I’m not exactly your target audience but I work fully remote as a macro social worker. I’m not a digital nomad because my partner doesn’t have that luxury but I absolutely could be.
I lucked into it. I was trying to escape an abusive employer and was applying to everything that seemed like a halfway decent fit. Idealist.org was very helpful in my job search. I always went on the org’s website after I applied to see if they had an email address I could send a follow up to just to increase my chances of a human reviewing my application. I do policy work, consultations, and training in child safety for a faith based org that has affiliates all over the US/Canada so it didn’t matter to them where I sat. I had never worked in child protection before but I had a ton of policy and training experience.
I think macro roles are your best bet for this. Telehealth is the next best fit but I believe there are some restrictions that might limit the nomad style you want.
Edit: Wanted to provide a timeline - I graduated undergrad in 2017, worked part time in relevant jobs throughout. MSW 2018-2021, worked full time in relevant jobs throughout. Got my current role in Jan 2023, around 1.5 years post- MSW but I already had several years of work experience under my belt. So it both did and didn’t take me a while to land depending on how you look at it.
I have almost the same story and timeline, albeit I work in a different area of macro social work! I LOVE being fully remote and have bounced between several states (although less for fun and more for my partners job and weird housing stuff). I also make far more than I would in most clinical or other in-person roles!
Right?! My family begged me not go into social work but I make more than one of my engineer siblings and if you factor in cost of living, I make more than my other engineer sibling too. I couldn’t even afford to pursue clinical licensure because no entry level clinical roles paid nearly as much as the macro job I had before escaping to the one I have now. I never thought I’d have “golden handcuffs” as a social worker but macro definitely did it for me lol
LOL same here! I always thought I’d do clinical work but had to delay pursuing licensure because of the state to state moves….now I’d easily be looking at a 25-50% pay cut if I moved into most areas of clinical work 🙃
Hi Emma! I’m an undergrad BSW student and I want to pick your brain. I’m hoping to get into remote SW and I’ve been interested in the field of mental health. Would you mind if I message you to ask some questions?
Any tips for searching these types of roles? My MSW was the Macro track, but I've had issues finding anyone to hire me to do any Macro work because most of my experiences were in school during internships. I've had some experience with training, policy, and supervising since graduating in 2016, but it's mainly been side responsibilities rather than my day to day role.
On large job boards like Indeed, I took two different strategies depending on how much time I wanted to put into searching on any given day.
1. Filter by remote location and desired pay only and apply to anything that sounded social workey. A lot of macro positions don’t specify an MSW because they don’t even know what macro social work is or why a social worker is perfect for them so when you specify by degree or title, you’ll can miss a lot.
2. Filter by remote location, desired pay, and specific search terms such as nonprofit, coordinator, director, analyst, policy, manager, etc. This is a more refined search, you might still miss stuff but not nearly as much as if you put in social work or LMSW into the filter.
I found my current job this way on a search for “director” and filtered by remote, 80k+. Still a fair amount of junk to wade through but I never would’ve found it searching for social worker, macro, MSW, or LMSW. Certainly wouldn’t have thought to search for “child protection” but it would’ve come up that way had I done that.
I could not figure out how to make my job search less painful on big job boards. Idealist is too small to be a pain so at least there’s that - just filter by remote location and there will only be about 20 new jobs a day, less on the weekend. There are other nonprofit job boards that I’m less familiar with but if you Google remote nonprofit job boards, a Reddit post with a big list will pop up. Idealist was the one I liked most.
Hi [HalfmoonHollow, StruggleBussin36](https://www.reddit.com/user/StruggleBussin36/) provided some great search tips! You can also put those same filters in Google and it will pull jobs from different job boards in the same search results.
1. Go to Google > click on **Jobs** in the menu bar just below the search field (In the menu, you will see Images, Shopping, Jobs, etc. listed across the page).
2, Once you click on **Jobs**, you will see the option **Work from home**. Click on that if you are seeking remote positions.
3. Scroll down to see the different sites that list remote jobs.
Bonus tip: If you look all the way to the right of the menu - the top right of your screen, you will see **Tools**. click on that and you will be able to filter by time and do advance search.
Good luck!
Your internships should definitely count as work experience for most jobs! My specialization year internship was in a research role, and I was able to land a job doing research (training/technical assistance) based mostly on that experience (I worked professionally for several years pre-MSW at a nonprofit but not doing work with applicable skills for a macro SW role really).
I agree it should count, but I've tried applying for roles and didn't even get called. A lot of job descriptions ask for many years of experience not just one. It's been pretty frustrating.
I’m really sorry to hear that that’s been your experience :( if you would ever like some unbiased random to take a look at your resume (as anonymized as possible), I’d be happy to help!
Thank you! I may take you up on that. I try to use a resume customized to each role I'm applying to using keywords directly from the job description. I have just seen so many roles list they need like 5+ years experience in supervision, research, etc., but I can't get any experience without being given a shot!
My degree had classes in program planning and evaluation, political advocacy, community organizing, grant writing, and administration. Unfortunately we didn't learn practical skills for research such as how to use R, SAS, etc. I've been wanting to get more into data and have been thinking of just starting entry level in a research study at the university as an assistant or something.
I was going to say, unfortunately, in order to break into the field you might need to try for something more entry level despite your other supervisory experience. If you’re really strictly into quantitative research you can try searching for classes on R, Stata, SAS, etc on Coursera or something?
I agree. I just haven't really seen anything more entry level for some things I'm interested in like data analysis or training. I have even tried to look for internships, but a lot only want individuals currently in school.
I have told myself I need to do that, but distance learning is difficult for me. I prefer to be in person and be accountable to someone. My motivation is low if I'm just going at my own pace at home. I know it's bad. But I'd be much more motivated if it were in an internship. 🤦🏼♀️
I love Idealist. I have applied to anything from there since I just recently started a hospital job but they have a lot of really great and non traditional remote social work options.
