Social Work Career in India | Everything you need to know

There is a soft corner for the needy and underprivileged in almost all of our hearts. However, only a few reach out to provide a helping hand to such people. The difference between the willingness to support and actually supporting is huge because of the lifestyle of today’s individuals. Everyone is in a rush to achieve his/her goal and somewhere in between that, it becomes difficult to fund another self with one’s hard-earned money. Moreover, the concept of no returns seems unacceptable for most at present times.

Thus, if you are one of those who actually want to help and support people and bring a positive change to their lives then you should totally spare a few minutes to read this article which will be a complete guide for you to know about an extremely successful and significant career in social work and the returns in this career may almost surprise you.

Social Work as a Career

The profession of social work usually deals with those individuals who seek guidance or assistance to lead a reasonable life. The main objective of individuals in the profession of social work is to provide resources and direction to those in need and help them to unravel the problems faced by them. Social work encompasses the study of community organization, ecology, and social work, child care and family services, medical and psychiatric social work, social policy, and planning.

Social work has a wide variety of roles to play in the development of the individuals operating in this domain. It helps in creating and cultivating the quality of life and determination to bring about a positive change in the outlook of the country. There are quite a few disadvantages as well when it comes to social work so let us now discuss a few pros and cons of working in this sector.

Pros

• Flexible Schedule
• Less competency
• No office compulsion
• Job satisfaction
• Moral Contentment

Cons

• Infrequent work
• Stressed job
• Political pressure
• Strong willpower required

Career Options in Social Work

The desire of carrying out a social activity has been instrumental in bringing about extremely assorted ways of delivering social services as well as formulating vocations that seemed unavailable until quite some time. The one interested in providing social services and at the same time carrying forward this activity as a profession can aspire to work in various sectors. The most prominent sectors employing such individuals are Multi-National Corporations, Corporate Establishments, Human Rights Agencies, Human Resource Management, Rural Development Institutions, Counseling Centers, and many such organizations.

The aspirant can look forward to working in this distinguished and noble sector by opting for any of the professions mentioned below.

1. Career Counselor

Career counselors are the individuals who support, encourage, and guide students to pursue the career best suited for them. They can either associate themselves with some organizations or they can operate individually. They are responsible for conducting various seminars, workshops, and or career counseling programs in various institutions.

On average, a career counselor earns a sum of Rs.6-8 lakhs per annum at the initial stage.

2. Social Security Officer

Social security officer operates in the establishments of social welfare and this job is the stepping stone to become the future ‘director’ of the organization. They maintain the monthly records, create awareness, perform a periodic inspection, overlook creation and strategies for the organization. 

An SSO earns a sum of Rs.5-8 lakhs every year.

3. Corrections Social Worker

Corrections social worker helps in providing assistance to the individuals seeking correctional options for the activities which may not have benefited them well. They assess their client and accordingly provide them with a goal and treatment to bring about a positive change in his/her life. They also keep a check on the progress of their client and make amendments wherever necessary.

On average, the corrections social worker can earn up to Rs.2-3 lakhs per year.

4. Child Welfare Manager

Children in our society face a lot of problems where the rural areas are concerned. The basic necessities and facilities can not be availed by all the children and hence there are organizations that look after the welfare of the children in various rural areas. The child welfare manager is responsible for administering such activities and overseeing these operations regularly.

A child welfare manager can expect a salary of Rs.5-6 lakh annually at the initial stage.

5. Labour Welfare Manager

A labour welfare manager regulates, operates, and directs the managerial activities in the social welfare of the labour community. The most critical part of this job is to ensure that the interests of the labourers are not harmed and they are provided with their right worthy wages regularly.

On average, the labour welfare manager can earn up to Rs.3-4 lakhs at the initial stage.

6. Criminal consultant

There are several crime committed every single day, but not all are genuinely criminals. Their actions could be a result of some misfortune or threat and so on and so forth. This situation brings a need for criminal consultants who can actually work up with their clients and make them redeem themselves for a better and decent future despite the crime that they commit in their past life. Their job pertains to bringing about good and positive changes in their clients do them to lead a normal life after their probation period.

A criminal consultant can expect a sum of Rs.4-5for dealing with the criminals.

7. Clinical Consultant

Clinical consultants provide clinical and counselling services to their clients and they are usually considered as therapists. There are many social issues which are dealt by the individuals on a regular basis which may require counselling if prolonged. Hence, clinical consultants benefit such individuals and monitor their progress reports.

On average, a clinical consultant earns a sum of Rs.6-8 lakhs per year.

8. Addiction Consultant

As the name suggests, an addiction consultant or social worker is the person who benefits the interests of people who suffer from the problem of addiction. They organize workshops, seminars, and awareness programs to provide necessary information and motivation to the people going through such problems.

On average, an addiction consultant can earn up to Rs.6-8 lakhs per year.

9. Disability Consultant

The disability consultants are the social workers benefitting the underprivileged and specially-abled individuals of our society. Their motive is to safeguard the interests of the disabled people and they can form a niche for themselves to work on and it can either be specialization in children or adults or senior citizens.

A disability consultant can expect an income of Rs.4-5 lakhs per year.

10. Family Consultant

As evident from the name, a family consultant provides information and guidance on family issues and family planning. This is associated with providing awareness about AIDS and other diseases which constitute a crucial part. The main objective of this job role is to educate and assist the individuals for the better development of the country.

A family consultant earns somewhere near Rs.3-4 lakhs per year.

