Social Workers Migrating between England and Australia: Linking Social Hierarchies, Bureaucracy, Trust and Politeness

center dot Informed by a mixed-method approach and using online questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, this study explored the migration and integration experiences of social workers trained in England who migrated to Australia, as well as of social workers trained in Australia who migrated to England. center dot Social workers from both countries experienced England as a more hierarchical society compared with Australia where, at least amongst white people, there is an emphasis on egalitarianism. Participants then described how such hierarchies influence and shape organisational structures and relations with line managers and other professionals. center dot Other related cultural differences identified by our participants relate to concepts and perceptions of 'politeness', and these shape relations with colleagues and service users. center dot Implications for the induction of migrating social workers are discussed. For many years, several Western countries have been relying on migrating social workers to fill local shortages. While studies documented the assumption that migrants moving between Commonwealth English-speaking countries will find it easier to integrate, scholars found that such transitions are often more complicated than assumed. Despite this general awareness, research has neglected to explore the impact of the specific culture migrating social workers are coming from and the new culture in which they find themselves. This is the gap we aim to fill. Using a mixed method approach that included online questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, we explore the experiences of migration and integration of Australian trained social workers in England and English trained social workers in Australia. Using National Habitus as a key theoretical concept, the findings highlight cultural differences connected with the acceptance of social hierarchies in England compared with the cultural emphasis on egalitarianism between white people in Australia. Such hierarchies produce in England a strong top-down approach which is more bureaucratic and procedural while also emphasising a less direct and more inhibited form of interpersonal communication with line-managers, colleagues and service users compared with Australia. Our findings will help better support future migrating social workers.