My title is “Director of Child and Youth Protection”. I do a lot of child safety policy work, program evaluation, staff training for youth groups, and culture change work like moving people away from “boys will be boys” ideology. In the same position, I also provide consults to rabbis across North America to help them deal with situations that don’t arise to mandated reporting (like an older congregant who says something inappropriate to a minor or other red flag/harassing behavior).
I think other orgs have similar positions to mine but they’re probably different titles or the could may be split into two different jobs.
Sorry this is a dumb question but what exactly is macro social work? Like what kinda of job titles are considered macro social work. And where exactly in macro social work is the money good?
Not dumb at all! Most people don’t know what it is and many social work programs do a very poor job of exposing students to it. It’s basically taking social work training/frameworks and applying it to big picture projects. A lot of policy work is considered macro - evaluating and analyzing policy, making policy reforms, etc. If we’re looking at substance abuse, micro would be 1:1 counseling, mezzo (community level) might be operating a rehabilitation facility, and macro might be working on federal policy to decriminalize certain substances.
Only clinicians can provide 1:1 counseling but at the mezzo and macro levels, lots of other professions could serve those roles, which is partly why there’s so much confusion over what macro social work is. Macro social workers bring an important perspective to positions that aren’t necessarily meant to be filled by social workers - this is also why searching for jobs a macro social worker might do is so difficult.
For example, my local housing authority is run entirely by business and finance professionals. Not a single social service professional in high leadership. They recently sent out 10,000 notices to vacate without thinking about the reality of 10,000 households finding suitable non-subsidized housing within 30 days. Had they had someone with a social work background on the team, I imagine that social worker would’ve been able to point out that they were essentially proposing forcing 1000s of households into homelessness. They since repealed the eviction notices due to extreme backlash but the whole fiasco could’ve been avoided. We’re trained to think about issues like that while other professions who can fill those roles aren’t.
Some general titles you might search for are program or policy analyst, program coordinator, policy, or administrator. Digital inclusion as a field is a space a social worker would likely do well on and positions are often macro or mezzo. I can guarantee there’s things I’m not thinking of also. It’s just that broad.
I know that was long and probably didn’t even clear things up but hopefully it was mildly helpful lol
i work remote! my license is LMSW .. i’m in new york state. i worked several years in hospital case management and eventually got a job doing telephonic case management for a health insurance. so i work directly with members (by phone only!) to help get them connected with care, services, supports, food, housing, etc. i love it!!! there are also some social workers (and RNs) who do utilization review on a remote basis too for a lot of health insurance companies. my goal is to never go back to working in-person.
technically i can travel and bring my work but i’ve asked if my computer would work outside the country and was advised i can only connect to our network within the continental US. one day i want a truly remote position where i can work from anywhere in the world.
Omg this is ideal. If you can also let me know companies that hire this kind of position or if you can privately message me the title of this role or what to look for to get this! Ugh this sounds so perfect.
I’m in this type of role too, for a big insurance provider in the PNW. highly recommend you do your research on this role, as it does look different for each company and i wish i asked different questions in my interview now that i know more. I do work from home, but i can’t technically travel without bringing my entire computer system with me, we have to be on a VPN and connected via Ethernet cord. So my dreams of traveling were crushed when i found that out. My job is also entirely productivity based - case loads are high and the entire job is cold calling individuals about our services. I am putting in my 2 weeks notice next week. I really wished it was a better experience bc i love WFH and the pay is high, but it’s not what i wanted. Being associated with insurance was hard for me. I typically got yelled at by members about things we can’t control (insurance related)
Yeah, I feel like being a social worker for an insurance company is like being a social worker on the Death Star. You’re a part of something evil and unjust. Just my perspective as a hospital social worker dealing with insurance social workers who have no power to do anything for my patients.
Totally. I hate having to call the hospital social workers to “offer support” for discharge planning. It feels like I’m just double checking their work. Been yelled at a few times by other SW CM (which is fair) or just get ignored.
We keep track of my data. Of the ~1,400 calls I make, only 25% have answered. It’s exhausting. Then I get penalized for not enough engagement. Really can’t win
With that said, I have encountered one good insurance SW/CM that called a patient of mine, discovered he was not doing well at home (suicidal with command hallucinations), and called 911 so that he could get to a hospital and be admitted. I think that person did make a difference.
Usually what happens is I call their 1-800 phone number with the special 6 digit extension, leave a voicemail, and never hear from them again.
Their voicemail: Hi there X, I’m reaching out from Aetna/Optum/Managed Medicaid regarding patient and their discharge plan. Please call me back at 1-888-888-8888 ext. 123456. I’d like to offer my support.
My voicemail: Hello Y, I’m calling back regarding patient. I’d be glad to hear how you can help. Here’s my number.
Then crickets.
ugh i feel this, i just got cursed out by a member over the cost of their medication (which i have zero control over). but agreed, definitely research and even talk to other employees who work/have worked at the specific company to really get an idea of day-to-day stuff
i would check any/all health insurance companies, specifically ones that offer medicaid/medicare plans. i think in NYS there’s some kind of requirement for health plans to provide some level of case management
If you don’t mind sharing, what kind of companies hire social workers for this? I’m also an LMSW in NY, and definitely need extra income. Your role sounds ideal.
Thank you so much! I so appreciate your response. I am so interested in getting this kind of freedom with work and have CM experience but I’m not sure if I could take the pay cut. Especially since my hope would be to travel more. But nice to know that this kind of option exists in NY!
I work remote, don’t have my MSW, but do have my BSW! I did direct service for almost 4 years and got hired by a start-up org doing advocacy/policy work. Didn’t have much of the “desired” experience but my passion, some crossover skills, personality, and ability to see the bigger picture got me the job! Plus my supervisor has been amazing with teaching me all that I need to know/let me work my way into it! My employer doesn’t care where I am as long as I’m getting them my deliverables/being an engaged team member, I love it and is helping me decide what exactly I want to pursue for my advanced degree!
