Life is not a long quiet river.

And for individuals who encounter financial, family or professional problems, it is often useful to consult a social worker.

Mostly exercised by women, this profession aims to help others at a pivotal moment in their lives.

Thanks to tools and their skills, the AS, as they are nicknamed in medical jargon, accompany towards well-being.

A profession that is too little valued, which nevertheless tempts those who want to make themselves useful and give meaning to their career.

Do you feel like an AS?

Here is the route to follow.

Skills, tasks and functions: a true priesthood

Endowed with human qualities, the social worker must very often find the right balance between help and the right relational distance.

She must have a great sense of listening and show empathy, while keeping a cool head to detect problems and propose solutions to people in need.

This professional must both be patient (some situations take time to resolve) and know how to react quickly when an emergency arises.

Finally, sometimes you have to have a strong heart and control your stress, while enjoying taking initiatives and managing responsibilities.

Why all these qualities?

Quite simply because the profession of AS is very versatile and is exercised in several stages.

A preliminary interview with the person in difficulty is very often necessary, in order to fully understand their problems.

Then comes the time to advise and draw up an aid or action plan, then to carry it out, often in the form of administrative procedures, but not exclusively.

It is indeed important to emphasize that the professional adapts to her work context, which will obviously not be the same whether she works in the public or private sector, in a hospital environment, at home, for social assistance at the childhood, in EHPAD, in prison, for companies or in associations.

Nevertheless, the AS are all subject to professional secrecy and the code of ethics.

They can be totally autonomous but also work as a team, during support or interventions.

A unique journey

For initial training, as for continuing education, two paths are available to you.

Holder of a baccalaureate, a DRASS or a DAEU for non-bachelors (Diploma of access to university studies or level examination with the Regional Directorate of Health and Social Affairs), or a VAE ( validation of learning), you will have to enroll for three years in training in a specialized public or private school, to obtain the DEASS (State diploma of social service assistant), which will then allow you to practice .

Another way is possible but selective.

Thus, students who are already taking a two-year DUT in social careers with the “Social assistance” option at university can join one of the specialized schools to prepare for the famous DEASS in one year, before taking their diploma.

During the three years of the course, you will alternate between periods of theoretical learning (1,740 hours) and internships (52 weeks).

Since 2019, a base of knowledge and skills has been shared with students preparing for the diplomas of specialized educator, specialized technical educator, educator of young children or counselor in social and family economics.

And at the time of the exam, your tests will be broken down into four specialties: legislation, communication, professional practice and research dissertation.

Economy

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Climb the ladder

Career development is rapid in the AS.

Professionals who have worked for at least three years can take other diplomas, such as the State diploma in social engineering (DEIS), in order to access management positions.

In terms of salary, a social worker earns around 1,500 euros net monthly if she works in the public service.

Count around 1,800 euros for an AS working within Social Security or in specialized establishments.

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