With a population of around 1.5 million people, the city of Manchester is the third most populous city in the UK. However, including outlying towns such as Blackburn, Wigan and Bury, the population of Greater Manchester is far larger than that.
Manchester has a number of relatively deprived areas, so social care projects in the city are widespread. Most commonly found within local authorities, social care jobs include those in social work, occupational therapy, education services and youth projects. The range of social care projects in Manchester is extremely varied, so there is no particular path to employment in the sector. However, social workers and those in the medical profession will usually need a degree recognised in their particular field.
Although most staff employed in the Manchester social care sector work within the various local authorities that constitute the metropolitan area, there are a number of charitable organisations and social outreach programmes that regularly have employment opportunities. These agencies include Hackney, Save the Children and various social inclusion initiatives. Much of this work involves working within communities, so recruitment agencies are looking for candidates with excellent communication skills - as well as having the ability to deal with highly pressurised situations.
Social support workers in Manchester can expect to earn between £7 and £10 per hour. However, project leaders, medical professionals and qualified social workers can expect to receive a salary of between £25,000 and £60,000 per year.