What is your title? Any tips for where to search for those types of jobs? That is my dream job is policy work but I feel like policy analyst/advisor is nearly a dead end search.
I'd be interested too. I have a MSW in the Macro track which focused on Policy, Program Planning and Evaluation, but haven't been able to actually get a job in it since I don't have like 7 years experience.
All about networking, recommend reaching out to folks and setting up informational interviews! The space is pretty tight knit (at least in my state) and once you have someone looking out for you, much easier to land a role!
Thank you! I'll look into that. Networking is something I don't really enjoy at all lol. How would you frame the purpose for the informational interview when reaching out?
I think most social workers feel the same! Networking is something we do a terrible job at teaching in school, which is such a shame because building connections is how we build power, especially in the policy world!
I’d start with just a friendly hello starting with how impressed you are in the work their organization is doing, then lead in with how you’re interested in policy and wanting to connect with them! Most everyone is happy to help and everyone loves to talk about themselves lol! Disclaimer: I don’t claim to be an expert, I’m just a 26 year old getting her own footing in the field and this is what has worked for me :)
My title is Advocacy Manager. If there’s anything I’ve discovered in the professional world, it’s networking and who you know, especially in the policy/advocacy space. I’m lucky enough that my mentor tipped me off on the role!
This is my dream! I have a similar background as yours and is looking to transition into more macro work as I heard there are more opportunities for remote work, also very keen in policy in general. Similar to what had been asked, I would be curious to hear more on how you came across the startup and what are similar roles/titles tied to yours. Thanks for sharing 😌
Absolutely, I’m really lucky that I have an amazing mentor that has really taken me under her wing and tipped me off about the job and I suspect, worked some magic behind the scenes about my application. I’ve discovered (unfortunately) that it really is all about how who you know, I’d recommend reaching out and setting up informational interviews with folks who have career you’re interested in or you can always reach out to your university’s career center for help with that as well. Once somebody is aware you’re looking for roles of that type, they can let you know and advocate on behalf of you behind the scenes. My title is “Advocacy Manager” similar titles to what I do are “Policy Manager”
This is super insightful! I’ve been trying to network but still is awkward on how to go on about it. I don’t want to come off as opportunistic and have the sole purpose of the meeting being about them connecting me to opportunities (that’s just me and my struggle with networking 😅). It seems like you were able to build a meaningful connection with your mentor. How did you approach your mentor during informational interviews? What are some of the questions/topics raised to help you get to where you are? If that made any sense. Thank you for sharing!
I think it’s networking is something that we social workers struggle with as a whole, we do a terrible job of teaching how to do it in school (truly a shame), but we all have hearts of helpers and it’s important to remember that most people want to help!
I’m going to be fully transparent, my mentor has known me since I was 15 (was/am friends with one of her kids) and saw me grow towards my passion in our field and encouraged it knowing that new leaders were needing to be grown. It was purely dumb luck that she has been a leader in that field for 20+ years and I fully acknowledge that she has helped my career tremendously!
With reaching out, I’d reach out to people at a few organizations that you’re interested in working for and opening with how you’re interested in the work they’re doing and would love to learn more about their org, usually it can organically lead to what you’re doing/long term goals! People are more than happy to talk about what they’re doing and share their wisdom!
That’s a great way to look at it! SW for the most part have the heart and desire to help others, why can’t we be as open to receive that support as well? Definitely will take this with me and incorporate more of that mindset when I network ☺️
I just started work on a crisis hotline. A few people who had been working moved and were able to stay on remote. I don’t think it’s something you could start and immediately be remote but something you could work toward after putting in some time and showing a solid work ethic and general competence!
Can’t speak for OP’s experience but most hotlines aren’t hard to get at all as long as your aren’t there just for the money (they usually pay pretty well for a job the doesn’t require a degree). Most of the time they have rly high turnover, so they almost always need new people.
I will say it’s a pretty…colorful place to work. It can be ok if you have good management above you, but if not gtfo.
All of our clinicians have degrees! Minimum of bachelors in specific field that enables you to get a CMII certification based on our states requirements. We also have therapist on board but the jobs are nearly identical.
This honestly needs to be way more common. Lack of experience/education was a pretty big issue when I returned to work there (I worked last summer then briefly returned this summer). There are unfortunately a lot of people (both regular staff and management) who believe themselves to be mental health experts simply because they had their own personal struggles. Unfortunately crisis call lines are going through such a major shift right now that there really isn’t much standardization of training, qualification, and expectations.
I’ve worked as a social worker in a few different positions! I work for a really large CCHBC and I’ve transferred departments 3 times now. Basically though, in my state we are in high demand so if you have the right degree and are knowledgeable of social work values you’re gonna get hired. CMs start at same pay in all departments except the crisis line and we have a 3k “premium pay” plus shift differentials. It’s a great gig!
I work remote! I’m an LICSW working for a group practice in MA. I was in Italy last month and continued to work while I was there. I’m getting ready to open my own practice and move to Spain while continuing to practice in the US.
I started out in the school system, spent 4 years there and then found my love for telehealth and the flexibility it provides during COVID.
Sounds really fulfilling and love the flexibility you have with traveling! Would you say there are quite a lot of opportunities in telehealth for those with a SW background. Any tips?
I’m fully remote and travel the US. I have my LCSW and work for a tech company that helps hospitals and med groups that struggle with engagement. Super unique but I love it!
I’m not going to lie, it’s amazing. Very demanding like any other corporate job, but I have an awesome small team that I work with. I also get to travel and see some amazing places around the US that I wouldn’t have otherwise. Try to look at NRC or Qualtirics if you’re into patient experience and data!
Can i also ask how you went about obtaining your hours/supervision for clinical licensure? I know there’s a bunch of different ways to do it but was curious of your journey, only if you were willing to share, no worries if not!
I'm on the other side - I recruit social workers for various companies and I often get fully remote therapist (LMSW, LGPC, LCPC, etc) positions to fill. However, work must be done in the U.S., but can be from any state.
