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The differences between social work interns and licensed social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a social work internship, becoming a licensed social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a licensed social worker has an average salary of $57,005, which is higher than the $37,178 average annual salary of a social work internship.
The top three skills for a social work internship include patients, social work and intake assessments. The most important skills for a licensed social worker are social work, patients, and home health.
| Social Work Internship | Licensed Social Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $37,178 | $57,005 |
| Hourly rate | $17.87 | $27.41 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 142,426 | 66,130 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
Social work interns are students who chose to do their on-the-job training in the field of social work. They apply for an internship at social services facilities. They are usually assigned to do administrative or clerical activities such as sorting through files, updating records, organizing documents, and filing reports. Aside from clerical tasks, they also get exposed to program or project management by working on program-specific initiatives. They get exposed to planning, resource managing, implementing, and evaluating. They may also join their supervisors during field activities.
Licensed Social Workers are duly and legally recognized to carry out activities related to social work. They identify individuals or groups of people in need and assess what kind of help they require. They may assist these people in connecting to agencies that would cater to their needs. Licensed Social Workers also help people cope with their challenges. They are responsible for crafting treatment plans or well-being improvement plans for the individuals they help. They may also be called on during times of crisis to provide emotional support to the individuals involved.
Social work interns and licensed social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Social Work Internship | Licensed Social Worker | |
| Average salary | $37,178 | $57,005 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $51,000 | Between $41,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fargo, ND | Sacramento, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | DTCC | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Government | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a social work internship and a licensed social worker in terms of educational background:
| Social Work Internship | Licensed Social Worker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Social Work |
| Most common college | California State University - Fullerton | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between social work interns' and licensed social workers' demographics:
| Social Work Internship | Licensed Social Worker | |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 18.3% Female, 81.7% | Male, 16.1% Female, 83.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 7.3% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2% | Black or African American, 19.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 13% |