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Social Work

Author: Sara Kerschner, MSW Student, U-M School of Social Work and Peer Advisor

Employment and Volunteer/Internship Opportunities
- Positions in Australia and Africa
- Positions in the United Kingdom and Ireland
Study Opportunities
- Year-Long Study Abroad Programs
- Short-Term Study Abroad Programs
Funding Sources

This page describes resources for researching international opportunities for U.S. undergraduates, graduate students, and doctoral students interested in the field of social work. Highlighted are programs and positions for finding organizations, funding sources and other resources. All publications listed are available for your use in the Education Abroad Office at the U-M International Center.

Employment, Internship, and Volunteer Opportunities

The following list contains directories and organizations. It is a partial list and there are any more organizations exist that are reputable.

U-M International Center, Education Abroad Office	This web site contains links to several hundred selected web sites for study, work and travel abroad. The office is home to books and people who know a lot about overseas work. Please come visit us in person. Some of our books include this staff favorite, How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas, by Joseph Collins.
U-M International Institute	Their Area Study Centers can be very useful for those involved in international research or study. Also, they have scholarships available for international research and internships.
U-M School of Public Health International Job Listings	Excellent site with many listings and regular updates.
U-M SSW Library's International Social Work Resources	Great link with many organization listings.
Cross Cultural Solutions	Great organization that administers short-term volunteer projects in developing countries.
Doctors Without Borders	Large organization doing international medical care, which includes mental health and related positions. Work with medical staff in developing countries on various health projects. 6-12 month-long volunteer positions.
Social Work and Social Services Jobs Online, Washington University	By Washington University's George Warren Brown School of Social Work. Specific job listings and links to other appropriate job web sites. Search provisions make it easy to find jobs by type of work or location, including a good number of overseas listings.
Goshen University's Community Development Organization Links	Goshen University's links to community development organizations sites.
Grassroots.org	Useful links about community activism involved in worldwide grassroots work.
Idealist	Includes job, internship, and volunteer positions for over 20,000 non-profit organizations, some of which are international.
InterAction Member Profiles	InterAction is the largest group of U.S.-based international NGOs. Organizations are indexed under many social work topics such as cultural preservation; refugee services, urban development, etc.
International Federation of Social Workers	Includes links to many organizations and other resources that have job/volunteer listings.
International Medical Volunteers Association	Section “On Volunteering” contains a good introduction to volunteering and tips on finding opportunities. “Help Wanted” section has profiles of dozens of organizations accepting volunteers, many include social workers.
International Monster	Commercial website with many job listings.
Madre: International Human Rights Organization	International women's human rights organization organizing international grassroots women's organizations. Check out their extensive links.
Directory of International Internships: A World of Opportunities Michigan State University Career Development and Placement Services	Lists several international internships offered to undergraduate and graduate students. Indexed by related fields of study such as administrative/management; community development, etc.
Relief Web	This is a project of United Nations and lists many NGO's. Useful for year-long international experiences or for research.
Social Work Action Team (SWAT)	Opportunities in Canada and worldwide.
Transitions Abroad: The Guide to Learning, Living, and Working Overseas	Magazine and web site includes current overseas employment opportunities, articles, and additional publications.
University of Texas at Austin's Service Leader	Many international volunteer positions.

Positions in Australia and Africa

Australia search engine	General job search engine with several social work positions.
Michigan State University's Employment in Africa	Listings and advice about finding work in many countries in Africa.

Positions in the United Kingdom and Ireland

Social work is also called “social care”.

Bluecare	Agency that recruits social workers for a variety of positions in the United Kingdom. Click on “social care”.
IrishJobs.ie	General job search engine with several social work positions in Ireland.
Social Work Solutions/Hays Social Care	Listings for social work positions in the UK.
Wynant and Clayton Volunteer Program	Summer placements in the United Kingdom doing social service work – free room and board.

Study Opportunities

Year-Long Study Abroad Programs

Several international, post-graduation study opportunities exist for students interested in long-term international educational opportunities.

Fulbright	The Fulbright is for graduating seniors, graduate students, and alumni.
Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarships	Provides the largest, single U.S. scholarship program for study abroad. Application is done through local Rotary Club only. Locally-determined deadlines may be determined as early as 1-1/2 years in advance.

Short-Term Study Abroad Programs

Study abroad while enrolled in the U-M social work program is unusual, but some summer graduate programs for credit exist and are listed in these directories.

IIEPassport, Institute of International Education Copy available at U-M International Center	Can search by programs related to the field of social work including social administration, social change, social policy, social problems, human rights, organizational behavior, and women's studies.
Peterson's Study Abroad: A Guide to Semester, Summer, and Academic Year Abroad Programs	Profiles study abroad programs for the semester, summer or academic year. Lists organizations to contact, includes related fields of study (e.g. criminal justice, peace studies, etc.)
World Learning School for International Training	Undergraduate and graduate programs entitled “Global Partnership for NGO Studies”, “Education and Training” and “NGO Leadership Management Program”. There is an emphasis on preparing students to work as leaders, managers, trainers, and program staff in the international NGO sector.

Funding Sources

Money is an issue common to all students. U-M International Center does not provide any funding, however we have some ideas for helping you find some. If you are interested in a year-long experience, two great opportunities are the competitive Fulbright and Rotary scholarships, which are listed below. Also, we encourage you to consider U-M International Institute's “Individual Fellowship” grants for the summer term. These are competitive also. Other methods of finding funds are directly through your department or through the program itself. Always check to see if your department can help with this, as well as asking about the possibility of matching grants (this is common). Outside of that and family, the following resources provide ideas for funding. We are also happy to brainstorm options with you. Remember that if you want to go overseas, there are usually ways to accomplish this. Get ready to be creative and resourceful.

U-M International Institute Suite 2660 School of Social Work Building 1080 S. University 734.763.9200 iimichigan@umich.edu	Where the Fulbright scholarship office and area study centers are located. Area study centers may have funds and ideas available concerning specific world regions. The office also administers the Individual Fellowship, a grant available to both undergraduate and graduate students. Produces web site article: “International Institute's Guide to Resources in Support of International and Area Studies”.
U-M International Center, Education Abroad Office	Complete list of scholarships, comprehensive information about international careers and internships available. See Funding Undergraduate and Graduate International Internships.
Financial Aid for Study and Training Abroad Financial Aid for Research and Creative Activities Abroad	Both books by Reference Service Press. Lists scholarships, fellowships, loans, grants, awards, and internships for study, research and training abroad. Sample of subjects related to the field of social work include: AIDS; alcohol use and abuse; aged and aging; community development; criminal justice; disabilities; family planning; health and health care; poverty; public administration; social sciences; social services; social welfare; social work; urban affairs.
IIEPassport's Study Abroad Funding	Provides information on agencies that offer awards for U.S. nationals to study, teach, research or pursue other educational objectives abroad. Lists over 650 fellowships, grants, travel grants, scholarships and paid internships geared toward undergraduates, graduates/postgraduates, postdoctorals and professionals.

For U-M Faculty & Students: In addition to the above-mentioned resources, the U-M International Center has shelves of general and country-specific books on international careers, international volunteer opportunities (and most other international opportunities!)

Last reviewed: 06/10