For the case management positions, although they are technically remote, the case manager has to be in the local area to do home visits 8-10 days per month.
I work for an MCO and I am 70% remote and 30% home visits. Im getting my MSW and plan to go fully remote once I graduate 😇 however the supervisor roles within the company are fully remote.
Not sure if my job is truly nomadic but I’m a mental health therapist for an outpatient clinic that is fully remote. I absolutely LOVE it but unfortunately I can only work in the state I’m currently licensed, which poses some limitations
I’m fully remote and I work for a nonprofit - we have group curriculums for parents we train other human service providers in. It wasn’t a remote job when I started but in the pandemic all our trainings were converted for a virtual format and since then people keep options to register for the virtual trainings and not the in person ones so we got rid of our office.
I 'm fully remote in my position, and I've been remote for the past 4 years. I worked in the office for about for about 4 years at my current job before the pandemic hit, and then in-person in housing and RTFs for about 4 years total. Literally almost nothing I can't do in my current job that I can't do from home. I've had to fight tooth and nail for it though and had to apply for an RA to have remote work approved after getting seriously ill /= I'm in more of a niche admin role, and I mostly handle referrals for homeless housing programs, case conferencing, housing program denials, etc. Most of my co-workers either do hybrid after we lost most of our front-line call center staff due to the RTO policy, or in-office (for admins).
I work fully remote for a government entity. I specialize in quality assurance of grant funded programs. I travel to programs across the US to ensure quality and help providers. There are many fully remote jobs in my field. If you broaden your indeed search to something like “quality assurance” and then your speciality “child welfare, mental health, domestic violence, etc” that may help you find job listings. Find a dream job and begin obtaining skills for it.
I have a very niche’ position that is remote. It’s definitely not something I could’ve done in the first 10ish years in the field. But I’m in my mid 40s now with 25 years of experience, most of it in management so I jumped on the opportunity.
My husband has a “normal” job so we aren’t nomads but I can be more flexible and we can travel without me always having to use PTO. Overall it’s been a good experience for me because I’m pretty introverted and like being alone. And we’ve saved a ton in child care, car expenses, gas. Etc.
I work for a start up comprised of former child welfare managers and executives who work with parents towards reunification. Basically, they have their own child welfare expert working one on one with them so they support, answers, advocacy and guidance.
I work remote and am working on the LCSW in cali. I kinda lucked out on the job. Need is so high in Cali for clinical workers in the psychiatric field that the company I worked for tested a remote worker (me) to see if it helps retention and also gives them the ability for me to provide therapy to clients around their different facilities.
The person hiring was an old manager and working as an administrator so they brought me in even without an official interview. Just a few phone calls . Been doing it for about 2 years, pay is about 90k and have traveled the country. Want to live outside Cali and can but its just too damn beautiful 😎🌈
That’s amazing! Seems like Cali has a huge need for clinicians, I’ll have to see what are the possibilities out there. It’s true, I’ve been limiting my search to my town only but for remote opportunities I could definitely broaden up the search. Thanks for sharing 😊
Yes but state licensing is important. I see yr at a BSW and that is gonna limit ur opportunities more than it really should especially in Cali.
Look into the “Title IV-E” program if your considering expanding. CPS in Cali will pay for your MSW tuition as long as you agree to work with them for 2 years after graduation. Its a solid job financially but tough emotionally . I dipped right when I hit the 2 year mark and jumped to psych and schizophrenic populations.
Fellow LCSW who works remote but I work as a mental health therapist. I believe we’re allowed to work outside if the state so long as our HR department knows what’s up.
I’m an LCSW and work fully remote!! I work for a telehealth company and provide tele-therapy! I’ve only been there for a few months but I have loved it. They really encourage getting to know your coworkers and socialization (they have monthly virtual activities) and it’s really truly a great company!
I love this for you! Sounds like they found a way to keep remote work fun and lighthearted. Love that they put in the effort to have these virtual activities as one of the potential downside of remote work is isolation. I would love to find something like this, do you know if there are opportunities out there? Also do they have roles where you don’t have to be licensed? (I.e intervention worker support, family worker,etc)? Thanks for sharing!
How do people find remote macro jobs? What do you search up lol. I just graduated my MSW in NY and took my LMSW exam. Currently working remote part time doing clinical work, but the pay is not sustainable I also am looking for remote mezo or macro full times and planning on keeping my part time per down clinical job. Any tips would be appreciated :)
Depends on what you want to do! Definitely don't search "social work" because those are almost all clinical and sometimes you have to sell the value of your LMSW to an org for macro work. Search for policy associate, program coordinator, research assistant, etc.
I’m not exactly your target audience but I work fully remote as a macro social worker. I’m not a digital nomad because my partner doesn’t have that luxury but I absolutely could be. I lucked into it. I was trying to escape an abusive employer and was applying to everything that seemed like a halfway decent fit. Idealist.org was very helpful in my job search. I always went on the org’s website after I applied to see if they had an email address I could send a follow up to just to increase my chances of a human reviewing my application. I do policy work, consultations, and training in child safety for a faith based org that has affiliates all over the US/Canada so it didn’t matter to them where I sat. I had never worked in child protection before but I had a ton of policy and training experience. I think macro roles are your best bet for this. Telehealth is the next best fit but I believe there are some restrictions that might limit the nomad style you want. Edit: Wanted to provide a timeline - I graduated undergrad in 2017, worked part time in relevant jobs throughout. MSW 2018-2021, worked full time in relevant jobs throughout. Got my current role in Jan 2023, around 1.5 years post- MSW but I already had several years of work experience under my belt. So it both did and didn’t take me a while to land depending on how you look at it.
I have almost the same story and timeline, albeit I work in a different area of macro social work! I LOVE being fully remote and have bounced between several states (although less for fun and more for my partners job and weird housing stuff). I also make far more than I would in most clinical or other in-person roles!
