Career as a Career Counselor- How to start a career as a Career Counselor
Our country has one of the largest student populations in the world. There are nearly 350 million students across the nation. According to many surveys, India currently has a requirement for 1.4 million career counselors to serve the student population and maintain a globally accepted student-counselor ratio. Researchers suggest that the recent technological advancements in every educational sector and the increasing awareness regarding various career avenues have positively contributed to the growing demand for career counseling.
Most students experience a lot of confusion while choosing the appropriate career path for themselves. It is there where a career counselor’s work starts. More opportunities come with more doubtfulness, and career counselors help students by providing in-depth knowledge about the career path they wish to follow. Though the internet has brought everything to our palms, choosing the right career or profession is a lot more than just googling it on the internet. It is the primary reason why career counseling as a profession seems more relevant in today’s age. Individuals can earn a hefty amount each month by providing career counseling sessions to students. If you have a strong confident personality, outstanding communication skills, have studied counseling psychology, career guidance, or a related subject, and are passionate about pursuing career counseling as your full-time profession, you’re at the right place. Here in this article, we will discuss how one can become a career counselor, what skills are required, how much money an online and offline counselor can make, the responsibilities of a counselor, and more. Let’s know who a career counselor is.
- Who Is A Career Counselor?
- Career Counselor – Job Profile and Work Responsibilities
- Work Responsibilities of A Career Counselor
- Required Skills To Become A Career Counselor
- How To Become A Career Counselor? (Eligibility and Experience)
- Career Counseling Course and Fees
- Salary of An Online and Offline Career Counselor in India
- Top Recruiters of Career Counseling Jobs In India
- Top Universities in India for Career Counseling Courses
- Top Online Platforms for Career Counseling Certification Courses
- Career Counseling Course Duration and Fees
Who Is A Career Counselor?
A career counselor is a trained professional who helps clients choose their ideal career and achieve their professional goals. Career counselors help their clients select appropriate professions, provide an in-depth understanding of which career paths and jobs are beneficial for them, and if there are any requirements for changes in their careers. They also help job seekers select the appropriate work environment, apply for ideal employment opportunities and choose financially agreeable organizations. A career counselor can be a therapist, career guidance specialist, or business volunteer but must be skilled and trained to understand the methods and techniques of career counseling. Institutions such as schools, universities, government and community agencies, and private educational organizations offer various job opportunities for career counseling professionals.
A career counselor may have to provide counseling sessions to students, fresher graduates, job seekers, and even employed individuals. The primary responsibility of a career guide is to answer their clients’ queries regarding different career and educational paths. They usually help individuals plan and make correct career-related decisions, discuss their career development, and administer their ability and aptitude assessments.
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Career Counselor – Job Profile and Work Responsibilities
The job profile of career counselors is high in demand in the global market. It allows the professional to work according to their flexibility – which means one can apply for this job position offered by an educational organization or be self-employed by running their own online or offline career counseling business. This job position of career counselor has emerged as one of the most popular career choices among today’s youth who don’t want to head toward a mainstream job. The job profile provides thousands of scopes and opportunities for freshers, professionals, and even those who don’t want to be committed to full-time employment.
While many organizations offer full-time positions for career counselors, there are also thousands of freelancing and part-time opportunities in this field. Students who want to start their careers as career counselors can join these freelance jobs and make good money while studying. However, the session charges vary depending on the mode of counseling. While offline career counselors meet and interact with students in person, online counselors communicate with students via video calls or video meetings.
Work Responsibilities of A Career Counselor
The following are some significant responsibilities of career counselors.
- Administering personality and ability tests
Career counselors work closely with clients to understand their personalities and abilities. They administer various personality, ability, and aptitude assessments to identify the client’s strengths, weaknesses, interests, skills, and areas of specialization. It is one of the most significant parts of the counseling process as these data help the counselors research the ideal job possibilities for the clients.
- Evaluating clients’ educational background
Career counseling is a lengthy process consisting of various significant steps. After understanding the client’s personality and identifying their abilities, career counselors evaluate their educational background and work experience. Counselors help their clients to determine what steps they need to take to achieve their vocational goals.
- Helping clients search for job openings
Career guides often work with fresher graduates and job seekers. They usually teach job seekers how to look for jobs on online portals, which job portals are safe and offer profitable opportunities, and how to apply for job openings. They also connect job seekers to online and offline job search resources.
