Re: School Social Worker

by Mary

Jun 1, 2012

What is the market for school social worker in Illinois? I'm currently an assistant in an elementary school, but I'm considering going back for my masters in either sped (initial cert) or social work. I understand the difficult job market even for sped teachers (I've just been RIF'd as an assistant). It appears that there are quite a few openings for school social workers, however I wonder if these are true openings or if these positions are actually already filled. My undergrad is in human services so I have some understanding of what the position entails. The real drawback is that being an older student (40), I really only have one choice for schooling, and it is rather expensive. I also don't have the option of moving for a job. The degree in sped would be much cheaper for me. I have an interest in both positions as I enjoy working with kids especially those in special education. I appreciate any advice or thoughts that you can offer.

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sped On 6/01/12, Mary wrote: > I'm > considering going back for my masters in either sped > (initial cert) or social work. I understand the difficult > job market even for sped teachers (I've just been RIF'd as > an assistant).

Well, as a special ed administrator I hire these two positions when there are openings in my district. ...See MoreOn 6/01/12, Mary wrote: > I'm > considering going back for my masters in either sped > (initial cert) or social work. I understand the difficult > job market even for sped teachers (I've just been RIF'd as > an assistant).

Well, as a special ed administrator I hire these two positions when there are openings in my district. I haven't been doing much hiring..., but we did hire a Social Worker this year. There were about two dozen applications for that one job. About normal for SW.

OK..., so first special ed teacher: There are special ed teachers out of work in Illinois, or they are working for private, day schools which pay poorly and have bad conditions (yes, there are people who love this type of job, but there are many who are stuck there). The special ed field is better than, say: social studies, English, or elementary ed. In special ed, we may have dozens of applicants per job. In other fields, they have hundreds or even THOUSANDS of applicants per job. However, sped is not the shortage field it was five-years ago. About the only shortage fields in Illinois teaching would be Bilingual Spanish.

Now, nearly all of the social worker applications I looked over had people working as social workers somewhere. Maybe not in schools, but somewhere. In contrast, some special ed teacher applications have people currently unemployed, working as an aide, or in an unrelated field. This should give you an idea that Social Work is a better field job-wise.

> It appears that there are quite a few > openings for school social workers, however I wonder if > these are true openings or if these positions are actually > already filled.

That happens sometimes. Interns may already be informally selected for the job. However, I feel comfortable saying that Social Workers have it better than Special Ed teachers when looking for a job.

Also, I should mention that there is definitely some informal, reverse-Affirmative-Action for males in both of these fields. You don't mention your gender, but if you're a male it will give you an edge. There are very few male social workers and though there are more male sped teachers, they are definitely in the minority. Being a male doesn't guarantee a job, but it usually will make you stand out and more likely to get an interview.

> The > real drawback is that being an older student (40), I really > only have one choice for schooling, and it is rather > expensive.

I know of no University/College that refuses people based upon age. In fact, I believe that is illegal. You can attend anywhere you can get in to and age plays no factor in admissions. In fact, you will find that Master's programs are full of career-changers and older people.

> I also don't have the option of moving for a > job.

Ah, this will make it difficult in either Social Work or Teaching. The larger geographic area you can cover, the better. Jobs are few and far between in every field. No one can guarantee you a job within 30 miles or so of your house. I know medical doctors who have had to move to get a job, and their field is in super-high demand. If you live in the Chicago 'burbs, it will be easier than Downstate, just because there is a higher population density and more districts to try, but you should be ready to spend time in traffic. If you feel you can only take a job with a handful of districts, then you might not want to waste your time or money on either degree.

The last thing that I'll say is that Social Work has options outside of education. A social worker can get a job with the state, local agency, hospital, or non-profit. Of course, those groups are facing funding issues too, but at least it is another options. There aren't really any options for a sped teacher outside of education. If these are your two options, go social work.

However, if I were you I would get a degree in health care or IT. Much better job prospects...

Jun 2, 2012

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Mary Sped, thank you for your reply. After following these boards for several years, I know your responses are always very helpful. Sorry I wasn't real clear when I refered to my age and limited college choices. What I meant was that as for social work, there is only one college in driving distance from me (Aurora U) versus special education where I hav...See MoreSped, thank you for your reply. After following these boards for several years, I know your responses are always very helpful. Sorry I wasn't real clear when I refered to my age and limited college choices. What I meant was that as for social work, there is only one college in driving distance from me (Aurora U) versus special education where I have a few options. I'm out near NIU land which means there are an abundance of teachers here. Although that might be a plus for the social work field, because NIU does not offer that program.

