This paper examines the influence of and need for a critical and global-oriented social work education on students' learning and developments in the context of international field training. The study uses mixed methods strategy of web survey, focus groups and document review of field reports. Participants in the study are social work students from social work programs in Norway and Sweden who have conducted their international field training in the Global South. The results of the study show that in order to obtain a critical and postcolonial understanding of global inequalities and the role of social work, students need to be truly prepared for international field training by critical and postcolonial knowledge, which will challenge many students' West-centric perspectives and facilitate them by a self-reflective positioning throughout their field training. The imagination of traveling to and 'learning about the others' should be then replaced by a move beyond 'us-and-them' divides in line with the ethical principles and values of social work.

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This article explores global social work ethics and international field training based on the experiences and practice dilemmas of Norwegian and Swedish social work students. It employs a postcolonial perspective to answer ‘What are key ethical challenges for the students?’ and ‘How can social work educators promote ethical awareness in international field training?’ based on focus group interviews and field reports. The results show that international field training contributes to both deepening some students’ critical knowledge and reinforcing others their colonial discourses. It is argued that social work educators play an important role for students’ critical positioning and knowledge.

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