Consider social work as a future career and use social worker bursaries to help pay for your college education. Here’s why. Social work is a category that generally attracts students of a passionate disposition. Unfortunately there never seems to be enough people interested in entering this field, and as such several social worker bursary programs have been established in an attempt to encourage students to end up in social work as a career. There are programs offered through a number of social work bursaries which will help pay for a good deal of a student’s education and are often offered nationally through government bursaries.
Various social work bursary programs are going to have different standards of eligibility, but getting access to the offered financial support is normally fairly simple if you are a citizen of the country and have the passion to enter the field. In the United Kingdom, the NHS Social Work Bursary and the Step Up to Social Work program are two great places to start looking.
Multiple bursary programs are offered in Canada depending on what province you reside in and what college you are attending, so it’s always best to start looking at your local bursary office. South Africa’s National Department of Social Department offers bursaries for social work to those students who demonstrate financial need and is definitely a first stop for students in that country.
The United Kingdom offers several social worker bursaries relevant to those students intending to wind up in the social work profession. Two of their larger ones are offered by the National Health Service (NHS) and the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC). The National Health Service offers a bursary program independent of financial need for legal residents of the country. This social work bursary offers 575 pounds for full time undergraduates and 862.50 pounds for full time graduates students. This amount decreases for students who are enrolling part time in eligible courses. Students are allowed to use the award in any manner they deem necessary, making this a useful bursary award for students who need to fill a gap between funding for school and other specific need. The deadline for this social work bursary is March 31, 2011.
Advancing students looking for massive funding may want to look into the CWDC Step Up to Social Work bursary which is aimed at giving aid to those seeking a Masters degree in the field. Qualifying for this program requires students to have previous experience working with families and children, providing 15,000 pounds for educational advancement in social work. Awards for the 2010/11 academic year have already been issued, but students interested in beginning their classes in September 2011 should keep their eyes on the CWDC website for the next year’s deadline.
Canada, which separates their bursary programs by province, has a large number of potential social work bursaries available for students depending on their locale. For instance, Ryerson University in Ontario offers a $1,000 social work bursary for students attending that school. Students attending Ryerson automatically apply for this SW bursary when filling out their bursary application forms while preparing to begin school. It requires good grades and proof of financial need for residents of Ontario attending Ryerson. It is available for students in their second or third year of undergraduate education.
Students in South Africa should start their social work bursary search with the National Department of Social Development which offers a program covering 100% of tuition, meals, accommodations, registration and the occasional need for books. Applicants must be South African citizens who have passed their matric examinations and are preparing to join or are already in a social work program. Any student receiving this bursary is required to work for the National Department of Social Development for the same number of years for which they were sponsored by the group. Applications must be submitted before October 31 of 2011.
As one can easily see, looking for and finding social work bursaries is not very difficult, and there are an exceptional number of programs available to fund entirely or part of a future social worker’s education.
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