How to Become a Certified Social Worker in London

To become a certified social worker in London, you  need either a graduation or a post graduation  degree approved by the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC), UK. Although diploma course in Social work is still recognised, but new students aren't allowed to pursue it. They are advised to complete three-year graduation in this field. 

The following subjects in your undergraduate level will increase your possibility of admission in a Social Work Graduation Course: 

• Social Care
• Social Science
• Politics
• Legal Studies
• Government/Public administration 

Post graduation in Social Work in London

For admission in post graduation course, one needs to have minimum 2:2 honours degree. During the PG level, pupils also go through professional training. Many universities in London also accept applicants with a score of 2:1 thus you may need to check admission requirements of each and every college/university where I wish to apply. Additionally they need to pass Grade C or above Maths or an English test which is recognised by GCSE or an equivalent body. 

Prior work experience in the field of social work/ social care will increase your possibilities of entry in a good postgraduate college.. To gain some relevant experience, you can secure a position with community care settings or getting involved in significant voluntary work. Some universities/institutions may have specified a minimum number of hours that you should have completed in your social care work as a trainee. 

For details of voluntary work that you seek to undertake, you may contact Community Service Volunteers (CSV). They would help you locate situations where your services would be beneficial. You may also get in touch with local volunteer bureau to find job/training opportunities which can later be added to your resume.
  

Soft skills that a candidate seeking a career in social work must have

• ability to remain calm during crisis 
• time flexibility 
• adjustable to different roles, tasks or conditions
• should be initiative 
• patience and resilience 
• strong analytical skills 
• good listener 
• strong observation
• empathy
• good communicator 
• excellent organisational and managing skills 
• ability to draw precise conclusions and solutions 
• a good planner 
• knowledge of legal procedures 
• an excellent negotiator
• general administrative skills

Apart from the abovementioned skills and qualities, a person needs to have genuine desire to help others, address their issues, improve their quality of life and dedicate himself community welfare. Also the person should have good decision-making power as he/she might face situations which will require hard and quick decisions. They should know how to tackle immense pressure and still emerge out of an emergency. Any experience with serving local community or resolving local issues will be an added advantage. 

Both graduate and postgraduate social work programme cover same topics and issues, however, the depth of subjects increase with every level of education. A student usually attend 200 days of college in a year with 7-8 study hours per day including some hours of professional training. 

Get to know more information about social worker jobs in London at: http://www.edenbrown.com/socialcare