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The differences between social work interns and school 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 school social worker takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a school social worker has an average salary of $54,856, 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 school social worker are social work, social emotional, and IEP.
| Social Work Internship | School Social Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $37,178 | $54,856 |
| Hourly rate | $17.87 | $26.37 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 142,426 | 122,376 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Master's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
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.
A school social worker specializes in counseling students, families, and faculty members. They are responsible for coordinating with the school to develop programs that prioritize the students' emotional and psychological well-being, respond to any issues and concerns, build rapport to identify their needs, and communicate with support services to provide necessary assistance to any students or families. There are also instances when a school social worker must assist teachers in handling students with behavioral issues, investigating the underlying reasons. Moreover, it is crucial to identify any signs of neglect or abuse, conducting interventive measures right away.
Social work interns and school social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Social Work Internship | School Social Worker | |
| Average salary | $37,178 | $54,856 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $51,000 | Between $40,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fargo, ND | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Washington |
| Best paying company | DTCC | Boston Public Schools |
| Best paying industry | Government | Education |
There are a few differences between a social work internship and a school social worker in terms of educational background:
| Social Work Internship | School Social Worker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Master's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Social Work |
| Most common college | California State University - Fullerton | Boston College |
Here are the differences between social work interns' and school social workers' demographics:
| Social Work Internship | School Social Worker | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 18.3% Female, 81.7% | Male, 17.5% Female, 82.5% |
| 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, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 10% |