‘Stepping aside and listening’: The post-study outcomes and narrated experiences of international graduates of Australian social work education

This thesis examines the post-study experiences of international graduates of Australian social work education. With its two-phased mixed method approach, varied contextual levels of influence are assessed, enabling a more complex understanding of post-study pathways than previously portrayed about international graduates. Findings from this study have important implications for education, practice, and the profession. A need is identified for international social work students to be recognised more readily as emerging social workers. In turn, their improved recruitment in research about early social work practice may better inform graduates’ preparedness and support for a profession which continues to internationalise and diversify.