[tiktak]

I'm a 17 year old guy, in A2 at college at the moment. I am applying for a Social Work course. I have just been called to my first Interview of the five choices I have made, none have replied yet which is worrying me actually but I guess they wait until the New Year. It is in Northampton that called me for an interview. I have until the 16th of December to prepare for it. I was wondering what type of questions they might ask. I have bought like 4 books on Social Work but there is so much to take in, I dont want to read the wrong things and then it all comes to no avail, I also get 2 case studies which I have to be tested on prior to the interview as well as that I also have a book chapter that I have to read and make notes on and I'll be examined on it. . I am trying to read up on anti opression, anti discrimination. I really have not been interviewed yet so not sure what they will ask and what to read up on. Or how to prepare for it in a way that will set me apart from all the other applicants.

[tiktak]

I would really appreciate any help from you guys Im so terrified.

[StressPuppy]

Some of the questions at my inteview (bear with me...trying to recall...):

Why do you want to be a social worker?
What do you think social work is?
Tell me/us about your experiences of social work...
How do you deal with stress?

Thompson (2005) or Payne (2005) will give you definitions of social work that are widely accepted... the GSCC (governing bvody) website is very good for getting a good feel of the area: www.gscc.org.uk
Be sure to have read the codes of conduct...you don't need to know them off by heart yet, but having read and understood where they are coming from is important as it will inform your answers. There is a section of the website... hang on let me find it... www.gscc.org.uk/Become+a+social+worker/ that caters for prospective social work students, so probably worth having a look at.

Try not to 'exclude' any particular areas: I have heard of people saying absolutes like..."I only want to work with children" or "I don't want to work with paedophiles"... both of which may be true, but will not gain you any brownie points as it shows a mind already made up.

Look at some of the current issues in social work... there are various tensions between power/empowerment and individuals' rights that are important (again, you don't need to know them comprehensively, just be aware of them), and issues of professionalism in social work.

Not sure if this helps, but good luck! SP

[jellybeanjen]

I was asked similar questions to StressPuppy in my grad scheme interview (I didn't have an individual interview at uni), and also asked:
What do we mean by the term "professional" and how are social workers professional?
Tell us about some legislation or government initiatives you think you might use in practice. (A brief overview was all they were after, and I doubt they'd ask this to get on a BA/BSc course)
Tell us about a time someone made a judgement about you, how it made you feel and how you'd avoid making such judgements in your practice.

Read Community Care magazine (www.communitycare.co.uk) for some of the current issues in social work/social care. Also, check out their forums - the student forum has some good interview advice. As well as the GSCC code of conduct, you should have a look at the BASW code of ethics and also their information on the Social Work Task Force (www.basw.co.uk).

Good luck!!

[~ Purple Rose ~]

Make sure you are prepared to answer questions about the life/work experience you have, and also be able to reflect on it. Reading up on things like anti-discriminatory practice is good because it relates to every aspect of social work. Multi-disciplinary working is another concept that it would be useful to read up on.
The Community Care website is useful, and make sure you are familiar with the GSCC Codes of Conduct

[lottieslee]

Hi Guys,

Im a first year student at York University and remember the daunting days of preparing for your interview. I had interview at York and Leeds plus an exam essay question from Edinburgh.

Basically, the interview will consist of being asked questions around your experience of social work and how you think it has helped you. This will usually involve stressing your good time managment skillsand ability to work under pressure. General questions such as what is social work? When have you had to handle a difficult situation? Always come up. Also a case study is usally given to you either before the interview day to prepare or on the day. You will be given 30 - 60 minutes to read over the case and prepare your answers for questions they will ask.

Dont worry too much about your interview, relax and be yourself. Make sure you have read up on defintions of social work and come up with a good answer to why do you want to do social work, answering because i want to help people is not a good answer!

Good luck people
Charlotte

[greyhound94]

I totally agree with everyone. Just had a social work interview at Essex. Just be yourself, they want to see students that are motivated about the degree and will make good social workers.
I have been in the profession for 25 years I took a list of "buzzwords" with me these included empowerment, empathy, challenging in the correct way, communication skills, listening skills, profesional bounderies etc.
Dont worry to much they are usually really nice people on the panel and rememeber they want you to get through!

[bondsemerson]

Quick question,

If asked how would you answer the question,

How is the social work degree different to any other degree,

Any advice?

[jossers]

Hi, In answer to your question how does social work differ from other degrees, social work combines both theoretical and practice based learning. Ie, you will attend university but will also need to complete a number of hours in practice placements. Due to the nature of the training and some of the issues that you will come across, students can also expect to be allocated a clinical or peer supervisor. Hope this is helpful and good luck.