7 Careers In College Counselling (With Duties And Salaries)

Students all around the world graduate from school every year, and some choose to pursue further education at colleges. Students entering college and those currently in college may seek guidance from college counsellors. Understanding the various roles of college counsellors can help you decide if a career in college counselling suits your skills and interests. In this article, we explore seven careers in college counselling that you may wish to pursue, including a summary of their primary responsibilities and average salaries.

Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate’s experience, academic background and location.

What Are Careers In College Counselling?

Careers in college counselling are jobs that primarily involve helping prospective and current students with their needs relating to school, college or university. Although counselling careers may vary, they all tend to involve empathetic individuals who enjoy working with and helping people. Most careers in college counselling require you to have graduated with a bachelor's degree and some that have a more advanced qualification may require higher education.

7 Careers In College Counselling

There are several college counselling careers you can pursue. Some common career paths include:

1. Admissions Counsellor

National average salary: ₹2,87,177 per year

Primary duties: Admissions counsellors guide prospective college students through the admissions process. They work in the admissions offices of a college. Their primary role is to assist students from the beginning to the end of the college application process when the prospective student may wish to accept a college's offer. In addition, they may help students apply for financial assistance packages through colleges and other organisations.

Admissions counsellors help students choose relevant school courses and extracurricular d.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/extracurricular-activities-for-resumeactivities required for their desired degree. They also provide insight into the benefits of various courses that may suit students' interests. Sometimes admissions counsellors arrange campus tours of colleges with information sessions to help inform students. Admissions counsellors also stay up to date with college admission requirements and procedures. This may include when and how students can apply and which courses to take to attain each degree. An admissions counsellor may also want to stay up to date with the requirements for financial aid for prospective students.

Related: What Does An Admission Counsellor Do? (Duties And Skills)

2. Career Counsellor

National average salary: ₹2,83,849 per year

Primary duties: A college career counsellor is a trained professional who helps college students find and select a career that suits their personality, interests and skill set. Working as a career counsellor, a college or university may employ you to provide students with the advice and guidance they require before entering the job market. Your job is to answer questions and provide useful information to students about the different careers and educational paths available to them.

Having an in-depth knowledge of various job roles and their specific job requirements is important to help match students with suitable careers. Career counsellors do this by interviewing students to find out what they enjoy and what they are good at, running aptitude tests and then suggesting appropriate fields for them to explore. In addition, you may provide students with a toolkit for writing resumes, applying for jobs and connecting them with mentors in various fields of interest so they can discover which career choice could be the right fit for them.

Related: What Is Career Counselling? (With Definition And Benefits)

3. College Advisor

National average salary: ₹5,68,00 per year

Primary duties: A college advisor is an academic advisor who provides support and guidance for students at a college or university to help them achieve their academic goals. They may assist students during the college application process and advise them on which college or course suits their desired career choices. For example, college advisors may assist students who wish to change their courses during the semester year.

Working as a college advisor, you may help students discover what interests them academically, educate them on the range of courses available and help them decide which courses to take. For example, you may provide them with any relevant resources they can use to find more information on specific courses, colleges, qualifications and career choices to assist with creating a study schedule that can help them achieve their goals. You may also refer students who require additional educational or emotional assistance to a relevant professional, such as a career counsellor or a psychologist.

Related: What Are Career Opportunities And How To Choose The Right One

4. Academic Counsellor

National average salary: ₹2,68,168 per year

Primary duties: An academic counsellor advises students on concerns they may face throughout their schooling career, academic programme and beyond. These could include providing direction on which classes to take to complete their desired degree and helping them decide which careers they might like to pursue in the future after they graduate.

Working as an academic counsellor, you may work closely with school or college students to assist them with various academic matters, help them build out their course schedules and provide additional tutoring on subjects they struggle with. In addition, you may support students who struggle with anything from financial to personal issues.

Related: What Are The Best Courses And Career Options In Humanities?

5. Personal Counsellor

National average salary: ₹2,73,000 per year

Primary duties: A personal counsellor is a mental health professional who helps students navigate the difficulties of their college career. This can include financial issues, addiction and mental and emotional health concerns. They provide an opportunity for students to receive personal support through challenging times in their lives.

Working as a personal counsellor, you may work closely with students who are struggling with their school, home or personal life. This may involve one-on-one counselling sessions, group or family counselling sessions, workshops and perhaps even crisis interventions. Your work involves helping them voice their concerns and providing support and guidance on how to achieve their goals for change. For example, some issues you may encounter as a personal counsellor include anger management problems, relationship challenges, depression, substance abuse, bullying and family issues.

Related: How To Become A Social Worker: Skills, Salary And Duties

6. School Psychologist

National average salary: ₹3,56,791 per year

Primary duties: A school psychologist assists students at schools or colleges with learning and behavioural needs. They work in schools or colleges and provide psychological counselling for students to help them excel academically, socially, behaviourally and emotionally. School psychologists generally have a wide skill set that helps them address the needs of students. School psychologists differ from other psychologists in that they specifically deal with the needs of students resulting from or relating to school or college.

As a school psychologist, you may work closely with students' families, teachers and school administrators to create and promote supportive environments for students to learn. Some school psychologist roles may include providing counselling, conducting assessments and addressing behavioural and educational issues, including learning disabilities. Examples of some issues a school psychologist may assist with include helping bullied students, students performing poorly academically or those with mental health issues.

Related: How To Become A School Counsellor (With Essential Skills)

7. School Therapist

National average salary: ₹3,25,614 per year

Primary duties: Therapists, especially school therapists, provide emotional support to students to help them maintain physical, mental and emotional well-being. They assess the learning needs of individual students and relay this to the relevant educational professionals to ensure the learning environment is optimal for the student.

Some areas that therapists may specialise in include speech therapy, career guidance and behavioural health. This career may be rewarding if you enjoy working with children, teenagers or young adults and enjoy helping others. Some of the key roles of a school therapist include providing therapy services to students, advising students on academic choices, collaborating with parents and educational professionals, carrying out student risk assessments and connecting students with community resources.