Description
Educational counsellors advise current and prospective students on educational issues, career planning and personal development, and coordinate the provision of counselling services to students, parents, teachers, faculty and staff. They are employed by school boards and post-secondary educational institutions.
Job Titles
- Academic counsellor
- Career counsellor – education
- Indigenous advisor – college
- School counsellor
- Student services counsellor
Main Duties
- Counsel students regarding educational issues such as course and program selection, time tables and scheduling, school adjustment, attendance problems and study skills
- Counsel students regarding career or vocational issues including career exploration and planning, résumé preparation, job interview skills and job search strategies and make available to them a wide range of educational and occupational information
- Coordinate co-op and school-to-work transition programs, and the provision of counselling and information services, such as career information, professional development sessions and exchanges with other educational institutions, to students, parents, teachers, faculty and staff
- Consult with teachers and parents or faculty and other professionals such as psychologists, speech therapists and social workers regarding various issues and concerns, and with administrators and community agencies regarding programs and referrals
- Administer and interpret standardized intelligence, personality, vocational, aptitude and interest tests
- Develop and coordinate study skills groups or workshops in high schools, colleges and universities on topics such as note-taking, test or examination anxiety and preparation strategies and time management skills
- Visit colleges and secondary schools to provide academic information to prospective students, their parents and educational counsellors
- Coordinate or participate in student orientation programs in colleges or universities
- Arrange for employers to recruit graduating college and university students, and students for co-op education work terms
- Counsel students regarding personal and social issues such as substance abuse, depression, sexuality, eating disorders, anxiety, self-esteem, family problems, relationship and interpersonal skills and anger management
- Counsel students in crisis situations such as dealing with the death of a friend or family member, suicidal tendencies and abuse situations
- May supervise peer counselling programs in school settings
- May supervise field experience for graduate students in counselling
- May teach regular classes.
Workplaces
- Post-secondary educational institutions
- School boards
Skills
- Persuading
- Social Perceptiveness
- Coordinating
- Critical Thinking
- Decision Making
Abilities
- Fluency of Ideas
- Problem Identification
- Speech Clarity
- Verbal Ability
- Written Comprehension
Personal Attributes
- Adaptability
- Collaboration
- Concern for Others
- Independence
- Service Orientation
Similar Occupations
- Secondary school teachers (41220)
- Career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education) (41321)
- Social workers (41300)
- Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies (41301)
- School psychologist (in 31200.00 Psychologists)
Source: OaSIS
Employment Outlook
The employment outlook will be good for Educational counsellors (41320) in Prince Edward Island for the 2022-2024 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
- Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
- A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
- There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
The majority of educational counsellors are employed in the educational services sector, primarily in elementary and secondary schools. Job opportunities in this field will therefore mainly depend on government funding in education and the demand for guidance services.
The job requirements usually vary depending on the educational setting. In elementary and secondary schools, counsellors are required to be certified in addition to having at least a bachelor’s degree. Educational counsellors in colleges and universities may be required to hold a master’s degree in education or other disciplines such as sociology. In addition, fluency in a second language can be an asset to job seekers generally. Some of the job opportunities are for part-time work.
Here are some key facts about Educational counsellors in Prince Edward Island:
- Approximately 100 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
- Educational counsellors mainly work in the following sectors:
- Elementary and secondary schools (NAICS 6111): 65%
- Universities (NAICS 6113): 25%
- Provincial and territorial public administration (NAICS 912): 8%
- The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
- Full-time workers: 86% compared to 84% for all occupations
- Part-time workers: 14% compared to 16% for all occupations
- 41% of educational counsellors work all year, while 59% work only part of the year, compared to 59% and 41% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 43 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
- The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
- Men: 17% compared to 51% for all occupations
- Women: 83% compared to 49% for all occupations
- The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
- no high school diploma: n/a
- high school diploma or equivalent: n/a
- apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: n/a
- college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor’s: n/a
- bachelor’s degree: 28% compared to 17% for all occupations
- university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 56% compared to 8% for all occupations
Source: Job Bank
Prevailing Wages
| AREA | LOW | MEDIAN | HIGH |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEI | $29.00 | $38.46 | $47.49 |
| Canada | $25.00 | $41.00 | $50.39 |
Training
There are no known training programs for this occupation in PEI. If you are aware of a local training program, please contact us.
There are currently no job listings for this occupation on WorkPEI.