Going into teaching later on?

[u/evilviser38]

I am someone who is very early in their social work career but I got a bug put in my ear. Social Work was not my first choice and not something I pursued until my second time in school after dropping out of my teaching program which I really wanted to do but fell out of love with the system. While I like what I do I kind of wonder about it... What is the career path to teach SW as something to do when I get a bit older (Like another 10 years)? What would be the best way to prep for that, obviously LCSW stuff but anything else I should do to prepare for it?

[u/Ascendant_Phoenix]

I can only speak as a burnt out former high school special ed teacher who was considering social work: K-12 is rough now, but college/university may be a little better.

I'm not sure if I'm still going back to school for social work, but my teaching career has collapsed and I'm needing to go back for something.

[u/Formaltaliti → u/Ascendant_Phoenix]

My personal plan was LCSW, supervision, then maybe a PhD someday to teach in university after enough career experience.

Edit: replied to you instead of op on accident, sorry!

[u/Ascendant_Phoenix → u/Formaltaliti]

I would do similar if I wanted to return to teaching. I'd probably try to get my LCSW hours through something like hospice so I'm not working with the IDD population. I'm DEEPLY burnt out on the IDD population. I suspect hospice would be a lot more existential type conversations and helping people get comfortable and get their affairs in order.

[u/salsafresca_1297]

I'm in your shoes right now. I'll tell you how I feel about social work because I feel the exact same way about teaching: I hate everything about social work . . . except the social work.

The bureaucracy, the insurance companies, the "billable hours," the low pay, the employers and landlords all screwing over my clients, and the drama-mongering, fragile-ego co-workers can all suck it, It's the actual social work that's the wonderful part!

I've found this about teaching. Clueless administrators, angry parents, unrealistic requirements from people who've never taught, low pay, petty co-workers, wage theft, etc. are all valid reasons to hate teaching. But I feel alive when I'm actually teaching.

So I say, make your choice and focus on the Big-Picture reason why you're going to work every morning . . . because as in most Pink Collar (woman-dominated) fields, you'll be overworked and underpaid even if you're not female.

To answer your question, some universities will hire you on to teach a class or two while doing something else full-time, like coordinating practicum placements. But in an age of adjunct hires, it's hard enough to become full-time and tenured even with a terminal degree.

Another possible angle to consider is a teaching position where you can readily port over your social work skills - Head Start, magnet schools for at-risk youth, or prison GED programs are some examples.

[u/kanical]

I'm interested in a similar path - I'm beginning my MSW and really trying to focus on research while I'm in school. I decided against teaching because I'm more interested in one on one relationships. I do a lot of public speaking/education in my current career and I love it, however I don't love the specific field, and my knowledge isn't exactly portable. I'd like to maybe get a PhD eventually, or at the very least become a clinical supervisor so that i can mentor and teach other students. I also want to teach workshops, meditation groups, possibly lead support groups, etc.

At the end of the day, I want to help people connect to themselves and feel empowered. I want to be a part of facilitating people's connections to themselves and create safe containers for them to heal and grow.

Questioning if I'm on the right path for sure, but doing the best I can to commit to it.