Any practicing Social Workers out there?

[Paul Gibbons]

Hi, moving over in the next few months to QLD. I’m a Mental Health Social Worker from U.K. Any hints or tips on finding work would be much appreciated;  or anyone made the move and happy to share experiences.

Best,

 Paul

 

 

[Rampa]

Hi

Have you had your qualifications assessed by the AASW?

Have you been granted a visa that permits you to live and work in QLD?

I am also a social worker but don't have working and living rights yet. Still working on that. Job sites I use a lot is Seek.com and Indeed. You can narrow the search down to where you will be living or to QLD as a whole. 

 

[Paul Gibbons]

Hi, 

yes, both AASW and perm residency. The issue now is finding work without Aus experience, I’ve been SW for 12 years in the Uk. It’s tricky. 

 

Good of luck with your plans

 

Paul

[kmrg]

Hi I am a Social Worker working in hospital SW in Victoria, but about to move to NSW. I would say that the majority of jobs are advertised on SEEK and you can also look directly on the local health authority / hospital websites. I just set up alerts to email me when jobs came up.

In my experience there are quite a lot of jobs out there you just may need to go in on a lower level job to get experience, eg. if you are currently supervising staff in UK it maybe easier to just go for a standard SW role here whilst you build up your local knowledge. 

The only issue I am aware of is that as well as having the AASW assessment for migration purposes I also needed another assessment by AASW stating I was eligible for membership before I could start in my role. 

Good luck

[Peachy]

Hi My hubby is a SW. He managed to get a permanent job over here at a higher level, before we  moved over. Telephone interview with questions emailed over beforehand. 

Tips for getting the job:

1. Look at Smartjobs - for gov / QHealth positions

2. Phone the contact to discuss the position (having done a heap of prep first). 

3. Make sure you understand the impact of NDIS on the area you are working in, to show that you are up to speed with current changes.  

4. Follow the gov format for your statement in support. Gov employers expect you to follow the selection criteria v strictly - use the headings and work through putting examples (anon) of your work. Most people cram heaps into their statements. 

5. Research the legislation and the role. My OH had Australian text books shipped over before the move so that he better understood the landscape - this was great enabling him to complete (2) and (4) with sound QLD knowledge. 

6. Be aware the SW over here is a little way behind the UK so have some ideas, but don't be too revolutionary  

7. Check whether you do need to be a member of the AASW - most jobs say that you need to be eligible (which you should be, but I think you need an assessment done) but it is expensive to actually join up. OH only joined AASW once he was looking to move upwards again. 

Good luck!

[Paul Gibbons]

Hi, 

thanks a lot for taking the time to comment. Very helpful indeed! Much appreciated. I’ve been doing a lot of research. Looking forward to the challenge :)