If you’ve ever wondered what kind of career lets you make a real difference in people’s lives — in hospitals, schools, communities, or even conflict zones — social work might be the answer. It’s a field built on compassion, resilience, and the belief that change starts with people helping people.
To understand what social work really means and why it’s more relevant than ever, Studyportals spoke with Professor Mim Fox, Head of Social Work at the University of Wollongong in Australia. Mim is an internationally recognised academic, podcaster, and researcher who has dedicated her career to exploring how social workers support individuals and communities in times of crisis — from grief and illness to poverty and inequality.
Known for her work on the Social Work Stories Podcast and for her leadership in social work education in Australia, Mim shares how she first discovered her passion for the field, what today’s students can expect from their studies, and how international students bring unique perspectives to the classroom.
What you'll discover in this interview:
- Professor Mim Fox, Head of Social Work at the University of Wollongong, explains how the field goes far beyond charity or crisis response.
- It’s about understanding people, culture, and inequality, and learning to create positive change in practical, respectful ways.
- In Australia, students train through 1,000 hours of real-world placements, learning to work in hospitals, schools, and communities.
- They also explore Indigenous perspectives through decolonised education practices like yarning circles.
- For international students, this mix of theory, reflection, and practice makes studying social work both deeply personal and globally relevant.
Finding purpose: How it all began
Q: Why did you choose to study social work? What drew you to this field?
A (Mim Fox): I was drawn to social work because I was interested in large-scale global crises and issues like famine and conflict when I was in high school. At that time, the genocide in Rwanda was a big topic in the news, and I was particularly interested in Africa and developing countries. I saw social work as a way to be involved in change, though I didn’t realise back then that the field was much broader than that.
Q: Did you start volunteering in high school, or did that come later at university?
A: In high school, I was already volunteering and taking part in different community activities. When I started university, I began doing work experience through the degree. We had what’s called field placements, where you go and work in agencies and get experience working with actual people. That’s when I discovered that Social Work is about working with individuals, families or communities who need and want change in their lives in some way. It was then when I realised there are many things that can happen where social workers can assist: domestic violence, poverty, social inequity, living with disability, the impact of coming from a First Nations background in a colonised Western environment. All of these suddenly became open to me.
Discovering what social work really means
Q: What personal experience made you decide this is what you wanted to do with your life?
A: I didn’t have a personal experience that pushed me into social work initially. But once I started working as a social worker, something happened that shaped my path. A close friend of mine lost her mother when she was quite young, and I realised I didn’t know what to say or do to help her.
That experience made me aware of how many people go through loss and need someone by their side. It led me to work in hospitals with people living with terminal illnesses and with families facing the loss of a loved one. I specialised in intensive care and emergency departments, as well as in palliative care, supporting people at home with poor prognoses.
“I went from thinking about large-scale global change to understanding how important it is to work with individuals and families.”
Associate Professor Mim Fox, University of Wollongong, Australia
Q: How old were you when that happened?
A: I was in my late teens or early twenties. It completely changed how I saw social work. I went from thinking about large-scale global change to understanding how important it is to work with individuals and families — balancing the big picture with the deeply personal side of helping others.
Q: How would you explain your field of work to someone completely unfamiliar with it?
A: Social work is about creating positive social change and helping people through the moments in life when they’re most vulnerable. It’s about supporting people as they navigate difficult transitions — when something in their life has changed their path or shaken their stability.
You’ll find social workers in hospitals, schools, prisons, neighbourhood centres, and community health settings — anywhere people face challenges or need help adapting to change. Once you start recognising their work, you realise social workers are everywhere, quietly helping people rebuild their lives.
“Social work is about creating positive social change and helping people through the moments in life when they’re most vulnerable.”
Associate Professor Mim Fox, University of Wollongong, Australia
Q: What global challenges make social work especially relevant today?
A: I wouldn’t point to one single event right now, but rather to the many pressures shaping our world and societies today. One major issue is the environment and how climate change affects people’s lives. We sometimes call this eco-social work, where we look at how people already struggling with hardship are hit even harder when they live in areas severely impacted by climate change or poverty.
Another major pressure is inequality — the gap between those with great wealth and those with none keeps growing. This means more people face daily struggles just to meet basic needs. In Australia, for example, we’re living through a cost-of-living crisis. Many people are struggling to find affordable housing.
Of course, there are always global conflicts, and that’s what first drew me into social work. But conflict, crisis, and inequality will always exist. What matters is the role each person decides to play in responding to them. Social work is all about creating positive change, whether that’s on the front lines of a conflict zone or helping people facing mental health challenges or family difficulties. Wherever people are vulnerable, that’s where social workers are needed.
Learning across cultures: Voices from the classroom
Q: How do you prepare international students to understand local social work practices while keeping their own cultural perspectives?
A: Diversity is a really important part of our classroom. Every student has the chance to share who they are, where they come from, and what their experiences are. That becomes the starting point for many of our discussions. Students aren’t just names or numbers — their backgrounds and stories are part of the learning process.
Our teaching teams talk to each other about the students they work with so we can get to know everyone well. This means students go through their degree feeling recognised and supported. When they have something to celebrate, we celebrate with them, and when they’re struggling, we’re there to help them explore their options. For international students, especially, it can be hard to know what support is available in a new country, so having that guidance makes a big difference.
