Vilken arbetsgivare väljer du? : En kvalitativ studie av hur socionomstudenter resonerar kring privata och offentliga arbetsgivare inom socialt arbete

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study was to examine how social work students reason upon their future employer within social work. The analysis was based on three issues; how social work students reason around employments within the public sector, how they reason about employments in privately owned companies as well as which elements is considered significant when social work students chose their future employer. They study is based on six semi-structured interviews with social work students from the seventh term in the south of Sweden. The analysis was based on the two factor-theory by Frederick Herzberg and Abraham H. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The result of the study showed that the interviewees chose to study social work because they have an urge to help people, and they have different perceptions on which employer enables this in the best possible way. Some argue that the security that a public employer can offer is to prefer whereas others see the benefits in the discretion that the private employer can offer. The interviewees underline that the employees within the public sector is underpaid, this while also being critical to the fact that employees within privately owned companies, social work consultants for example, earn more. The interviewees also attach great importance to the interpersonal relationships as a factor to thrive within the workplace.