Can social workers be rich?
Well they could be…but probably not because they earned a lot of money through social work. Maybe they could have inherited money or have a second job.Social workers tend to be on the lower end of the spectrum for earnings. How low that is depends on what country you are from. You should keep in mind most social workers are employed by the government, those who work in private practice can earn a bit more. It is still highly unlikely you will get rich from it though. Thats not to say you will be living in poverty or anything. All the social workers I know are able to live well enough.If your main motivation for working is earning lots of money, you should find another profession, not just because its impractical to become rich through social work but because it would be unethical. Social workers help people who are experiencing some sort trouble in their lives. Those people are often but not always on the poorer end of the spectrum and therefor require some government assistance such as social workers. (Homeless people, single parents, children, new immigrants, prisoners, mentally/physically disabled etc). Charging the people who need our services the most would mean less of them would be able to access those services, essencially we would be putting money above the wellbeing of all people and discriminating against the poor by making these services more difficult or even impossible to access and that would definitely violate the values and ethics of most social workers.
Why is it so hard for a non-American social worker to establish one's career in social work in the USA?
To establish oneself as a Social Worker in the USA, you must have a Masters of Social Work degree. With this you can become a Licensed Social Worker in the state where you want to practice. This entails applying to the Social Work board in the state where you live with references from licensed social workers who have supervised you and passing the ASWB exams (first the intermediate exam for the first Masters license, some states this is an LMSW and then the clinical exam for an independent clinical social work license.).If you don't have a Master of Social Work degree in the US, then first get that. And you're in.If you have a foreign Masters in social work/human services, this might not work as the only people who can get licensed as social workers in most states are those who have completed an MSW at an approved CSWE (Council on Social Work Education) program. So then you might apply to an MSW program in the US and see what courses you can transfer... if you really really want to become a social worker in the US and get your MSW that way. Really the only way you are going to have any semblance of an established career in the USA as a Social Worker is if you have an MSW and the Social Work License(s) you get after obtaining an MSW.It might not be worth it as the cost of social work education is sky-high and the pay is low in the end anyway. But I guess it depends if you really want to become a social worker and live in the USA.If you speak a foreign language and represent a large under-served population in the USA, like if you speak Spanish, Haitian Creole, Khmer, Russian, Portuguese, Chinese, etc... if you can get your MSW and then get licensed as a social worker, you are golden especially if you live in a city with a large under-served foreign population. For example, if you speak Spanish fluently in addition to English, you will be able to secure jobs more easily and get paid more than an English-only Social Worker in most urban areas of the US.I don't think being a foreigner is a problem in the USA. This the USA after all, a melting pot of immigrants. Social Work started in the settlement houses working with immigrants long ago... Being an immigrant to the USA shouldn't be a problem in terms of hiring. The obstacle is the right type of education and licensure that you really can't get unless you go to an American MSW program.
Why are workers in the United States so underpaid?
Wages are today lower than 1973. Three fourths of the workforce live paycheck to paycheck. Many people have a hard time affording rent. For the past six years in a row wages have declined — so this trend is continuing. You have large employers like Walmart that make use of government subsidies (like the Earned Income Tax Credit and food stamps) to pay people low levels of compensation.This is very different than the situation from 1947 to 1973 when the real wage rate (adjusted for inflation) rose significantly. That workers are underpaid is also indicated by the vast increase in corporate profits and wealth of the owning class. This wealth is created through the efforts of the workforce. Thus what is happening is that the proportion of value created by labor that goes to workers — through wages and benefits and the “social wage” (government programs of benefit to the working class) has shrunk as the proportion going to the owning class has risen. Thus today the USA has the highest level of inequality since 1928. The answers that say workers are well paid because wages in USA are higher than, say, Bangladesh are engaging in fallacious reasoning.Since Donald Trump is a business tycoon type himself, it’s no wonder he says wages are too high. He’d like to see his class be more successful at screwing the working class even more.The reason employers are paying workers less is because they can. Union membership was about a fourth of the workforce back in the ’60s and early ’70s and is now only 11 percent — less than 7 percent in the private sector. About the same as in 1930. During the ’20s and early ’30s wages were declining also, as they are today.Workers have to re-learn how to band together, stand up for each other, form organizing committees and build unions, and engage in direct struggles with the employers — such as strikes. That is really the only way working people can build the power to gain a greater share of the value they produce.
Is being a social worker worth it?
Yes, very much so. I never met a Social Worker who was forced into that career. I never met one who had no other job options, and thus settled for just being a lowly Social Worker. And I never knew of any Social Worker who quit after only one or two years. We tend to stay in that profession all of our working lives. However, many Social Workers change jobs in their long careers. They may start in Child Protective Services, and then move to agencies that provide services to other populations, such as the elderly, the homeless, those in medical hospitals, those in addiction/substance abuse facilities. Is it worth being a Social Worker? That depends on one's definition of "worth". It takes 6-7 years full-time to earn your Master's Degree. It takes another 2-3 years to satisfy all the requirements for applying to take a State Licensing Exam, which IF you pass, makes you a fully Licensed Clinical Social Worker. In some States, (California for example), Licensed Social Workers are paid extremely well, and there is high demand and fewer qualified candidates. Social Work is not a field people rush toward. And Graduate Schools of Social Work do not accept everyone who applies. And for good reason. It may be trendy at times to go out and "save the world", or "to help people". But, believe me, it isn't always a heroic, glamorous series of "doing good" and being the rescuer who saves the day. For me, Social Work was what God intended for me to do in this life. I'm retired now, but I absolutely loved being a Social Worker. It was what I was meant to be - to be in a helping profession, to be an advocate for people who had no one to speak for them! It gave me great joy and satisfaction. I saw peoples' lives change. I saw helplessness and despair turn into self-worth and hopefulness for the future. Yes, if your heart and being draws you toward Social Service then it will be worth it. You'll never be a millionaire or own property in Hawaii; but the peace and joy you'll experience through one persons success story will be enough to carry you through to the next soul you will help in this life.
Why do social service jobs pay so little?
Social Service function is NOT a profit making unit typically and it’s treated as a cost center , in plain business terms. Majority of the units run on Donations or Government Grants.Employees consists of a mix of Social Service motivated people, volunteers along with normal employees. Employee ratings, Company performance is totally run differently from normal for-profit companies.I did see folks with experience in Social Service function from non-profit companies moving to big banks, insurance and product development companies and leading their SOCIAL Service departments. These folks will get Salary + benefits on par with other employees within that companies.This is one suggested path to get more salary , provided you have good experience.Hope it makes sense.Thanks
Why are companies hiring Indian engineers and IT workers when so many trained Americans need jobs?
Because Indians have a lower standard of living than Americans, so they can work for much less money. Because Congress cares more about American companies than the American people and is willing to trample on the efforts of all those past generations of Americans who worked so hard to raise the quality of life in America.
Are ordinary working class Americans better off than Brits?
I can't speak for the Brits but the American working class does not have it easy. Some things are cheaper here then there I have been told. However jobs here are drying up even ones that require certain skills. American business men and women are pushing to have everything automated pushing people out of jobs. Granted these are considered low paying but a job is a job and people need money. A lot of American cities are becoming unaffordable for middle class American families. They can't afford to live there so they have to leave. Most American workers are doing the work of three people for bad pay. American workers are underpaid and overworked and underappreciated. God help you if you get ill or need medical care. You could wind up going broke and lose everything if you have an illness or a family member does. And of course insurance may not even cover it and you end up poor and destitute.