I have been a social worker for many years. I
I have been a social worker for many years. I have worked at various agencies both in the private sector as well as government agencies. A few years ago I was assigned the task to supervise interns that wanted to complete their field experience at our agency. When I was first asked to do this I thought it would just be one more thing to do, but as I have worked with the individuals I realize that having them shadow me and work with my clients makes me be a better social worker. Instead of just doing the same old referrals and case plans with families I put more thought into it because I am teaching the intern at the same time.Through the years I worked with several talented young people that were energized to start their career. Two years ago a young woman that I was supervising told me during her initial interview that her goal was to look for jobs in London when she had graduated. She had been part of a foreign exchange program in her sophomore year and was very interested in going back. As she did her internship I realized that she was going to make a great social worker. I could tell that she was at ease with people and this made them comfortable around her. She also had great paper work skills and was always looking for things to do. If she completed some project that I gave her she took the initiative to start with something else. As she was getting towards the end of her internship there was a social work position that became vacant. I encouraged her to apply for it but she was insistent that she was looking for jobs in London. She had received all the information that she needed to extend her visa and she was filling out forms for placement through an agency. The jobs in London for social workers were quite prevalent. Also the position of social worker there is held in much higher esteem than it is in our country. Not only do the social workers get respect for their position but they also get paid very well.
A few days before her internship was completed I was contacted by an agency in London to complete a reference for the intern. It was very interesting to me that she was going to go through with this dream. I had to admire a young woman of twenty two that was willing to move to a country where she knew no one to start a career. I still keep in touch with her. She has had two jobs in London and is now checking out a position in Scotland. She loves her life and is making many friends.
