As a school counselor, you help students navigate the challenging academic, social, and emotional issues they may face. You also work with teachers, parents, and administrators on a wide range of counseling initiatives. As a school counselor, you offer students guidance and support at every stage of their educational journeys and you can count on Blazer Jobs to provide you with the support you need to navigate your career journey.
If you’re a school counselor looking for school based travel jobs around the country, Blazer Jobs can find you open positions in a location you love.
School Counselor Responsibilities
School counselors work in any school with students at every grade level. Though the challenges facing elementary school kids are different than those affecting high school students, school counselors provide support for children of any age.
In elementary school, they help kids build the foundation they need to excel academically. School counselors work with teachers and parents to ensure students develop good habits and life skills in and out of the classroom. In middle school, they provide critical support for kids as they transition to being a teenager, acting as a safe space and helping them learn to cope with bigger problems. In high school, counselors help students make decisions about their futures. In addition to guiding them in deciding what they will do after graduation, they still support students through hard times.
Although the specific responsibilities of school counselor jobs vary depending on the age of the students they work with, school counselor job responsibilities include:
- Providing individual or small group counseling
- Helping students work through and overcome social or behavioral problems
- Setting career goals with older students and helping them develop a plan to achieve them
- Evaluating students’ interest using interviews and aptitude tests
- Helping students develop essential skills for academic career success, including time management, organization, and study habits
- Working with teachers, parents, and administrators to strategize how to best help students succeed
- Educating the school about topics like drug abuse, bullying, and grief
- Identifying and appropriately reporting cases of abuse
- Providing access to outside resources that families can use for additional support
- Identifying issues that may be affecting school performance
School Counselor Requirements
The first step to becoming a school counselor is to get a bachelor’s degree in a related field, like psychology, education, or social work. After completing your bachelor’s degree, you must complete a graduate degree in school counseling or counseling with a concentration in school counseling.
All master’s programs include a fieldwork component, where you gain real-life experience working as a school counselor.
After completing a graduate degree, it’s time to sit for state board exams. These exams test your knowledge of the field and ensure that you are qualified to practice. After passing the required exam, you can apply for a school counselor’s license. These are typically issued through the state board of education, and qualifications vary from one state to another.
As licensing relates to school based travel jobs, many states have reciprocity agreements where they will accept requirements from other states, but some may require additional education or qualifications.
Blazer Jobs has school counselor jobs available nationwide! Check out all of our open jobs and apply today!