Finding Work In Sao Paulo-Social Work/Social Services

Hi nv91,

Public service jobs, such as social worker or school counselor, child protections services are all typically jobs reserved for Brazilian citizens and placement in any public service position is done through a public testing process called a "concurso" that expats can't even enter.

However, if you have any degrees in social work they may put you in good position to try out for jobs in a Brazilian company's Human Resources Department. Worth a try.

Regarding revalidation of diplomas, it's mostly used for those who will be in private practice in some regulated profession such as MD, engineers, psychologists, lawyers, etc.

Cheers,
James      Expat-blog Experts Team

So it would be difficult to even get a job at say... a homeless shelter or social services agencies that deal with immigration, seniors, homeless, mental health disabilities, recreational, social, housing/transition,advocacy, community social service and.such?

With permanent residency (by family reunification). What requirements do you need in order to work?

What if you only have a college diploma with work experience etc ? You need a BSW or other relevant higher degrees?

And also how long is the process to gain acess to citizenship?

You could work at Non-Governmental Organizations and private entities, but not anything associated with any level of government from municipal on up to the federal level. Those positions are strictly reserved for citizens. You could not, for example, work at a public hospital as a social worker since they are administered by the government (Min. of Health), you could in theory however, work in a private hospital in that capacity.

Cheers,
James          Expat-blog Experts Team

Thank you

Are there any online job hunting sites in Sao Paulo you'd recommend? Thanks again

I'm personally not aware of any, but perhaps one of our other members might be able to answer you.

Start with www.catho.com.br, this is the biggest job website in Brazil (admin sorry for the ad).
This is just to give you an idea of what to expect in Brazil in social working. You have to know that this is totally undervelopped comparing to what youw would find in North America or Europe. There are public social workers but not much a network of associations, agencies and private charities. Moreover salaries are certainly very low. Charity work, charity salary. 
In all the cases, think about what you canadian experience can bring to Brazilians...well first language is an issue. Then you do not know about the brazilian life, social issues specific to Brazil, education, helping people dealing with admin. All the "how to" that I believe you need to know (like a native) to be efficient here.
Best chance (like for all expat candidates) is to find a job withing a company/charity operating in your country and in Brazil and then hope that they can send you to Brazil.

I'm an American/Canadian living and working in Sao Paulo for five years now and I agree completely with everything that James and Bardamu are saying.  An important thing I learned--which does not bother me, but it does bother most Americans I've known--is that in most professions, you will have a lower relative income here in Brazil than in the US and Canada; and this is particularly true for most positions outside of manager/executive-level professions.  For example, Brazil really does need good teachers at all levels, but at the same time Brazil (and Brazilian companies) don't really have the money to pay well. 

In general, the same is true in most any government-related health, education, or welfare career.  And Brazil is most definitely not the US or Canada culturally or economically, so much of our experience does not transfer directly to Brazil; hence the Brazilian preference to hire Brazilians, particularly since Americans tend to feel underpaid and, so, leave quickly from many positions here.

An example: I know an American management consultant who had worked for a large US consulting firm for about 5 years, including stints in Mexico and Costa Rica.  He had studied Portuguese thoroughly and spoke a very good Level II Brazilian Portuguese, and wanted to develop a career in Brazil because of the apparent economic opportunities.  He tried to get interviews here for about a year with other employers to no avail.  His employer offered him a job in Sao Paulo at the same salary he had in the US (US $80,000), but he didn't think that would be enough to have a decent lifestyle in SP.  So he just quit his job and moved here.  After two months in SP, he managed to get a job as a financial analyst at an annual salary of US $120,000.  He stayed in the position for 8-9 months before tiring of many of his knowledge and skills not transferring to the Brazilian environment, and noting that even with the increased salary he really wasn't doing much better financially (Sao Paulo is expensive). So, he went back and got a job in management consulting in the US.

I've spoken with many Brazilian managers and executives (I'm a management consultant), and their experiences with people from the US and Canada are almost always similar to my above example: Americans want to come to Brazil, but in the end they don't want to really immerse themselves in the Brazilian culture and economy; so they tend to leave after about one year.

In my case, I'm an American/Canadian who grew up in a Latin American neighborhood in the US, and my closest friends were from South America ... so this is more like home for me than most of the US and Canada.  And I want to live (and die) like a Brazilian, so none of the above "problems" are a problem for me!

Cheers, JMc

I like the ending statement... Yes Brazil really feels like home to me. Thanks!

Brazil feel like home for a lot of people.  But IS home when your earn a decent living on your job in Brazil. Much more difficult.
Actually JMc is refering to "classic" expats: the ones who get on job within a multinational then they are sent to Brazil with a good package. 2-3 years contract in Brazil and then off to another country. As JMc wrote, even for these ones, brazilian professional environemment is quite a shock. 
But majority of the expats on this forum are people who moved here for personnal reasons (generally meet a Brazilian) and they did not have the chance to get this kind of "expat contracts".
I can tell you that finding a job when already in Brazil is extremelly difficult. In my view they are only two solutions: teaching languages (anglo-saxons are lucky for that) or create your own business. Actually the ones who make decent living with teaching are the most entrepreneurs ones: they created their school or bought a language franchise, created a website with online lessons, etc...by just giving particular lessons, they would be lucky by earning more that R$1500/month.

I have another question.. Regarding to credentials, would my diploma be recognized there? Here in Canada even if you have a certain profession (nurse or accounting and such)  or credentials outside of the country, it is not recognize (therefore, you have to meet Canadian standards which means you have to go back to school). I have a lot of experience in working with youth, homeless,mental health and addictions in both non-profit and government... Just wondering if I move to Sao Paulo, I would need to meet the Brazilian standards and go back to school if I move. Or would my experience and diploma would be recognized? Any thoughts? Suggestions prior to moving? Thank you!!

PS: I have a diploma in Social Services.