- Counseling clients based on their age
Career guides advice and counsel their clients regarding the career paths they want to follow. Most online and offline career counseling sessions are conducted depending on the age of every client. Counselors resolve the career-related issues of their clients. For example, they help clients with financial problems by locating financial support and resources for them.
- Assisting students in selecting educational institutions
Another significant job responsibility of career counselors is to assist the school, college, or university students in selecting ideal courses and educational institutes. They also help the students to find the best educational programs required for specific careers.
- Teaching job-related skills
Career counselors often teach their clients essential job-related skills, including resume making, cover letter writing, problem-solving, and decision-making. They train the clients on effective interview techniques and conduct mock interviews if needed.
- Providing referrals
Sometimes, career counselors provide community resource referrals to their clients. They usually provide referrals such as educational programs or job training opportunities.
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Required Skills To Become A Career Counselor
People of any gender can apply for the job position of an online and offline career counselor. Most educational organizations prefer trained candidates with work experience for this job profile. However, an individual requires a few significant skills to pursue career counseling as a full-time profession. The following are some essential skills to become a successful career counselor.
- Career counselors must have excellent communication skills as they often work closely with various clients. They may have to interact with clients from various age groups and educational backgrounds. Good communicable skills help counselors interact with clients with different personalities.
- Career guides must have interpersonal abilities to build professional and emotional relationships with clients so that the clients can share their issues and queries without any hesitation. Counselors must develop a strong connection with their clients as it will make the counseling process easier.
- Online career counselors must know to use the computer and other related applications. They should have an in-depth understanding of various virtual meeting applications (such as zoom call, google duo, and google meet) as it is their only mode of communication with their clients.
- Despite their mode of counseling, career guides must be good listeners. Active listening skills are extremely essential as they help career counselors understand a client’s personality, requirements, and preferences.
- Career counselors should have outstanding analytical reasoning skills as they may have to use various tools, including personality, aptitude, and academic assessments. They must have reasoning abilities to analyze the results of the tests and identify a client’s strengths and weaknesses.
Other required skills are:
- Non-judgemental mindset
- Empathy and compassion
- Ability to maintain the confidentiality of client’s data
- Good speaking skills
How To Become A Career Counselor? (Eligibility and Experience)
The job profile of career counselors is skill and experience based. However, a candidate requires a few significant educational qualifications for a career in this field. They must meet the below-mentioned criteria to get a job as an online or offline career counselor.
Eligibility
Individuals willing to start their careers in career counseling must complete their graduation from any discipline with a minimum of 50% marks from a recognized educational institute. If one wants to follow the traditional path of pursuing a career in this field, one can join an online certification career counseling course. Candidates can also join offline PG diploma programs in career counseling and guidance to learn more about this field. Though offline undergraduate courses are not available in this field, individuals can join the following UG courses, as these courses are considered helpful for getting a job as a career counselor.
- Psychology
- Counseling Psychology
- Career Guidance
- Mass Communication
Experience
Those who don’t want to join PG Diploma programs can directly apply for entry-level part-time career counseling jobs. Many educational institutions, including schools and universities, offer freelance and part-time job opportunities for career counselors. Though the availability of career counseling internships is quite a few, most organizations that offer internship programs provide certifications and full-time job positions to counselors after the successful completion of their internships. Similarly, freelance counseling jobs offer individuals various opportunities to gain experience and make money together. Experience certifications are considered beneficial for those who want to become full-time career counselors.
Career Counseling Courses and Fees
People who want to pursue their careers in career counseling and guidance can join online certification programs. Many online educational platforms provide free and paid certification courses in career counseling. In India, it is hard to find any private or government educational institutes providing offline undergraduate courses in career counseling. But individuals can join postgraduate diploma offline programs in career counseling to start their careers as career counselors.
Best Online Career Counseling Courses
The following are the top 7 best online career counseling courses.
P.S- Candidates can join these online career counseling courses anytime, according to their preference.
Sl No. |
Courses Name |
Course Provider |
Duration |
Average Fees |
1. |
Career Counselor Certification Program |
52 hours of self-paced learning |
31,750 INR |
|
2. |
Certified Career Counselor |
2.5 hours |
1299 INR |
|
3. |
Career counseling certification for coaches and job seekers |
16 hours |
3499 INR |
|
4. |
Certification in Career Counseling |
80 hours |
10,000 INR |
|
5. |
Become A Career Counselor |
58 hours |
Registration Required |
|
6. |
Certification Program in Career Counseling & Guidance |
3 months |
24,500 INR |
|
7. |
Certification Program in Career Counseling & Guidance |
2 days |
Free |
Best Offline UG Career Counseling Courses in India
In India, no private or government educational institutions provide offline undergraduate courses in career counseling.
