41320 Educational counsellors

What this occupation covers

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.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 15 main duties for this code.

• 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.
• Vocational counsellors in Quebec may also provide professional orientation to individuals with a mental illness, disabilities, and those with adaptation difficulties. Those with specific training may also perform certain mental health assessments.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 3 of its 15 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 41321 Career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education)
• 31200 Psychologists
• 41220 Secondary school teachers
• 41300 Social workers
• 41301 Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies

Excluded from this code

• Career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education) (See 41321 Career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education))
• School psychologist (See 31200 Psychologists)
• Secondary school teachers (See 41220 Secondary school teachers)
• Social workers (See 41300 Social workers)
• Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies (See 41301 Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

academic adviser · academic counsellor · academic skills counsellor · career counsellor - education · college counsellor · co-op officer - schools · co-op placement officer - school · co-op program coordinator - school · counselling intern · counsellor for Aboriginal students · education officer · educational counsellor · educational guidance director · First Nations counsellor - education · First Nations studies program academic adviser · guidance counsellor - education · guidance service head · independent or applied studies officer · Indigenous advisor - college · international student adviser · learning and study skills specialist · personal academic counsellor · personal counsellor - education · school adjustment officer

Employment requirements

• A bachelor's degree in counselling, career development, education or social sciences is required for counsellors in school settings.
• A master's degree in counselling psychology or a related field such as educational psychology, developmental psychology or social work is usually required.
• Educational counsellors in post-secondary settings require an undergraduate degree and may require a graduate degree. A particular academic specialization may also be required.
• In Quebec, membership in l'Ordre des conseillers et conseillères d'orientation is mandatory to use the titles ''vocational counsellor'', "guidance counsellor" and "vocational guidance counsellor".
• A teacher's certificate in the province of employment and some teaching experience is usually required for counsellors in school settings.
• Educational counsellors in colleges and universities may require licensing from a provincial regulatory body governing psychologists, educational counsellors or social workers.