I certainly understand your advice about healthcare and IT. If I was younger (w/no kids) or interested in a career for a bigger paycheck, I'd go that route. I really enjoy kids and being in the school. I have a husband who travels and works long hours so my choices are to simply stay home or find a career which still allows me to be here for my children and all of their activities.

Actually having some idea of the area that you are in, receiving only 12 applications for social worker doesn't seem too bad! I would think that that area would be much more desirable than the more rural area that I am in.

Thanks again for your insights!

Mary

On 6/02/12, sped wrote: > On 6/01/12, Mary wrote: >> I'm >> considering going back for my masters in either sped >> (initial cert) or social work. I understand the difficult >> job market even for sped teachers (I've just been RIF'd as >> an assistant). > > Well, as a special ed administrator I hire these two positions > when there are openings in my district. I haven't been doing > much hiring..., but we did hire a Social Worker this year. > There were about two dozen applications for that one job. > About normal for SW. > > OK..., so first special ed teacher: There are special ed > teachers out of work in Illinois, or they are working for > private, day schools which pay poorly and have bad conditions > (yes, there are people who love this type of job, but there are > many who are stuck there). The special ed field is better > than, say: social studies, English, or elementary ed. In > special ed, we may have dozens of applicants per job. In other > fields, they have hundreds or even THOUSANDS of applicants per > job. However, sped is not the shortage field it was five-years > ago. About the only shortage fields in Illinois teaching would > be Bilingual Spanish. > > Now, nearly all of the social worker applications I looked over > had people working as social workers somewhere. Maybe not in > schools, but somewhere. In contrast, some special ed teacher > applications have people currently unemployed, working as an > aide, or in an unrelated field. This should give you an idea > that Social Work is a better field job-wise. > >> It appears that there are quite a few >> openings for school social workers, however I wonder if >> these are true openings or if these positions are actually >> already filled. > > That happens sometimes. Interns may already be informally > selected for the job. However, I feel comfortable saying that > Social Workers have it better than Special Ed teachers when > looking for a job. > > Also, I should mention that there is definitely some informal, > reverse-Affirmative-Action for males in both of these fields. > You don't mention your gender, but if you're a male it will > give you an edge. There are very few male social workers and > though there are more male sped teachers, they are definitely > in the minority. Being a male doesn't guarantee a job, but it > usually will make you stand out and more likely to get an > interview. > >> The >> real drawback is that being an older student (40), I really >> only have one choice for schooling, and it is rather >> expensive. > > I know of no University/College that refuses people based upon > age. In fact, I believe that is illegal. You can attend > anywhere you can get in to and age plays no factor in > admissions. In fact, you will find that Master's programs are > full of career-changers and older people. > >> I also don't have the option of moving for a >> job. > > Ah, this will make it difficult in either Social Work or > Teaching. The larger geographic area you can cover, the > better. Jobs are few and far between in every field. No one > can guarantee you a job within 30 miles or so of your house. I > know medical doctors who have had to move to get a job, and > their field is in super-high demand. If you live in the > Chicago 'burbs, it will be easier than Downstate, just because > there is a higher population density and more districts to try, > but you should be ready to spend time in traffic. If you feel > you can only take a job with a handful of districts, then you > might not want to waste your time or money on either degree. > > The last thing that I'll say is that Social Work has options > outside of education. A social worker can get a job with the > state, local agency, hospital, or non-profit. Of course, those > groups are facing funding issues too, but at least it is > another options. There aren't really any options for a sped > teacher outside of education. If these are your two options, > go social work. > > However, if I were you I would get a degree in health care or > IT. Much better job prospects...

