Hi there,

I am looking to find out more information from people who have moved to Canada to work in social work: how long did it take? Did you have a job lined up before going out there? In terms of salary/living expenses how is it in comparison to the uk?

I am a 28 year old female who would be moving there on my own. I have four years experience working in Edinburgh in the field of children and families in a busy practice team. I hold a BSW honors degree.

I have briefly looked into option of an immigration visa however wondering whether a working holiday visa would work in the first instance as a quicker option as I can use that for up to 24 months and work in any job.

I am open to all areas however my preference would be BC (Vancouver probably) or Calgary.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Karen

Without your MSW you will be limited in where you can work (no clinical posts).

I have a few friends and colleagues that have their BSW that work as a Youth worker along with myself in Vancouver. We have a case management team (all registered social workers) but there is competition for those posts and you have to start as a casual to get a foot in the door.

My advise would be to look at Northern BC where money is meant to be better and more SWs are needed although it's going to be colder and more isolated

Hi becki

Thanks. I enjoy the case management side of the work I do at present (the part of the role it seems these days) I'm currently on around 56300 Canadian dollars which is actually on the lower end of the pay scale compared to other local authorities in Scotland. Are you on a lower pay due to not having your msw? It seems very unfair if that is the case. I think I would rather be in less money and be in the city initially as opposed to being positioned in a more rural area.

Not sure if you are a Canadian or moved over yourself however if you know of anyone you work with who moved from the uk it would be great if you could ask them the best way to go about speaking to employers and job opportunities.

I will check out the site you advised as well.

Thanks,

Karen

I'm not a social worker, I'm a youth worker. I didn't study social work at school. I just work with case managers and other youth workers with their BSW.

The Case Managers start on $30 an hour.

Vancouver has a high cost of living and low wages in comparison especially for non profit. As I said there is a lot of competition in the city so you may have to look at starting with casual work.

Maybe look at Alberta as weLL, money might be better.

You will need to be registered in BC as well. I know there is a test for it but I would Google and check to see what it entails

My partner has a BA Hons Degree in Social Work with 4-5 yrs experience. How would this help her chances of a job in Canada? Probably within the Ontario area.

Thanks
Stuart

Credential assessment first:
International Assessment of Credentials | Canadian Association of Social Workers

Then registration (Ontario): Internationally Educated Applicants | OCSWSSW

Then Social Workers (NOC 4152-A) - Toronto Region, Ontario - outlook (local) - Job Bank

Thanks, some good information in there.

Salary wise in Canada is Social Work on par to the kind of wages Social Workers in the UK would get? My partner was in a local area team working with children and families but now is a social worker for a fostering agency and would probably like to stay in fostering if at all possible and if the salary was on par or there abouts.

I worked at the Murrayburngate office many moons ago in the CC team ... the C&F team were so overworked but so caring, they had my sympathies and admiration.

If you're open to location, you might want to look at Alberta Health Services. They pay well and I think open to just a bachelors.

Hi Karen,

Please let me know how you get on. I'm looking to move out to Toronto.

Thanks,

Michael.

Regarding salary: entry level could be around CDN $30k, or even less.

Don't underestimate the need for an MSW, nor the fact that even with credentials assessed & registered, a new arrival from overseas will probably have to go back to a lower grade - or even entry level, regardless of uk qualifications/ experience until they 'prove' themselves.

I met a very inspiring young lady (immigrant) recently in Toronto who is working full time as a 'community support worker', while she completes a MSW. Financially she admitted it's tough.