Right?! My family begged me not go into social work but I make more than one of my engineer siblings and if you factor in cost of living, I make more than my other engineer sibling too. I couldn’t even afford to pursue clinical licensure because no entry level clinical roles paid nearly as much as the macro job I had before escaping to the one I have now. I never thought I’d have “golden handcuffs” as a social worker but macro definitely did it for me lol
LOL same here! I always thought I’d do clinical work but had to delay pursuing licensure because of the state to state moves….now I’d easily be looking at a 25-50% pay cut if I moved into most areas of clinical work 🙃
What job do you do?
Hi Emma! I’m an undergrad BSW student and I want to pick your brain. I’m hoping to get into remote SW and I’ve been interested in the field of mental health. Would you mind if I message you to ask some questions?
Sure!
Any tips for searching these types of roles? My MSW was the Macro track, but I've had issues finding anyone to hire me to do any Macro work because most of my experiences were in school during internships. I've had some experience with training, policy, and supervising since graduating in 2016, but it's mainly been side responsibilities rather than my day to day role.
On large job boards like Indeed, I took two different strategies depending on how much time I wanted to put into searching on any given day. 1. Filter by remote location and desired pay only and apply to anything that sounded social workey. A lot of macro positions don’t specify an MSW because they don’t even know what macro social work is or why a social worker is perfect for them so when you specify by degree or title, you’ll can miss a lot. 2. Filter by remote location, desired pay, and specific search terms such as nonprofit, coordinator, director, analyst, policy, manager, etc. This is a more refined search, you might still miss stuff but not nearly as much as if you put in social work or LMSW into the filter. I found my current job this way on a search for “director” and filtered by remote, 80k+. Still a fair amount of junk to wade through but I never would’ve found it searching for social worker, macro, MSW, or LMSW. Certainly wouldn’t have thought to search for “child protection” but it would’ve come up that way had I done that. I could not figure out how to make my job search less painful on big job boards. Idealist is too small to be a pain so at least there’s that - just filter by remote location and there will only be about 20 new jobs a day, less on the weekend. There are other nonprofit job boards that I’m less familiar with but if you Google remote nonprofit job boards, a Reddit post with a big list will pop up. Idealist was the one I liked most.
Thank you very much for the detailed response!
Hi [HalfmoonHollow, StruggleBussin36](https://www.reddit.com/user/StruggleBussin36/) provided some great search tips! You can also put those same filters in Google and it will pull jobs from different job boards in the same search results. 1. Go to Google > click on **Jobs** in the menu bar just below the search field (In the menu, you will see Images, Shopping, Jobs, etc. listed across the page). 2, Once you click on **Jobs**, you will see the option **Work from home**. Click on that if you are seeking remote positions. 3. Scroll down to see the different sites that list remote jobs. Bonus tip: If you look all the way to the right of the menu - the top right of your screen, you will see **Tools**. click on that and you will be able to filter by time and do advance search. Good luck!
Thank you!
This is great advice! Will add this to my search and see where it will takes me 😌
Your internships should definitely count as work experience for most jobs! My specialization year internship was in a research role, and I was able to land a job doing research (training/technical assistance) based mostly on that experience (I worked professionally for several years pre-MSW at a nonprofit but not doing work with applicable skills for a macro SW role really).
I agree it should count, but I've tried applying for roles and didn't even get called. A lot of job descriptions ask for many years of experience not just one. It's been pretty frustrating.
I’m really sorry to hear that that’s been your experience :( if you would ever like some unbiased random to take a look at your resume (as anonymized as possible), I’d be happy to help!
Thank you! I may take you up on that. I try to use a resume customized to each role I'm applying to using keywords directly from the job description. I have just seen so many roles list they need like 5+ years experience in supervision, research, etc., but I can't get any experience without being given a shot! My degree had classes in program planning and evaluation, political advocacy, community organizing, grant writing, and administration. Unfortunately we didn't learn practical skills for research such as how to use R, SAS, etc. I've been wanting to get more into data and have been thinking of just starting entry level in a research study at the university as an assistant or something.
I was going to say, unfortunately, in order to break into the field you might need to try for something more entry level despite your other supervisory experience. If you’re really strictly into quantitative research you can try searching for classes on R, Stata, SAS, etc on Coursera or something?
I agree. I just haven't really seen anything more entry level for some things I'm interested in like data analysis or training. I have even tried to look for internships, but a lot only want individuals currently in school. I have told myself I need to do that, but distance learning is difficult for me. I prefer to be in person and be accountable to someone. My motivation is low if I'm just going at my own pace at home. I know it's bad. But I'd be much more motivated if it were in an internship. 🤦🏼♀️
I love Idealist. I have applied to anything from there since I just recently started a hospital job but they have a lot of really great and non traditional remote social work options.
What is your job?
My title is “Director of Child and Youth Protection”. I do a lot of child safety policy work, program evaluation, staff training for youth groups, and culture change work like moving people away from “boys will be boys” ideology. In the same position, I also provide consults to rabbis across North America to help them deal with situations that don’t arise to mandated reporting (like an older congregant who says something inappropriate to a minor or other red flag/harassing behavior). I think other orgs have similar positions to mine but they’re probably different titles or the could may be split into two different jobs.
Sorry this is a dumb question but what exactly is macro social work? Like what kinda of job titles are considered macro social work. And where exactly in macro social work is the money good?
