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Youth worker

Youth workers guide and support young people aged 11 to 25. They organise activities to help with personal and social development.

Average salary (a year)

£23,250 Starter

to

£37,500 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

37 to 39 a week

You could work

evenings / weekends on a rota

How to become a youth worker

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
  • volunteering
  • applying directly

University

You can do a professional youth work qualification, like a degree that is recognised by the National Youth Agency.

Subjects include:

  • youth and community
  • community and youth studies
  • youth and theology
  • informal and community education

If you have a degree in another subject, you can take a postgraduate qualification to give you professional youth worker status.

You'll also need relevant experience to get on to a degree or postgraduate course.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course

More information

College

You could do a course like a Level 2 or 3 Diploma in Youth Work Practice. This would give you an advantage when you apply for a job as a youth support worker. You would then take further training on the job.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, and work experience

More information

Apprenticeship

You can complete an intermediate and advanced apprenticeship in youth work.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

More information

Work

You could start as a part-time or volunteer youth support worker and complete on-the-job training to use as entry on to a degree course to get professionally qualified.

Volunteering and experience

It's important that you get experience of paid or unpaid work with young people. You'll often need at least 1 year's experience to apply for professional youth work courses and jobs.

Find out about local opportunities for voluntary or part-time youth work through the National Council for Voluntary Organisations or by contacting your local authority youth service.

Direct application

You can apply for youth work jobs if you've got relevant experience and qualifications, for example in teaching, careers guidance, probation or community development.

You'll be expected to complete a postgraduate award in youth work while you're working.

More information

Further information

You can get more advice on careers and training in youth work from the National Youth Agency.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • sensitivity and understanding
  • the ability to work well with others
  • customer service skills
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
  • knowledge of psychology
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

Your day-to-day tasks will include:

  • organising sports, arts, education and drama activities
  • counselling, coaching and mentoring
  • working with young carers or those at risk of offending
  • assessing needs and running projects that deal with issues like health, bullying, crime or drugs
  • managing volunteers and part-time workers
  • keeping confidential records
  • controlling budgets and applying for grants and funding
  • working with social workers, teachers, probation officers and the police

Working environment

You could work in the community, at an outreach centre, at a college, in an office or at a school.

Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding and outdoors some of the time.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could take on a more specialist role in an area like mental health. You could also become a team leader or manager.

Other options are to gain further qualifications and move into social work, teaching, community development or counselling.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for a youth worker right now.

The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.

Courses In England

Access to HE Health and Social Care Professions

  • Provider: Bradford College
  • Start date: 07 September 2020
  • Location: Bradford

Access to Higher Education - Social Sciences

  • Provider: Shipley College
  • Start date: 07 September 2020
  • Location: Shipley
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