Jun 2, 2012

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Chris I am an AU grad, 09. While I went for the El.Ed. degree, I do know a few ppl who graduated with social work degrees. AU is an amazing school and you will learn a lot, but be prepared to work as it is not easy. Good luck to you. :)

On 6/02/12, Mary wrote: > Sped, thank you for your reply. After following these boards for > several ye...See MoreI am an AU grad, 09. While I went for the El.Ed. degree, I do know a few ppl who graduated with social work degrees. AU is an amazing school and you will learn a lot, but be prepared to work as it is not easy. Good luck to you. :)

On 6/02/12, Mary wrote: > Sped, thank you for your reply. After following these boards for > several years, I know your responses are always very helpful. > Sorry I wasn't real clear when I refered to my age and limited > college choices. What I meant was that as for social work, there > is only one college in driving distance from me (Aurora U) versus > special education where I have a few options. I'm out near NIU > land which means there are an abundance of teachers here. > Although that might be a plus for the social work field, because > NIU does not offer that program. > > I certainly understand your advice about healthcare and IT. If I > was younger (w/no kids) or interested in a career for a bigger > paycheck, I'd go that route. I really enjoy kids and being in > the school. I have a husband who travels and works long hours so > my choices are to simply stay home or find a career which still > allows me to be here for my children and all of their > activities. > > Actually having some idea of the area that you are in, receiving > only 12 applications for social worker doesn't seem too bad! I > would think that that area would be much more desirable than the > more rural area that I am in. > > Thanks again for your insights! > > Mary > > On 6/02/12, sped wrote: >> On 6/01/12, Mary wrote: >>> I'm >>> considering going back for my masters in either sped >>> (initial cert) or social work. I understand the difficult >>> job market even for sped teachers (I've just been RIF'd as >>> an assistant). >> >> Well, as a special ed administrator I hire these two positions >> when there are openings in my district. I haven't been doing >> much hiring..., but we did hire a Social Worker this year. >> There were about two dozen applications for that one job. >> About normal for SW. >> >> OK..., so first special ed teacher: There are special ed >> teachers out of work in Illinois, or they are working for >> private, day schools which pay poorly and have bad conditions >> (yes, there are people who love this type of job, but there are >> many who are stuck there). The special ed field is better >> than, say: social studies, English, or elementary ed. In >> special ed, we may have dozens of applicants per job. In other >> fields, they have hundreds or even THOUSANDS of applicants per >> job. However, sped is not the shortage field it was five-years >> ago. About the only shortage fields in Illinois teaching would >> be Bilingual Spanish. >> >> Now, nearly all of the social worker applications I looked over >> had people working as social workers somewhere. Maybe not in >> schools, but somewhere. In contrast, some special ed teacher >> applications have people currently unemployed, working as an >> aide, or in an unrelated field. This should give you an idea >> that Social Work is a better field job-wise. >> >>> It appears that there are quite a few >>> openings for school social workers, however I wonder if >>> these are true openings or if these positions are actually >>> already filled. >> >> That happens sometimes. Interns may already be informally >> selected for the job. However, I feel comfortable saying that >> Social Workers have it better than Special Ed teachers when >> looking for a job. >> >> Also, I should mention that there is definitely some informal, >> reverse-Affirmative-Action for males in both of these fields. >> You don't mention your gender, but if you're a male it will >> give you an edge. There are very few male social workers and >> though there are more male sped teachers, they are definitely >> in the minority. Being a male doesn't guarantee a job, but it >> usually will make you stand out and more likely to get an >> interview. >> >>> The >>> real drawback is that being an older student (40), I really >>> only have one choice for schooling, and it is rather >>> expensive. >> >> I know of no University/College that refuses people based upon >> age. In fact, I believe that is illegal. You can attend >> anywhere you can get in to and age plays no factor in >> admissions. In fact, you will find that Master's programs are >> full of career-changers and older people. >> >>> I also don't have the option of moving for a >>> job. >> >> Ah, this will make it difficult in either Social Work or >> Teaching. The larger geographic area you can cover, the >> better. Jobs are few and far between in every field. No one >> can guarantee you a job within 30 miles or so of your house. I >> know medical doctors who have had to move to get a job, and >> their field is in super-high demand. If you live in the >> Chicago 'burbs, it will be easier than Downstate, just because >> there is a higher population density and more districts to try, >> but you should be ready to spend time in traffic. If you feel >> you can only take a job with a handful of districts, then you >> might not want to waste your time or money on either degree. >> >> The last thing that I'll say is that Social Work has options >> outside of education. A social worker can get a job with the >> state, local agency, hospital, or non-profit. Of course, those >> groups are facing funding issues too, but at least it is >> another options. There aren't really any options for a sped >> teacher outside of education. If these are your two options, >> go social work. >> >> However, if I were you I would get a degree in health care or >> IT. Much better job prospects...

Jul 19, 2012

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