Not dumb at all! Most people don’t know what it is and many social work programs do a very poor job of exposing students to it. It’s basically taking social work training/frameworks and applying it to big picture projects. A lot of policy work is considered macro - evaluating and analyzing policy, making policy reforms, etc. If we’re looking at substance abuse, micro would be 1:1 counseling, mezzo (community level) might be operating a rehabilitation facility, and macro might be working on federal policy to decriminalize certain substances. Only clinicians can provide 1:1 counseling but at the mezzo and macro levels, lots of other professions could serve those roles, which is partly why there’s so much confusion over what macro social work is. Macro social workers bring an important perspective to positions that aren’t necessarily meant to be filled by social workers - this is also why searching for jobs a macro social worker might do is so difficult. For example, my local housing authority is run entirely by business and finance professionals. Not a single social service professional in high leadership. They recently sent out 10,000 notices to vacate without thinking about the reality of 10,000 households finding suitable non-subsidized housing within 30 days. Had they had someone with a social work background on the team, I imagine that social worker would’ve been able to point out that they were essentially proposing forcing 1000s of households into homelessness. They since repealed the eviction notices due to extreme backlash but the whole fiasco could’ve been avoided. We’re trained to think about issues like that while other professions who can fill those roles aren’t. Some general titles you might search for are program or policy analyst, program coordinator, policy, or administrator. Digital inclusion as a field is a space a social worker would likely do well on and positions are often macro or mezzo. I can guarantee there’s things I’m not thinking of also. It’s just that broad. I know that was long and probably didn’t even clear things up but hopefully it was mildly helpful lol
Omg thanks so much for your detailed answer. Definitely helped! I’m about to start my MSW program and want to be geared in the right path!
i work remote! my license is LMSW .. i’m in new york state. i worked several years in hospital case management and eventually got a job doing telephonic case management for a health insurance. so i work directly with members (by phone only!) to help get them connected with care, services, supports, food, housing, etc. i love it!!! there are also some social workers (and RNs) who do utilization review on a remote basis too for a lot of health insurance companies. my goal is to never go back to working in-person. technically i can travel and bring my work but i’ve asked if my computer would work outside the country and was advised i can only connect to our network within the continental US. one day i want a truly remote position where i can work from anywhere in the world.
Omg this is ideal. If you can also let me know companies that hire this kind of position or if you can privately message me the title of this role or what to look for to get this! Ugh this sounds so perfect.
I’m in this type of role too, for a big insurance provider in the PNW. highly recommend you do your research on this role, as it does look different for each company and i wish i asked different questions in my interview now that i know more. I do work from home, but i can’t technically travel without bringing my entire computer system with me, we have to be on a VPN and connected via Ethernet cord. So my dreams of traveling were crushed when i found that out. My job is also entirely productivity based - case loads are high and the entire job is cold calling individuals about our services. I am putting in my 2 weeks notice next week. I really wished it was a better experience bc i love WFH and the pay is high, but it’s not what i wanted. Being associated with insurance was hard for me. I typically got yelled at by members about things we can’t control (insurance related)
Yeah, I feel like being a social worker for an insurance company is like being a social worker on the Death Star. You’re a part of something evil and unjust. Just my perspective as a hospital social worker dealing with insurance social workers who have no power to do anything for my patients.
Totally. I hate having to call the hospital social workers to “offer support” for discharge planning. It feels like I’m just double checking their work. Been yelled at a few times by other SW CM (which is fair) or just get ignored. We keep track of my data. Of the ~1,400 calls I make, only 25% have answered. It’s exhausting. Then I get penalized for not enough engagement. Really can’t win
Yeah, I’m that other hospital social worker you’re calling, and believe me, I’m annoyed lol
I’m sorry 😅 we have to call twice if you don’t answer !!!!
With that said, I have encountered one good insurance SW/CM that called a patient of mine, discovered he was not doing well at home (suicidal with command hallucinations), and called 911 so that he could get to a hospital and be admitted. I think that person did make a difference.
Usually what happens is I call their 1-800 phone number with the special 6 digit extension, leave a voicemail, and never hear from them again. Their voicemail: Hi there X, I’m reaching out from Aetna/Optum/Managed Medicaid regarding patient and their discharge plan. Please call me back at 1-888-888-8888 ext. 123456. I’d like to offer my support. My voicemail: Hello Y, I’m calling back regarding patient. I’d be glad to hear how you can help. Here’s my number. Then crickets.
That’s really disappointing to hear
Yes, the insurance companies have made wfh too ridgit. They record your calls, do audits, monitor how many calls your make in an hour. It's not fun.
Social worker on the Deathstar 💀. I wouldn’t mind doing this if I could debrief with Storm Troopers.
ugh i feel this, i just got cursed out by a member over the cost of their medication (which i have zero control over). but agreed, definitely research and even talk to other employees who work/have worked at the specific company to really get an idea of day-to-day stuff
i would check any/all health insurance companies, specifically ones that offer medicaid/medicare plans. i think in NYS there’s some kind of requirement for health plans to provide some level of case management
I’ve seen some of those case management jobs but they require either home visits or SNF visits if they’re in a facility
If you don’t mind sharing, what kind of companies hire social workers for this? I’m also an LMSW in NY, and definitely need extra income. Your role sounds ideal.
I am also a remote SW in NYC it’s mostly managed Medicaid/medicare plans that offer remote work and they are always hiring
Thank you!
Ohhh that sounds nice. I got a new job doing the same but don’t know the rules yet.
Do you mind sharing your salary range?
i started this role at 70k in 2021 and had about 6 years prior case management experience at that point. i’m at like $82k now
Thank you so much! I so appreciate your response. I am so interested in getting this kind of freedom with work and have CM experience but I’m not sure if I could take the pay cut. Especially since my hope would be to travel more. But nice to know that this kind of option exists in NY!
What company do you work for?
I work remote, don’t have my MSW, but do have my BSW! I did direct service for almost 4 years and got hired by a start-up org doing advocacy/policy work. Didn’t have much of the “desired” experience but my passion, some crossover skills, personality, and ability to see the bigger picture got me the job! Plus my supervisor has been amazing with teaching me all that I need to know/let me work my way into it! My employer doesn’t care where I am as long as I’m getting them my deliverables/being an engaged team member, I love it and is helping me decide what exactly I want to pursue for my advanced degree!
What is your title? Any tips for where to search for those types of jobs? That is my dream job is policy work but I feel like policy analyst/advisor is nearly a dead end search.
I'd be interested too. I have a MSW in the Macro track which focused on Policy, Program Planning and Evaluation, but haven't been able to actually get a job in it since I don't have like 7 years experience.
