How To Become A Social Work Associate: What It Is and Career Path

What is a social work associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Virginia Schwindt

Social workers provide valuable assistance to people in need, for example by connecting them to other resources or helping prepare treatment plans. However, they usually cannot manage their caseload alone. That is why many social workers work with a social work associate, who helps them with what needs to be done.

Social work associates can work at a university, social services center, or nonprofit. They often take care of many of the administrative tasks a social worker needs to do, such as filing paperwork. They also interact directly with clients, for example by helping them apply for welfare or taking down notes about their case for the social worker.

Unlike social workers, most social work associates do not need to be licensed. Usually, they only need to have a bachelor's degree in social work or a related field and maybe a year of experience, although some places do not require a degree either. Working as a social work associate can be a great way for someone to figure out if they like the field before going on to pursue a master's degree and licensure.

What general advice would you give to a social work associate?

Virginia Schwindt

MSW Field Director/Associate Professor, Union University

Take the licensing test as soon as you are able to, and be open to where you work. It is great to want a specific population or employer, but being open to other experiences may be where God wants you to be. Don't limit yourself because, as a social worker, you can do so many different things.

ScoreSocial Work AssociateUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $43,497

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.9

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.17%

Asian 7.47%

Black or African American 12.63%

Hispanic or Latino 17.78%

Unknown 5.19%

White 54.75%

Gender

female 58.98%

male 41.02%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

8.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a social work associate

Explore social work associate education requirements

Most common social work associate degrees

Bachelor's

57.4 %

High School Diploma

12.8 %

Master's

12.6 %

Start to develop specific social work associate skills

Skills	Percentages
Social Work	26.88%
Patients	13.55%
Facebook	12.01%
Social Services	10.64%
Community Resources	5.59%

Complete relevant social work associate training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New social work associates learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a social work associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real social work associate resumes.

Research social work associate duties and responsibilities

Collaborate with partners including public and private agencies to achieve permanency for children.
Provide additional services for patients and families including travel arrangements, financial entitlements, and community resources.
Provide anonymous counseling and testing services for the HIV for clients.
Produce all contracts, prepare the work breakdown, train staff and clients, do payroll and reporting for compliance

Prepare your social work associate resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your social work associate resume.

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