”I want to feel that I make a difference …” : A qualitative study about social worker students perceptions of the social work as a profession

During recent years, Swedish municipalities have had major recruitment problems regarding social workers, especially in child welfare and maintenance support. Previous research shows that high workload and inadequate resources are the main reasons why the social workers leave their jobs as an effect of New Public Management, which has characterized the public sector over the past three decades. The purpose of this study is to examine how Swedish social worker students percive and experience social work as a profession. Previous resarch put forward a clear hierarchical status scheme within the social workers professions community in Sweden, which can be seen affecting social worker students by socialization in to the professions structures. The result from this interview study shows that the social worker students belive that there is high workload, too much administrative work and too little room for discretion, which limits the ability to make a difference for the clients. The findings also shows that education and practical experience have a major impact on the way social worker students experience the social work. In addtion; media, society and family contribute to the perceptions of the profession. Furthermore, the students describe that their social environment is crucial in regards to becoming a social worker. For the understanding of perceptions of the social work, the study has theoretical frameworks of Bourdieu and Goffman in purpose to theorize student socialization into professional structures