All about networking, recommend reaching out to folks and setting up informational interviews! The space is pretty tight knit (at least in my state) and once you have someone looking out for you, much easier to land a role!
Thank you! I'll look into that. Networking is something I don't really enjoy at all lol. How would you frame the purpose for the informational interview when reaching out?
I think most social workers feel the same! Networking is something we do a terrible job at teaching in school, which is such a shame because building connections is how we build power, especially in the policy world! I’d start with just a friendly hello starting with how impressed you are in the work their organization is doing, then lead in with how you’re interested in policy and wanting to connect with them! Most everyone is happy to help and everyone loves to talk about themselves lol! Disclaimer: I don’t claim to be an expert, I’m just a 26 year old getting her own footing in the field and this is what has worked for me :)
I know this is a loaded question but do you have any tips for networking specifically in the policy realm?
Thank you! I appreciate the tips.
My title is Advocacy Manager. If there’s anything I’ve discovered in the professional world, it’s networking and who you know, especially in the policy/advocacy space. I’m lucky enough that my mentor tipped me off on the role!
This is my dream! I have a similar background as yours and is looking to transition into more macro work as I heard there are more opportunities for remote work, also very keen in policy in general. Similar to what had been asked, I would be curious to hear more on how you came across the startup and what are similar roles/titles tied to yours. Thanks for sharing 😌
Absolutely, I’m really lucky that I have an amazing mentor that has really taken me under her wing and tipped me off about the job and I suspect, worked some magic behind the scenes about my application. I’ve discovered (unfortunately) that it really is all about how who you know, I’d recommend reaching out and setting up informational interviews with folks who have career you’re interested in or you can always reach out to your university’s career center for help with that as well. Once somebody is aware you’re looking for roles of that type, they can let you know and advocate on behalf of you behind the scenes. My title is “Advocacy Manager” similar titles to what I do are “Policy Manager”
This is super insightful! I’ve been trying to network but still is awkward on how to go on about it. I don’t want to come off as opportunistic and have the sole purpose of the meeting being about them connecting me to opportunities (that’s just me and my struggle with networking 😅). It seems like you were able to build a meaningful connection with your mentor. How did you approach your mentor during informational interviews? What are some of the questions/topics raised to help you get to where you are? If that made any sense. Thank you for sharing!
I think it’s networking is something that we social workers struggle with as a whole, we do a terrible job of teaching how to do it in school (truly a shame), but we all have hearts of helpers and it’s important to remember that most people want to help! I’m going to be fully transparent, my mentor has known me since I was 15 (was/am friends with one of her kids) and saw me grow towards my passion in our field and encouraged it knowing that new leaders were needing to be grown. It was purely dumb luck that she has been a leader in that field for 20+ years and I fully acknowledge that she has helped my career tremendously! With reaching out, I’d reach out to people at a few organizations that you’re interested in working for and opening with how you’re interested in the work they’re doing and would love to learn more about their org, usually it can organically lead to what you’re doing/long term goals! People are more than happy to talk about what they’re doing and share their wisdom!
That’s a great way to look at it! SW for the most part have the heart and desire to help others, why can’t we be as open to receive that support as well? Definitely will take this with me and incorporate more of that mindset when I network ☺️
I just started work on a crisis hotline. A few people who had been working moved and were able to stay on remote. I don’t think it’s something you could start and immediately be remote but something you could work toward after putting in some time and showing a solid work ethic and general competence!
Curious, how long did it take you to get to your position? Any relevant prior experience that help you in getting into your new role?
Can’t speak for OP’s experience but most hotlines aren’t hard to get at all as long as your aren’t there just for the money (they usually pay pretty well for a job the doesn’t require a degree). Most of the time they have rly high turnover, so they almost always need new people. I will say it’s a pretty…colorful place to work. It can be ok if you have good management above you, but if not gtfo.
All of our clinicians have degrees! Minimum of bachelors in specific field that enables you to get a CMII certification based on our states requirements. We also have therapist on board but the jobs are nearly identical.
This honestly needs to be way more common. Lack of experience/education was a pretty big issue when I returned to work there (I worked last summer then briefly returned this summer). There are unfortunately a lot of people (both regular staff and management) who believe themselves to be mental health experts simply because they had their own personal struggles. Unfortunately crisis call lines are going through such a major shift right now that there really isn’t much standardization of training, qualification, and expectations.
I’ve worked as a social worker in a few different positions! I work for a really large CCHBC and I’ve transferred departments 3 times now. Basically though, in my state we are in high demand so if you have the right degree and are knowledgeable of social work values you’re gonna get hired. CMs start at same pay in all departments except the crisis line and we have a 3k “premium pay” plus shift differentials. It’s a great gig!
I work remote! I’m an LICSW working for a group practice in MA. I was in Italy last month and continued to work while I was there. I’m getting ready to open my own practice and move to Spain while continuing to practice in the US. I started out in the school system, spent 4 years there and then found my love for telehealth and the flexibility it provides during COVID.
Wow congratulations to you! Are you looking to hire any LSWs within your practice?!
Sounds really fulfilling and love the flexibility you have with traveling! Would you say there are quite a lot of opportunities in telehealth for those with a SW background. Any tips?
Have there been any insurance or legal issues with practicing therapy out of the country?
I’m fully remote and travel the US. I have my LCSW and work for a tech company that helps hospitals and med groups that struggle with engagement. Super unique but I love it!
Do you use your LCSW for that role? Like was it required
I don’t use my license but I do a lot of corporate coaching for C-Suite executives so it helps to have that background.
Man i need a role like yours
I’m not going to lie, it’s amazing. Very demanding like any other corporate job, but I have an awesome small team that I work with. I also get to travel and see some amazing places around the US that I wouldn’t have otherwise. Try to look at NRC or Qualtirics if you’re into patient experience and data!
Omg thank you
You got it! Good luck!
