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Social worker

A social work degree approved by Social Work England, a master's after another degree, or a degree apprenticeship. Then you register with Social Work England.

These rules are for England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own social work regulators.

See the route Pay by region
Typical UK pay (median)£44,550Social workers, full time, per year
ONS
Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025 provisional, tables 14 and 15Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Checked
9 Oct 2026

Medians for full-time employee jobs. ONS hides estimates it rates unreliable (CV over 20%).

View source
Licensed or registered bySWESocial Work England. Register to work as a social worker
NCS
Social worker — job profileNational Careers Service (GOV.UK)
Checked
23 Oct 2026
View source
Top 25% earn over£49,959ONS ASHE 2025 (provisional)
Full-time jobs in the UK85,000Employees, rounded by ONS

How to get there

2 routes. Social work degree · Degree apprenticeship

Social work degree SWE

A degree approved by Social Work England.

  1. School2 to 3 A levels

    Or equivalent.

    NCS
    Social worker — job profileNational Careers Service (GOV.UK)
    Checked
    23 Oct 2026
    View source

  2. DegreeSocial work degree

    Or a 2-year postgraduate degree if your first degree is in another subject.

    NCS
    Social worker — job profileNational Careers Service (GOV.UK)
    Checked
    23 Oct 2026
    View source

  3. RegisterJoin the Social Work England register

    SWE
    Registration (Internet Archive copy of 5 Sep 2026)Social Work England
    Checked
    23 Oct 2026

    socialworkengland.org.uk returns 403 to automated readers, so the archived copy is cited.

    View source

  4. GoalRegistered social worker

    NCS
    Social worker — job profileNational Careers Service (GOV.UK)
    Checked
    23 Oct 2026
    View source

Graduate schemes
Intensive work-based programmes like Step Up to Social Work and Approach Social Work need at least a 2:2 degree.
NCS
Social worker — job profileNational Careers Service (GOV.UK)
Checked
23 Oct 2026
View source

Degree apprenticeship Level 6

Work placements plus academic study.

  1. SchoolGCSEs + A levels

    4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4.

    NCS
    Social worker — job profileNational Careers Service (GOV.UK)
    Checked
    23 Oct 2026
    View source

  2. Level 6Social Worker Degree Apprenticeship

    Around 3 years.

    NCS
    Social worker — job profileNational Careers Service (GOV.UK)
    Checked
    23 Oct 2026
    View source

  3. GoalRegistered social worker

    SWE
    Registration (Internet Archive copy of 5 Sep 2026)Social Work England
    Checked
    23 Oct 2026

    socialworkengland.org.uk returns 403 to automated readers, so the archived copy is cited.

    View source

At school

GCSEs (Years 10–11) and A levels (Years 12–13), or equivalents.

A levels
2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree.
NCS
Social worker — job profileNational Careers Service (GOV.UK)
Checked
23 Oct 2026
View source
Experience
Most courses want experience with vulnerable groups or children: paid or volunteer.
NCS
Social worker — job profileNational Careers Service (GOV.UK)
Checked
23 Oct 2026
View source
UCAS points
An A* = 56 points. Many courses ask for grades instead of points.
UCAS
The new UCAS Tariff: ten things applicants need to knowUCAS
Checked
9 Oct 2026

An A* at A level is worth 56 Tariff points. Only about a third of courses use Tariff points in their entry requirements; most ask for grades.

View source

Pay by region

Pay is in pounds (£) per year, before tax, for full-time employees. ASHE counts employees only, so self-employed people (most barristers, many contractors) are not in these figures.

Social workers SOC 2461

  • UK median £44,550
  • Bottom 25% under £39,517
  • Top 25% over £49,959
Social workers: median full-time pay by UK region, highest first
Region (where people work)Median payJobsHow exact
London£48,44311,000Good
Scotland£45,52411,000Precise
South East£43,861—Good
Wales£43,693—Good
West Midlands£43,058—Rough estimate
North West£42,96913,000Good
North East£42,834—Rough estimate
East Midlands£42,390—Rough estimate
South West£41,898—Good
East£41,769—Good
Yorkshire and The Humber£40,966—Good

Regions where ONS did not publish a reliable figure are left out. "Rough estimate" = ONS rates it CV 10–20%: use it with care.

ONS
ASHE 2025 provisional, table 15: work region by occupation (4-digit SOC 2020)Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Checked
9 Oct 2026

A region is listed only where ONS published a median for that job.

View source

Starting vs experienced (National Careers Service)

  • Social worker: starter £32,000 · experienced £48,000
    NCS
    Social worker — job profileNational Careers Service (GOV.UK)
    Checked
    23 Oct 2026
    View source
Pay: ONS ASHE 2025 (provisional), tables 14 and 15, full-time employees. Routes and rules: the official sites linked on each row, checked 23 Oct 2026. Education Margdarshan does not rank universities or recommend paid courses.