update you on the interview for the Title IV-E stipend I had last week. If you're interested in learning more about my experience, please feel free to send me a message. I can tell you that overall, it was very straight-forward and a panel interview with 3 people-- the program coordinator, field intern liaison between the county and school, and field instructor. My interview was 30 minutes long but it went over about 5 minutes but they did not rush me. They took copious notes while I was speaking. Good luck to everyone on their interview!
ontheswpath Posted April 1, 2014 Posted April 1, 2014 Hii. I still remember some of the questions and vignettes from my interview and would be happy to share. Would you mind sending me an email or private message through gradcafe? There are a number of caveats that go along with the stipends that I didn't know about until after I graduated that you should be aware of before signing any contracts. -CreativeSocialWorker Hi CreativeSocialWorker, Would you mind explaining what those caveats are? Let me know if it's best to send you a private message. Thanks.
ontheswpath Posted April 1, 2014 Posted April 1, 2014 Hi all, I just wanted to update you on the interview for the Title IV-E stipend I had last week. If you're interested in learning more about my experience, please feel free to send me a message. I can tell you that overall, it was very straight-forward and a panel interview with 3 people-- the program coordinator, field intern liaison between the county and school, and field instructor. My interview was 30 minutes long but it went over about 5 minutes but they did not rush me. They took copious notes while I was speaking. Good luck to everyone on their interview! Congrats on your acceptance to SDSU!
bellebruin Posted April 6, 2014 Author Posted April 6, 2014 Ontheswpath, Thank you! I am so excited. have you decided where you will be attending this fall?
futuregradtay Posted March 9, 2016 Posted March 9, 2016 If anyone has any advice or any information to share about the title IV-E stipend interview, I would greatly appreciate it! I have my interview in a couple days with UC Berkeley and I'm very nervous, so I would really appreciate it if anyone could give me tips or a heads up on some questions! Just direct message me if you can. Thanks!
Sbjj0701 Posted March 9, 2016 Posted March 9, 2016 On 3/19/2014 at 10:36 PM, bellebruin said: Hi all, I am interested in hearing from current social work students, current social workers, and recent graduates about their experience in either interviewing for this stipend, working for the county of child welfare services, and any relevant information pertaining to this stipend. I have an interview for the stipend next week and it would mine amazing to get accepted and be able to fund my grad studies but I also know that the 2 year commitment is a long time and eventually I want to take the board exam to become a LCSW so I don't know how the 2 year commitment will effect my obtaining clinical hours to sit for the board exam. Any advice, feedback will be much appreciated! Hi bellebruin! Just wanted to say that I'm grateful you posted this question. I have a couple Title IV E interviews coming up and I'm super nervous, so I too am looking for some guidance around the interview process, but also other experiences in the program. I spoke to a friend of a friend who is currently in the title IV E program at Berkeley, and she mentioned that the interviews are certainly very straightforward and they only last about 20-30 min. When is your interview next week? I have mine for Berkeley on Wednesday! The nerves are already settling in. Good luck!
Sbjj0701 Posted March 9, 2016 Posted March 9, 2016 On 3/31/2014 at 6:26 PM, bellebruin said: Hi all, I just wanted to update you on the interview for the Title IV-E stipend I had last week. If you're interested in learning more about my experience, please feel free to send me a message. I can tell you that overall, it was very straight-forward and a panel interview with 3 people-- the program coordinator, field intern liaison between the county and school, and field instructor. My interview was 30 minutes long but it went over about 5 minutes but they did not rush me. They took copious notes while I was speaking. Good luck to everyone on their interview! Oops! Now I just realized that this post is backdated from 2 years ago! I may still try and private message some of you
FUTUREMSWGIRL Posted March 15, 2016 Posted March 15, 2016 Hi, I'm in FL , and am interested in applying for the stipend program here. Can someone message me the questions they were asked in interview? As I'm sure they were/are applicable to all states
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