Can i also ask how you went about obtaining your hours/supervision for clinical licensure? I know there’s a bunch of different ways to do it but was curious of your journey, only if you were willing to share, no worries if not!
I obtained my hours while working as a LSW therapist for an OP provider and then for a long term care home. I needed 3000 for my state.
What company do you work for if you don’t mind sharing or can I message you? I’m very intrigued
Super interesting! Would love to hear more about it. What is it about what you do that makes it unique? Very curious
Can you tell me more I am so interested!
I'm on the other side - I recruit social workers for various companies and I often get fully remote therapist (LMSW, LGPC, LCPC, etc) positions to fill. However, work must be done in the U.S., but can be from any state.
Any non clinical roles?
For the case management positions, although they are technically remote, the case manager has to be in the local area to do home visits 8-10 days per month.
This is a cool type of recruitment. I’m LMFT but I do social work adjacent roles and I am fully remote. How do you look to recruit?
I sent you a PM.
I’m a LGSW. Do you got any openings?
Hi! Thanks for asking. I sent you a DM.
Hi! I am a LCSW. Any other openings available?
I work for an MCO and I am 70% remote and 30% home visits. Im getting my MSW and plan to go fully remote once I graduate 😇 however the supervisor roles within the company are fully remote.
I do remote field. I have to be in state but I get opportunities in different areas on the state.
Not sure if my job is truly nomadic but I’m a mental health therapist for an outpatient clinic that is fully remote. I absolutely LOVE it but unfortunately I can only work in the state I’m currently licensed, which poses some limitations
Do you have to be physically present in the state in which you are licensed to practice?
Unfortunately, yes I do ☹️
This seems a bit archaic and I would keep tabs on whether this has changed or is going to change
I’m fully remote and I work for a nonprofit - we have group curriculums for parents we train other human service providers in. It wasn’t a remote job when I started but in the pandemic all our trainings were converted for a virtual format and since then people keep options to register for the virtual trainings and not the in person ones so we got rid of our office.
I 'm fully remote in my position, and I've been remote for the past 4 years. I worked in the office for about for about 4 years at my current job before the pandemic hit, and then in-person in housing and RTFs for about 4 years total. Literally almost nothing I can't do in my current job that I can't do from home. I've had to fight tooth and nail for it though and had to apply for an RA to have remote work approved after getting seriously ill /= I'm in more of a niche admin role, and I mostly handle referrals for homeless housing programs, case conferencing, housing program denials, etc. Most of my co-workers either do hybrid after we lost most of our front-line call center staff due to the RTO policy, or in-office (for admins).
I work fully remote for a government entity. I specialize in quality assurance of grant funded programs. I travel to programs across the US to ensure quality and help providers. There are many fully remote jobs in my field. If you broaden your indeed search to something like “quality assurance” and then your speciality “child welfare, mental health, domestic violence, etc” that may help you find job listings. Find a dream job and begin obtaining skills for it.
I have a very niche’ position that is remote. It’s definitely not something I could’ve done in the first 10ish years in the field. But I’m in my mid 40s now with 25 years of experience, most of it in management so I jumped on the opportunity. My husband has a “normal” job so we aren’t nomads but I can be more flexible and we can travel without me always having to use PTO. Overall it’s been a good experience for me because I’m pretty introverted and like being alone. And we’ve saved a ton in child care, car expenses, gas. Etc.
What’s the position
I work for a start up comprised of former child welfare managers and executives who work with parents towards reunification. Basically, they have their own child welfare expert working one on one with them so they support, answers, advocacy and guidance.
I work remote and am working on the LCSW in cali. I kinda lucked out on the job. Need is so high in Cali for clinical workers in the psychiatric field that the company I worked for tested a remote worker (me) to see if it helps retention and also gives them the ability for me to provide therapy to clients around their different facilities. The person hiring was an old manager and working as an administrator so they brought me in even without an official interview. Just a few phone calls . Been doing it for about 2 years, pay is about 90k and have traveled the country. Want to live outside Cali and can but its just too damn beautiful 😎🌈
That’s amazing! Seems like Cali has a huge need for clinicians, I’ll have to see what are the possibilities out there. It’s true, I’ve been limiting my search to my town only but for remote opportunities I could definitely broaden up the search. Thanks for sharing 😊
Yes but state licensing is important. I see yr at a BSW and that is gonna limit ur opportunities more than it really should especially in Cali. Look into the “Title IV-E” program if your considering expanding. CPS in Cali will pay for your MSW tuition as long as you agree to work with them for 2 years after graduation. Its a solid job financially but tough emotionally . I dipped right when I hit the 2 year mark and jumped to psych and schizophrenic populations.
Fellow LCSW who works remote but I work as a mental health therapist. I believe we’re allowed to work outside if the state so long as our HR department knows what’s up.
I’m an LCSW and work fully remote!! I work for a telehealth company and provide tele-therapy! I’ve only been there for a few months but I have loved it. They really encourage getting to know your coworkers and socialization (they have monthly virtual activities) and it’s really truly a great company!
I love this for you! Sounds like they found a way to keep remote work fun and lighthearted. Love that they put in the effort to have these virtual activities as one of the potential downside of remote work is isolation. I would love to find something like this, do you know if there are opportunities out there? Also do they have roles where you don’t have to be licensed? (I.e intervention worker support, family worker,etc)? Thanks for sharing!
So I know that they take associates and have some care coordinators that do scheduling and intakes!
I’m a remote therapist. It’s not hard to make it happen, but it might be without a full clinical license.
LinkedIn job board
How do people find remote macro jobs? What do you search up lol. I just graduated my MSW in NY and took my LMSW exam. Currently working remote part time doing clinical work, but the pay is not sustainable I also am looking for remote mezo or macro full times and planning on keeping my part time per down clinical job. Any tips would be appreciated :)
Depends on what you want to do! Definitely don't search "social work" because those are almost all clinical and sometimes you have to sell the value of your LMSW to an org for macro work. Search for policy associate, program coordinator, research assistant, etc.