Career and Scopes after Master of Social Work (MSW)

Master in Social Work (MSW) students are gaining a lot of demand in the job markets in the recent years. With more and more organisations hiring them to execute their community centric initiatives under their CSR norms, there are a good number of roles available for MSW students.

The present article speaks about a few job roles that are extremely important from the growth perspective for the MSW graduates.

Social Researcher

The social researchers are responsible to plan, design, conduct and manage social research projects, reporting on findings in order to shape policy or to examine the effectiveness of existing policy.

Role of the Social Researcher

As a Social Researcher one will be using a range of methods such as interviews, survey questionnaires and focus groups to investigate the attitudes, behaviour and experience of population samples on specific issues.

Responsibilities of a Social Researcher

As a social researcher one is needed to:

• Follow instructions from clients about the nature of the research to be carried out
• Use an appropriate and creative methodology to design and manage a research project, which may involve the use of quantitative and qualitative methods and may include both pilot and development work
• Design and write questionnaires and surveys
• Apply range of research techniques to gather relevant information including document analysis, surveys, case studies and interviews
• Develop and test theories
• Coordinate with direct social research field interviewers to gather databases
• Analyse and evaluate research and interpret data using a range of statistical packages
• Gather information by directing or carrying out field work
• Prepare, present, disseminate results in the form of reports
• Offer research-based briefings and advice, which may involve writing action plans

Earning Potential

• The fresh MSW students will be earning around 5 lakhs to 7 lakhs per annum as a social researcher
• The experienced professionals will be earning around 6 lakhs to 8 lakhs per annum

Youth Worker

The youth workers guide and support young people in their perusal, social and educational development to help them reach their full potential

Role of the Youth Worker

As a youth worker, one is responsible to set, organise and run community programmes aimed at young people ages between 11 and 25. They help them to explore and understand their ideas, values and beliefs, building their confidence and life skills, so that they can make a successful transition in adulthood.

Responsibilities of a Youth Worker

As a Youth Worker one is responsible to:

• Assess the needs of young people to correctly plan and deliver programmes related to areas such as health, fitness, smoking, drugs, gangs, violence, relationship, bullying, etc
• Set up and run arts-based activities, community environmental projects, residential activities, outdoor education and sporting activities for young people
• Develop a relationship with young people based on respect and trust ensuring they have a safe place to develop their identity and place in society
• Establish boundaries and challenge inappropriate behaviour
• Support young people in different settings, including outreach work
• Mentor, coach and support individuals encouraging greater social inclusion
• Set targets for progression and regularly monitor and review the quality of the local youth work provision
• Work with partnership with families and other key people in the young person’s life as well as with professionals from other organisations involved with young people such as social care, health, police, education, youth offending teams and local authorities in order to build a strong support network
• Attend and contribute to multi-agency meetings, bringing together practitioners from different sectors as a part of a team around the family approach
• Recruit, train and manage staff including volunteers
• Undertake administrative tasks, maintain effective recording systems and respond to queries
• Identify and pursue sources of funding for projects to improve services and resources for young people

Earning Potential

• The fresh MSW students will be earning around 4 lakhs to 6 lakhs per annum as a youth worker
• The experienced professionals will be earning around 6 lakhs to 8 lakhs per annum

Public Relations Officer

The Public relations officers should be creative communicators who can thrive on the demands of client reputation management and ensure that proper information is communicated effectively on behalf of the client or an organisation.

Role of Public Relations’ Officer

As a public relation’s officer, one is required to manage a reputation in an organisation when it comes to communication. The public relations officers are required to use all forms of media and communication to build, maintain and manage the reputation of the clients or the organisation.

Responsibilities of the Public Relation Officer

As a public relation officer, one is needed to:

• Plan, develop and implement PR strategies
• Communicate with colleagues and key spokesperson
• Coordinate with and answer the enquires from media, individuals and other organisations
• Research, write and distribute press releases to targeted media
• Collate and analyse media coverage
• Write and edit in-house magazines, case studies, speeches, articles and annual reports
• Prepare and supervise the production of publicity brochures, handouts, direct main leaflets, promotional videos, photographs, films and multimedia programmes
• Devise and coordinate photo opportunities
• Organise events including press conferences, exhibitions, open days and press tours
• Maintain and update information on the organisation’s website
• Sourcing and managing speaking and sponsorship opportunities
• Fostering community relations through events such as open days and through involvement in community initiatives
• Be updated with latest PR techniques

Earning Potential

• The fresh MSW students will be earning around 7 lakhs to 9 lakhs per annum as a Public Relations Officer
• The experienced professionals will be earning around 9 lakhs to 12 lakhs per annum

Life Coach

As a life coach one is responsible to empower the relationships of clients and help them to achieve their potential.

Role of a Life Coach

As a life coach one is responsible to help their clients to identify their personal strengths and areas of development. A life coach will develop on-going confidential, one-to-one relationships with clients. The main aim of the life coach is to help clients to plan positive goals. They are also required to deliver personal development workshops for small or large groups.

Responsibilities of a Life Coach

As a Life Coach one will be responsible to:

• Agree a coaching contract for a number of sessions, discuss confidentiality and work to a code of ethics
• Build good working relationships with clients, allowing them to communicate their values and beliefs
• Motivate and encourage clients throughout the change process
• Use coaching skills to develop the client’s self-awareness
• Be aware of self-help techniques such as mindfulness and how this can help clients to manage stress and increase productivity
• Work with clients to develop agreed strategies for reaching their goals, continually reviewing progress
• Have a clear understanding of coaching frameworks and theories of positive psychology with the ability to apply them in practice

Earning Potential

• Life-Coach is apparently self-employed and works as a private practitioner. As a life-coach one can easily earn nearly around 5 lakhs to 10 lakhs per event depending upon the number of participants
• As a life-coach one can start a private practice and earn nearly around 50,000 to 1 lakh per month

Concluding Lines

The MSW students have a wide range of opportunities available for them in the job markets irrespective of the industry. The demand continues to increase in the coming days with more and more emergence of new roles and responsibilities that are focused towards the activities like community development instantiates, welfare of the society, etc.

The students with an intention to help and serve the community and want to bring smiles in the faces of deprived people then they can join the MSW course. They can also earn decent salaries and also have opportunities to grow better in the career.