Best PG Diploma Career Counseling Courses in India
The following are the top 5 best PG diploma career counseling courses available in India.
P.S- One needs to complete their graduation from any discipline to join these postgraduate diploma courses.
Sl No. |
Course Name |
Institution Name |
Duration |
Average Fees |
1. |
Post Graduate Diploma in Career Counseling and Guidance |
1 year |
15,080 INR |
|
2. |
Post Graduate Diploma in Counseling and Guidance |
1 year |
2085 INR |
|
3. |
Post Graduate Diploma in Career Counseling and Guidance |
1 year |
91,800 INR |
|
4. |
Post Graduate Diploma in Career Counseling and Guidance |
1 year |
18,960 INR |
|
5. |
Post Graduate Diploma in Career Counseling and Guidance |
1 year |
3084 INR |
Salary of An Online and Offline Career Counselor in India
Individuals (freshers and professionals) are now turning to online and offline career counseling jobs as the average payscale in the career counseling field has also increased quite a lot in the last few years.
In India, the average salary of a full-time online career counselor is15,000-19,000/month. Additionally, a career counseling specialist with more than five years of working experience can earn up to 4-5 lakhs per annum. For a single session, counseling specialists who provide in-person guidance to students charge a little more than those counseling professionals who offer virtual guidance. In India, an offline career counselor can earn up to 20,000-23,000/month. The salary of career counselors largely depends on some significant factors, such as
- Job location
- Mode of counseling (Online or Offline)
- If they are self-employed or working with an organization
- Number of counseling sessions they offer in a month
- Number of students to whom they provide counseling
- Skills
- Specialization
- Work experience
- Variety of guidance
- Grade and curriculum of the client
Freshers who want to start their careers in this field can apply for freelance or part-time career counseling jobs to gain experience. Most organizations usually pay freelance counselors based on their work hours and the number of monthly sessions. A freelance career counselor can make up to 10,000-13,000/month or even more, depending on their work hours. However, it is difficult to find paid internship opportunities in this field.
Top Recruiters of Career Counseling Jobs In India
The scopes and opportunities have increased a lot for passionate professionals and entrepreneurs who want to pursue their careers in career counseling. Due to the growing demand for career counselors, many educational organizations are now providing various profitable job opportunities for skilled and experienced career guides. The following are some renowned organizations hiring for the career counselor job profile.
- Times & Trends Academy, Pune
- Edu Wise, New Delhi
- BYJU’s, Bengaluru
- Parul University, Vadodara
- Medway Education, West Delhi
- UpGrad, Mumbai
- Board Infinity, Navi Mumbai
- KC Overseas Education, Nagpur
- Arena Animation, Mumbai
- Careers360, New Delhi
Top Universities in India for Career Counseling Courses
Though no private or government educational institutions provide offline undergraduate programs in career counseling, candidates can join PG diploma courses in career counseling. Below are the top five universities in India that offer the best offline learning experience in career counseling.
- University of Lucknow
- Annamalai University
- Tata Institute of Social Science
- Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
- Maharshi Dayanand University
Top Online Platforms for Career Counseling Certification Courses
Many online educational platforms offer free and paid certification courses in career counseling and guidance. Individuals who wish to pursue their careers as career counselors can join these courses. These certifications are considered extremely beneficial for those who want to apply for full-time counseling jobs. Here are the top five online platforms offering helpful certification courses in this field.
- Global Career Counselor
- iDreamCareer
- Udemy
- Edumilestones
- International Certified Career Coach (ICCC)
Career Counseling Course Duration and Fees
Many online educational platforms provide free and paid certification courses in career counseling. In India, no educational institutes provide offline undergraduate programs in this field. However, candidates can join PG diploma offline courses in career counseling and guidance. While some online platforms offer free courses, candidates must pay to join the PG diploma programs. The course fee widely varies depending on the duration and the institute.
The duration of an online career counseling certification course can range from a few hours to a few months. Additionally, the duration of a PG diploma course in career counseling can be 1-2 years. An online career counseling course can cost up to 30,000 INR, while an offline PG diploma course can cost between 2000-90,000 INR.
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