Aline is an assistant team manager in one of East Hampshire’s family help teams. She loves the countryside and had always wanted a home with a garden. But these were not viable options when she lived and worked in London.
“I grew up in the country and always wanted to eventually live somewhere where there was open space and a chance to be close to nature,” she says.
Aline lived in a London flat with her cat. Her job – then as a private maternity nurse – meant late-night hours travelling to support expectant mothers and their families, something that would be difficult to replicate in a rural setting, especially since she did not drive.
She had studied psychology for her degree and was interested in pursuing a career in psychotherapy or social work. She opted for social work and initially worked in London before exploring ways to fulfil her desire of working in a more rural setting.
“I soon realised that a move out of London would mean I would have to drive,” says Aline. So, she learnt how to drive and passed her test in 2022.
Greenery, traffic and office blocks in the centre of Basingstoke, Hampshire/ AdobeStock
From agency to perm
Aline joined Hampshire as a locum in January 2023 after a brief role at another local authority. She initially rented out her flat in London and rented a room in Hampshire.
Within three months of starting the role, Aline took up a permanent role and credits her community of peers and supportive working culture in Hampshire as reasons why she made the commitment to stay permanently.
“I was looking for a place to make roots,” she says. “Hampshire is such a great place to work. There is a good level of management, and decision making is very much in line with social work values, with all decisions focused on the children.”
Thatched cottage on the banks of the river Test at Chilbolton Cow Common in Hampshire/ AdobeStock
A love of Jane Austen!
Megan, who works in the same Hampshire district as Aline but in a different family help team, relocated from West London to Basingstoke. She wanted to get on the property ladder – something that was out of her and her husband’s reach in London.
Unlike Aline, Megan made the move to live in Hampshire almost three years before she started working there. She continued to work in London – commuting between London and Basingstoke – until she secured her role in October 2024, managing a team of about 14 family practitioners and social workers in the family help team.
“I think in a lot of ways, it meant that I could settle and get to know the area in my own way,” says Megan, who works in Alton, a market town in East Hampshire, near where author Jane Austen used to live. Megan is a self-confessed Jane Austen fan!
“I was able to move jobs with my eyes open in terms of knowing the area and the locality, but I’m still learning and that’s the beauty of social work – I feel like I learn every day in this job, and I find that there’s always somebody who can give me support.”
Jane Austen’s House Museum in Chawton, England/ AdobeStock
Having more time for hobbies
Since moving to Hampshire, Megan’s average commute has dropped from almost three hours a day, while working in London, to just 30 minutes.
“I wanted to re-shift that balance a little more by having a shorter commute so that, even if I was working late, I would still get home at a decent time and have some hours in the evening to enjoy myself,” she says.
“Living closer to home means that I can focus more time on my hobbies. I am in quite a few different social groups; I like reading and not commuting for two-and-a-half, sometimes three, hours of the day – it just gives me a little bit of time back.”
Finding community
Aline agrees. She now has two cats, who get to play in her garden, and she benefits from a community of support around her from her neighbours.
“We take care of each other,” she says. “It’s these little things – linked to community – that, in big cities like London, can get lost because everyone is so busy.”
“My life has really changed on a personal level because I’m closer to nature. Now I have a garden, I spend most of spring and summer sticking my hands in the dirt and building flower beds and I really enjoy country walks.”
Enjoying the region
Social work teams are also able to take advantage of this closer connection to their environment, as Megan explains.
“Some of the practitioners in my team had to organise some transport for a little person, and it was on the coast. There was a lot of driving for the team to do and it was a period where there were quite a few workers having to go.
Coastline in Hampshire/ Pexels
“Some of our team made a point almost every morning of stopping at the beach and watching the sunrise. They would take pictures and share them with the wider team. So there would be these moments where you’d receive a message of a beautiful setting, a rural spot or a seafront.”
Building local connections
Aline and Megan have also found that, while the size of the areas they cover is far larger, they are able to build much more local connections.
“In my previous role [in London], we occupied a much smaller space,” Megan says. “But in terms of population, it was a lot denser, so it was quite easy to get lost in the crowd, and there was a lot more diversity in language and culture.
“What I noticed when I lived in London was that, because house prices were so expensive, it often meant that people [social workers] were coming from far to work because they could not live locally, which meant you didn’t have that same community.
“But in Hampshire, people often live where they work or close by. As a result, you’re more likely to come across people that you’ve met, or know, so there’s more of a community feel.”
Strengthening community links
This community feel also impacts on how they work. Megan believes that social workers being more visible within communities helps to improve the wider public’s perceptions of the profession.
“There is more scope for us to get to know the schools, GPs and other partner agencies that we work with and have those real links within the communities. And I think that’s a positive thing because it means social workers are more visible in the community.
“So, for example, within my team, the family practitioners have a real working relationship with the local children’s centres, and with the local library that runs groups like wellbeing groups. And I’m very fortunate in that the area I manage is where our office is based, so there is this space that we can operate from that is in the centre of the community and that strengthens our accessibility and helps us to build those community links.”
Similarities between different settings
While it is clear there are differences between working in a rural or city environment, both practitioners believe that there is more that unites them.
Megan says: “I think there are nuances between working in the city and working in a more rural space, but the actual ‘bare bones’ of the job are very similar. I think it can only enhance practice to work in different areas and different landscapes and to be curious.”
Interested in a career at Hampshire County Council? Check out the authority’s employer profile, latest jobs and read more from social workers in the service here.
