Social work is a varied and exciting profession that suits many different types of people. These questions might help you to decide if a career in social work is for you. Are you:

• An excellent communicator who can relate to people of all ages and cultures?
• A good decision maker, with excellent problem-solving skills?
• Understanding, empathetic, patient, and honest?
• Reliable, adaptable, and able to cope with stressful situations?
• Able to keep information private and work within a code of ethics?
• Well organised, with good planning skills?

Social workers need to have:

• Knowledge of social work practice and theories
• An understanding of social and cultural issues and problems
• Knowledge of human behaviour, development, relationships, and social systems
• Counselling and negotiating skills
• Knowledge of social policy and how it is developed
• An understanding of Te Tiriti O Waitangi/ the Treaty of Waitangi
• Knowledge of te reo Māori me ōna tikanga and Maori models of practice.

If this is of interest to you, you may wish to learn more about studying to become a social worker.

Studying social work

There are education institutes across New Zealand providing social work programmes of study, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Before you enrol on a course, check that it will lead to a SWRB recognised qualification that will allow you to apply to become a registered social worker:

Recognised New Zealand Social Work Qualifications_2026

Some programmes are taught by distance learning, so if you live rurally or your responsibilities at home or work mean you aren’t able to attend lectures, this may be an option for you. However, all programmes require a minimum of 20 days face to face teaching as well as 900 hours of field education. You will need to plan how you will manage this.

At the undergraduate level you will need to successfully complete a SWRB prescribed  bachelor’s degree programme.

If you have an undergraduate degree in another related field, consider the postgraduate level programmes available. Not all undergraduate degrees will give entry to the postgraduate social work programme as you will be expected to have completed foundational study in the social sciences. Talk to the individual institution to see if your undergraduate degree would meet their requirements. You will need to successfully complete a SWRB prescribed  master’s degree programme.

If you plan on becoming a social worker once you have completed your qualification, you will need to become registered with the SWRB – you can find more information on the process here.