11. Director of Social Services

This is the promoted status of a social security officer and is one of the highest job roles in the social service sector. The main job implicates overseeing the activities and programs of a specific category say, health sector or youth or educational programs. They manage and organize almost all the activities and supervise the employees working under them. 

On average, a social service director can earn up to Rs.10-15 lakh based on the organization at the initial stage.

12. Youth Social Worker

A youth social worker is a person who works for the benefit of the youth of our nation. They specialize in organizing and empowering the youth so as to promote critical thinking among them. The youth shapes the future of any nation and hence, it is necessary to prepare and empower them to tackle any situation be it mental, physical, social or so on and so forth.

On average a youth social worker can expect to earn somewhere near Rs.4-5 lakh annually.

13. Outreach Social Worker

The outreach social workers operate on the rural level and help the organizations in locating the areas requiring assistance and development. They do a lot of fieldwork and research and come up with the affected areas. They also assist in organizing seminars and development programs.

An outreach social worker earns somewhere near Rs.4-5 lakhs per year.

14. Teacher

A teacher, as we all know, provides education to the students with the help of their extraordinary communications skills which enables the learners to understand the concept in the simplest way possible. They can teach in the community colleges or provide full-time lectures in the institutions as long as they hold a master’s degree and a doctoral degree in any specialization.

A social work teacher earns a sum of Rs.5-8 lakhs per year at the initial stage.

Eligibility Criteria

A passion for working for and supporting the people in need is the basic criteria that one must fulfill and it is necessary to accomplish job satisfaction. Other than this subjective criterion, there are a few more other standards that are to be met by the candidates to be eligible for pursuing higher studies in this subject to be able to work as a social service provider.

Firstly, an aspirant must have completed his/her higher secondary from a recognized board. There is not any cut-off for the percentage that one must accomplish to be able to attend social work courses, nonetheless, the candidate must hold at least a minimum of55%-60% marks in their passing certificate. The age limit is never an issue but the aspirant must be at least 17 to be able to avail of such courses. The candidates from all the streams be it arts, commerce or science can opt for a social science course. If the institutions are well recognized and retain good status then the candidate may have to sit for the various entrance exams conducted by them. However, this usually happens in the case of post-graduation courses. Other than this, there are no hard and fast rules for getting admissions in social work colleges.

Educational Expenses

The academic charges transpire to be a really big issue for a lot of individuals when it comes to higher studies in a good and well-known foundation. Thus, this comes up as the most crucial question as to how much one actually needs to spend for a course in social work. Surprisingly, the fees are not too high and can be afforded by the bourgeoisie. One may need to pay a sum of Rs.1-5 lakhs for the entire course which is for one to three years. There are many colleges that provide distant learning facilities and one can opt for the course through this mode which may cost around Rs.30,000-Rs.50,000 for the entire program and the payments are perpetrated on an installment basis annually.

Various Courses

The various course usually involves a lot of fieldwork along with the typical theoretical contents which are to beread up by the individuals. The extensively important feature of this program is to provide skills such as communication which is both verbal and non-verbal, organization, critical thinking, culture competence, self-care, active listening, and so on and so forth. Therefore, the courses amass syllabus which enhance and inculcate such skills in the aspirant. The most prominent courses for the undergraduates, postgraduates, doctoral, and certificate programs included in the college studies are enlisted below.

Undergraduate Course:

• Bachelor of Social Work
• Bachelor of Arts
  • In Social Work
  • Honours in Social Work
  • Gandhian Social Work

Postgraduate Courses:

• Master of Social Work
• Master of Arts in
  • Social Work
  • Social Work Management
  • Gandhian Studies
  • Gandhian Peace and Rural Development Studies
  • Gender and Development Studies
  • Labour and Development Studies
  • Extension Education and Social Work
  • Extension Education and Rural Development
  • Child Development
  • Tribal Studies

Doctoral Courses:

• Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work
• Doctor of Philosophy in Women’s Studies

Certificate Courses:

• Certificate Course in NGO Management
• Certificate Course in Social Work and Criminal Justice System
• Certificate Course in Youth Development Work
• Certificate Course in Social Work
• Certificate Course in Women and Legal Literacy
• Certificate Course in Abolition of Child Labour
• Certificate Course in Family Education and AIDS

Top Institutions

Although compassion for helping comes from within oneself, the candidates or interested individuals need to be trained to direct their passion and devotion in the right path so as to accomplish their goal. The candidate can opt for any graduate, undergraduate, or doctoral course in social work in any of the institutions based on their convenience and choice. The institutions play a vital role in molding the future of the nation by grooming the students enrolled with them. The top institutions which have shaped up careers in the field of social work are enlisted below.

• Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Institute of Social Sciences, Indore
• Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai
• Shivaji University, Vidyanagar
• University of Madras, Chennai
• The Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, Kolkata
• Loyola College of Social Sciences, Trivandrum
• University of Delhi, Delhi
• University of Rajasthan, Jaipur
• Jamia Millia University, New Delhi
• Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar
• University of Mumbai, Mumbai
• Amity University, Lucknow
• Osmania University, Hyderabad
• Madras Christian College, Chennai

Career Scope

We constantly come across the fact that the emergence of technology has brought about enormous change in our lives and that too a positive one to be precise. However, the same can not be said regarding the underprivileged sector of our country. The inequality bar has been raised and this has led to the creation of several social work organizations who are leading the way towards development in the best possible way by empowering the impoverished and assisting the government. The need for social work has arisen and one can look forward to a flourishing career in this domain in the coming years.