Q: How is social work education in Australia different from other countries?
A: I think some elements of teaching social work are shared around the world, but there are aspects that are unique to Australia, especially from a cultural perspective.
One of the most important differences is that social work in Australia uses a decolonised lens. Our country has a strong First Nations history and a deep legacy of colonisation, so it’s essential that our education reflects that. Students are introduced to Aboriginal ways of knowing, being, and doing — these principles shape a lot of our teaching and how we learn together.
For example, students often take part in what’s called yarning in a circle. It’s a practice where everyone sits in a circle on the floor, cross-legged, and shares equally. There’s no hierarchy or power imbalance — it’s an open, ongoing conversation where every voice matters. For some students, it can feel unfamiliar at first, but it helps them understand and respect Aboriginal traditions and perspectives.
“Social work in Australia uses a decolonised lens. Our country has a strong First Nations history and a deep legacy of colonisation, so it’s essential that our education reflects that.”
Associate Professor Mim Fox, University of Wollongong, Australia
This grounding is vital because when students later work with First Nations communities, they already understand why people think, live, and act in certain ways — and how to avoid unintentionally repeating colonial or discriminatory behaviours and they are not unintentionally replicating bigotry or racism in their practice.
Australia’s multicultural nature also shapes how we teach. The idea that everyone in the room has a different story, and that each story matters, is central to both our classrooms and to Australian society itself.
Real-world experience: What placements look like
Q: What kind of experiences do international students have while studying social work?
A: Every social work student must complete 1,000 hours of field education or placement — split into two 500-hour placements — alongside their regular classes. These placements happen in real organisations, where students take on genuine social work responsibilities.
They might work in schools, hospitals, prisons, legal services, community health centres, or non-government organisations. Some are large agencies supporting families, children, or people affected by domestic violence, while others are smaller community centres helping the elderly, people with disabilities, or local youth.
Students can find themselves working with a wide range of people — from new mothers and babies to elderly individuals, veterans, and teenagers struggling at school. The common thread across all placements is the goal of creating positive change through counselling, casework, community projects, research, and policy work.
“Social work is rarely about a single fix. It’s about slowing down, understanding people in their specific circumstances, and supporting them in the way that best meets their needs at that moment in their lives.”
Associate Professor Mim Fox, University of Wollongong, Australia
Q: How do international students’ backgrounds influence their placements and classroom learning
A: Students arrive with their own experiences, values, and ways of understanding the world. Studying social work means learning to reflect on those perspectives and how they shape the way you see others. That process of self-examination is essential before you can effectively work with people, families, and communities.
When students go on placement, they often face real situations — poverty, illness, inequality, or loss — that challenge their assumptions. Many realise that others have lived through similar struggles or far worse ones. This experience brings a lot of emotional depth and insight into their learning.
In class, students return to discuss and reflect on what they’ve encountered. These conversations help them think critically about what they’ve seen and how to approach problems collaboratively. The focus is less on finding the answer and more on understanding the process — how to move towards solutions while recognising that every person’s situation is unique.
Social work is rarely about a single fix. It’s about slowing down, understanding people in their specific circumstances, and supporting them in the way that best meets their needs at that moment in their lives.
Q: How do students connect their own experiences with what they learn in social work?
A: Students always bring their own experiences into the classroom, just as the people social workers support have their own stories. Studying social work involves thinking through your own experiences, the values you’ve grown up with, and your worldview.
Part of the process is self-examination – learning to reflect critically on yourself and how you relate to others. When students go out on placements, they meet real people and start to connect theory with practice. This often leads to moments of reflection, especially when they realise others might share similar experiences or face much tougher situations.
Back in class, we discuss and debate these experiences. It’s less about finding the solution and more about learning how to move towards one. There’s rarely just one answer. The key is understanding that different people need different things at different points in time.
Building a career that changes lives
Q: What career paths can social work graduates follow?
A: Graduates of social work can go into many different fields. Many work in hospitals, supporting patients and their families as hospital social workers. Others become school counsellors, helping students with emotional and social challenges. Some work in corrective services as probation or parole officers.
There are also graduates who become disability support workers or case managers, working with people who need long-term care and guidance. Others focus on family support, helping children and families who are at risk of violence or neglect.
All these roles involve key social work skills — counselling, casework, group work, research, and policy. Sometimes the job titles sound different, like case manager, support worker, community worker, or access worker, but they all use the same social work principles and training.
Q: What advice would you give students considering a degree in social work? Who is it for?
A: Studying social work is for people who want to be part of positive social change. It’s for those who value individuality, diversity, community, and collaboration.
Some students start their studies wanting to “fix” problems and already think they know the answers. But successful social work students are those who are open to learning, to questioning their assumptions, and to seeing change as something created with others — not for them.
When you finish your degree, you won’t be the expert who has all the answers. You’ll be a facilitator of change — someone who helps others find solutions that work for them.
So, if you want to be the expert, social work might not be your path. But if you want to help build change and stand beside people as they transform their lives, then social work is absolutely the right profession for you.
